{"title":"John Zubrzycki","description":"\u003cp\u003eJohn Zubrzycki’s work offers a compelling journey through history and human stories, blending meticulous research with engaging narrative. His titles explore diverse subjects from the intricacies of political upheaval to personal memoirs, revealing the complex layers beneath historical events.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect insightful perspectives that illuminate the past with clarity and depth. Whether delving into the nuances of India’s history or unravelling enigmatic personalities, Zubrzycki’s books invite reflection on identity, power, and the forces that shape our world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-shortest-history-of-india-by-john-zubrzycki-9781760641788","title":"The Shortest History of India","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn illuminating and concise telling of the 5000 years of turbulent history that led India from the ruins of ancient civilisations to an emerging global superpower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the oldest civilisations and the largest democracy in the world, India is an amalgam of customs, races, castes, languages, and spiritual beliefs, woven together over 5000 years of wonderfully colossal and chaotic history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the earliest humans and the Harappan civilisation to Muslim invaders, the Great Mughals, British rule, the country's struggle for autonomy and present-day hopes and challenges, John Zubrzycki masterfully condenses five millennia of deities, mutinies, wars, great empires, decadent dynasties, invasions, colonisation, and independence into a fascinating, lively telling. He brings the complex and contrasting layers of Indian history to life through a well-known cast of characters—Buddha, Alexander the Great, Akbar, Clive, Tipu Sultan, Lakshmi Bai, Curzon, Jinnah, and Mahatma Gandhi—against a backdrop of the mystical Ganges, the desert forts of Rajasthan, the snow-covered Himalayas, and the ruins of India's fabled civilisations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Buddhism to Bollywood, India has made its mark on Asia and the world. Its progress in tackling poverty and illiteracy has been impressive, but extraordinary challenges remain—not least the threat to its secular fabric. Only time will tell if India can overcome its political, social, and religious tensions to rise again and become the next global superpower.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Shortest History of India\u003c\/em\u003e may be a one-day read, but it's no small achievement. Nimbly navigating 5000 years of erratic documentation, Zubrzycki's narrative retains its poise, misses little, and is a delight to read. - John Keay\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eJohn Zubrzycki has fashioned an accessible and absorbing portal to the subcontinent's 5000-year-old history. - \u003cem\u003eThe Sydney Morning Herald\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eContents:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cul\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eLost Civilisations\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eReligious Revolutionaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eThe Classical Age\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eThe Coming of Islam\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eThe Magnificent Mughals\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eMerchants and Mercenaries\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eThe Lighting of the Fuse\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eThe Long Road to Freedom\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eCreating the Nation State\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003cli\u003eA 'New India'?\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46338694709484,"sku":"9781760641788","price":32.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/23804823482814.jpg?v=1743744081"},{"product_id":"the-mysterious-mr-jacob-by-john-zubrzycki-9780995359437","title":"The Mysterious Mr Jacob","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'One of the most exciting narrative histories to come out of India.'\u003c\/em\u003e - William Dalrymple\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a scandal that rocked the highest echelons of the British Raj. In 1891, a notorious jeweller and curio dealer from Simla offered to sell the world's largest brilliant-cut diamond to the fabulously wealthy Nizam of Hyderabad. If the audacious deal succeeded, it would set the merchant up for life. But the transaction went horribly wrong. The Nizam accused him of fraud, triggering a sensational trial in the Calcutta High Court that made headlines around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe dealer was Alexander Malcolm Jacob, a man of mysterious origins. After arriving penniless in Bombay in 1865, he became the most famous purveyor of precious stones in princely India, and a confidante of Viceroys and Maharajas. Jacob also excelled in the magical arts. He inspired all those who met him, including Rudyard Kipling, who immortalised him as Lurgan Sahib, the 'healer of sick pearls', in his novel \u003cem\u003eKim\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow for the first time, John Zubrzycki, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Last Nizam\u003c\/em\u003e, conveys the page-turning colour, romance, and adventure of Jacob's astonishing life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStarting on the banks of the Tigris in modern-day Turkey, where Jacob was born, Zubrzycki strips away the myths and legends. He follows Jacob's journey from the slums of Bombay to the fabulous court of the Nizam of Hyderabad, from the hedonistic heights of Simla, the summer capital of the Raj, to the Calcutta High Court. This is a story of India, of strange twists and unexpected outcomes. Most importantly, Zubrzycki enters into and truly captures the spirit of the mysterious Mr Jacob, one of the most enigmatic and charismatic figures of his time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46846557978860,"sku":"9780995359437","price":34.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10316193482542.jpg?v=1758912562"},{"product_id":"dethroned-by-john-zubrzycki-9781805263098","title":"Dethroned","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe dramatic true story of the betrayal of hundreds of Indian princely states by both the departing British and the new Congress government. In July 1947, India's last Viceroy, Lord Louis Mountbatten, stood before New Delhi's Chamber of Princes to deliver the most important speech of his career. He had just three weeks to convince over 550 sovereign princely states—some tiny, some the size of Britain—to become part of a free India. Once Britain's most faithful allies, the princes could choose between joining India or Pakistan, or declaring independence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDethroned\u003c\/em\u003e is a saga of intrigue, brinkmanship and broken promises, wrought by Mountbatten and two of independent India's founding fathers: the country's most senior civil servant, V.P. Menon, and Congress strongman Vallabhbhai Patel. What India's architects described as a 'bloodless revolution' was anything but, as violence engulfed Kashmir and Indian troops crushed Hyderabad's dreams of independence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMost princes accepted the inevitable, exchanging their power for guarantees of privileges and titles in perpetuity. But these dynasties were still led to extinction—not by the sword, but by political expediency—leaving them with little more than fading memories of a glorified past.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47536541040876,"sku":"9781805263098","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781805263098-dethroned.jpg?v=1776382639"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/john-zubrzycki.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}