Adventures With the Buddha, A Buddhism Reader  •  Jeffery Paine RELIGION •  2005 •  PAPER  • 410 PAGES Paine chooses nine influential 19th and 20th century western adventurers and their travels in China, Tibet, Nepal and India for this riveting tale of religion, adventure and enlightenment. It's an enchanting window into a now largely lost world. Organized chronologically, he includes the pioneering travels of Alexandra David-Neel in Tibet, John Blsofeld (Wheel of Life) and Lama Anagarika Givindaa, whose The Way of White Clouds has recently been returned to print. (REL12, $16.95)
Along the Ganges  •  Ilija Trojanow NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 160 PAGES In this colorful travelogue, Trojanow follows the Ganges from its source in the Himalayas to the cities that it feeds, using the holy river as a means to ponder Hinduism, culture, ecology and the tension between ancient and modern India. (IDA294, $19.95)
Ancient Futures, Learning from Ladakh  •  Dalai Lama  •  Peter Matthiessen  •  Helena Norberg-Hodge BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1992 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES With introductions by the Dalai Lama and Peter Matthiessen, this book comes with a good pedigree -- and its author has lived and worked in Ladakh since 1975. Norberg-Hodge documents her community work and changes from traditional ways of life. (HML24, $16.95)
An Area of Darkness  •  V.S. Naipaul BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 267 PAGES A classic of modern travel writing, An Area of Darkness is Nobel laureate V. S. Naipaul's profound reckoning with his ancestral homeland and an extraordinarily perceptive chronicle of his first encounter with India. Traveling from the bureaucratic morass of Bombay to the ethereal beauty of Kashmir, from a sacred ice cave in the Himalayas to an abandoned temple near Madras, Naipaul encounters a dizzying cross-section of humanity: browbeaten government workers and imperious servants, a suavely self-serving holy man and a deluded American religious seeker. An Area of Darkness also abounds with Naipaul's strikingly original responses to India's paralyzing caste system, its apparently serene acceptance of poverty and squalor, and the conflict between its desire for self-determination and its nostalgia for the British raj. The result may be the most elegant and passionate book ever written about the subcontinent. (IDA13, $14.95)
The Art of the Imperial Cholas  •  Vidya Dehijia ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1990 •  HARD COVER (IDA104, $41.50)
The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian  •  Nirad C. Chaudhuri BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES An acclaimed memoir, first published in 1951, which launched Chaudhuri's literary star (he was dubbed "Honorary Commander of the British Empire" in 1992). It's at once the story of Chaudhuri's youth in rural Bengal and Calcutta and the story of modern India's origins -- a book with a powerful intellectual kick which is steeped in time and place. A "masterpiece", says Salman Rushdie. Chaudhuri died in 1999 at the age of 102. This handsome paper edition is one in a great series by the New York Review of Books. (IDA196, $19.95)
An Autobiography, Or the Story of My Experiments with Truth  •  Mohandas K. Gandhi BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1995 •  PAPER  • 480 PAGES There is no substitute for reading Gandhi in his own simple, direct prose. A highly recommended glimpse into the personal life of this remarkable figure. (IDA163, $10.95)
Banaras  •  Diana L. Eck HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES This history of the holiest and oldest of Indian cities, the home of Shiva, encompasses many millennia of Buddhist and especially Hindu practices along the Ganges. (IDA211, $28.50)
Baumgartner's Bombay  •  Anita Desai LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES This novel's unlikely protagonist, Hugo Baumgartner, stands in for the intersection of Jewish and Indian culture. In this vividly depicted tale, Jewish business owner Baumgartner escapes Nazi persecution by fleeing to Calcutta, where he is subsequently imprisoned as an alien. He get released but Baumgartner comically lives as an outsider with stray cats as his sole source of companionship. (IDA245, $13.00)
Beneath a Marble Sky, A Love Story  •  John Shors LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 344 PAGES Built to mourn the tragic death of the emperor's wife, the Taj Mahal is at the center of this murderous, fantastical and dazzling tale, told from the point of view of daughter Princess Jaharana. Parallel to the emperor's grief is the forbidden love between the princess and a Taj Mahal architect. Shors elegantly conjures royal life in 18th-century Hindustan. (IDA301, $14.00)
Bhagavad Gita, A New Translation  •  Stephen Mitchell LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A poetic introduction and re-invention of the Gita, an ancient Hindu poem. Mitchell's lyrical translation aims for the literary qualities of the original. (IDA170, $13.95)
Bhubaneswar: From a Temple Town to a Capital City  •  Ravi Kalia HISTORY •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES Intended primarily for city planners, this scholarly analysis of the design and planning of the new capital of Orissa is of much interest to the socially concerned traveler. The author looks closely at how plans for the city were modified in response to local concerns. (IDA135, $45.00)
