{"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","url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/products\/the-shortest-history-of-india-by-john-zubrzycki-9781760641788","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}