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India

A Short History
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Brief Description
Pithy, admirable ... a most refreshing resumé The Times Literary Supplement India has had many histories. To pilgrims from ancient China, it was the birthplace of the Buddha; to Alexander the Great it was a land of clever naked philosophers and indomitable, elephantine armies. At the... Read More
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This concise history tells India's unfolding story, from the ancient Hindu dynasties to the coming of Islam, from the Mughal Empire to the present day, with a new preface and postscript.

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Pithy, admirable ... a most refreshing resumé The Times Literary Supplement

India has had many histories. To pilgrims from ancient China, it was the birthplace of the Buddha; to Alexander the Great it was a land of clever naked philosophers and indomitable, elephantine armies. At the height of the Mughal empire, India boasted nearly a quarter of the world economy, and even under colonial rule, it was the jewel in the crown of the British Empire. Today, it is the resurgent home to one sixth of the global population.

Andrew Robinson incisively distils India's many incarnations, from the remarkably advanced cities of the early Indus Valley to the world's largest democracy. Anyone curious about its past, present, or future will find this a fascinating introduction.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780500298251

Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 09 January 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Illustration: 1 Illustrations, black and white

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 200g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Andrew Robinson is the author of twenty-five books in the arts and sciences, nine of them on aspects of Indian history and culture. They include two definitive biographies: Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, described by V. S. Naipaul as 'an extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book', and the co-authored Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man. He holds degrees from Oxford University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, has been a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, and is currently a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

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