The Big Cats and Their Fossil Relatives, An Illustrated Guide to Their Evolution and Natural History  •  Alan Turner  •  Mauricio Anton NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A thoroughly researched and accessible guide to modern felines and their prehistoric ancestors. From the sabertooth tiger to the average house cat, this far-reaching natural history finds links between present-day species and fossil evidence to form an account of the anatomy, behavior and evolution of cats. Includes almost 200 amazingly detailed drawings. (BST50, $26.95)
Birds of India  •  Richard Grimmett  •  Carol Inskipp  •  Tim Inskipp FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A field edition of the masterful five-pound handbook to birds of the region (FG31), featuring the same stunning color plates, up-to-date range maps and condensed descriptive information. The book covers 1,300 bird species of the Indian Subcontinent from Nepal and Bhutan to Sri Lanka. With 153 color plates. Descriptions, range maps and illustrations are integrated on the same page for easy reference. Designed and built for use in the field with a sturdy binding and water-resistant cover. (FG43, $35.00)
Blue Guide Southern India  •  George Michell GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 576 PAGES A comprehensive guide to the region, including Bombay, with 90 maps and site plans and detailed information on the archaeology, culture and history of major attractions throughout South India. (IDA94, $25.95)
The Book of Indian Birds  •  Salim Ali FIELD GUIDE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 412 PAGES • COMING IN The 12th editon of this classic field guide to the birds of the plains, foothills, wetlands, and seacoast of the Indian subcontinent, published in India and authored by one of its pre-eminent ornithologists. Organized by bird family, each species is illustrated in color. (IDA45, $34.50)
Born Into Brothels  •  Zana Briski  •  Children of Calcutta CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  HARD COVER  • 104 PAGES "Born into Brothels," the 2005 Oscar-winner for Best Documentary, is the story of director Zana Briski's time spent teaching photography to the children of Calcutta's red light district. This charming book displays the results of the project: poignant and winning photographs of one of the world's most impoverished areas by eight local children. The book makes it clear that Briski succeeded: the children's photos are powerful National-Geographic-caliber portraits of life in their community. (IDA269, $35.00)
Brahma's Pushkar, Ancient Indian Pilgrimage  •  Aman Nath  •  Rajan Kapoor NATURAL HISTORY •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 204 PAGES The myth, history, ancient rites and legdens surrounding Pushkar, its pilgrims, traders, and visitors are documented in nearly 500 color photographs and illuminating text. Ample attention is paid to the celebrated Camel Fair (held once a year during the full moon in November). With notes and album on the the three parikramas (walking pilgrimages). (IDA304, $55.00)
Calcutta Map  •  Bharat Graphics MAP A folded map of Calcutta, shown at a scale of 1:85,000. (IDA155, $6.95)
The Camphor Flame, Popular Hinduism and Society in India  •  C.J. Fuller RELIGION •  1992 •  PAPER  • 306 PAGES A clear and comprehensive study of contemporary Hinduism as it is practiced in Indian society. Ethnographic, anthropological and historical in approach, Fuller explores the polytheistic religion, its rituals, and how its adherents relate to each other and the deities themselves. An interesting scholarly read that illuminates many aspects of the culture. (IDA90, $24.95)
The Child and the State in India  •  Myron Weiner CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1991 •  PAPER  • 213 PAGES A thought-provoking no-nonsense evaluation of education and child labor, important social issuesn. (IDA40, $27.95)
City of Joy  •  Dominique La Pierre CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1985 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES An epic of love, heroism, and hope set among the dispossessed, and those who have sacrificed all to help them, in the slums of Calcutta. (IDA25, $7.99)
Come with Me to India, On a Wondrous Voyage through Time  •  Sudha Koul HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 225 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE An informal -- and brief -- survey of Indian cultural history, written with the author's very American(ized) daughters in mind. Koul covers in these few pages geography, flora and fauna, languages, politics, social class, clothing, cuisine, pastimes, religion, the educational system and economics. (IDA47, $15.50)
Conflict Unending  •  Sumit Ganguly HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES An in-depth study of the turbulent relationship between India and Pakistan since independence in 1947, with a focus on Kashmir. (IDA223, $27.00)
The Dancing Girl  •  Hasan Shah BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1993 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES Written 200 years ago, originally in Farsi, later rendered into Urdu, "The Dancing Girl" is India's first modern novel. The author, a clerk, portrays the social and economic milieu of India in 1790 at the beginning of British colonial rule. The writer falls in love with a member of a troupe of dancers hired to entertain British officers, a common practice of the day (along with riding, hunting and shooting). This translation is by the Urdu novelist, Qurratulain Hyder. (IDA61, $9.95)
Darsan, Seeing the Divine Image in India  •  Diana L. Eck ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 97 PAGES A fascinating and rigorous guide to deciphering Hindu symbolism, this book will help you understand and appreciate religious art in India. Despite its scholarly paraphernalia and language, the book (whose title translates as "seeing") is tremendously useful for the traveler. It's an eye-opening book for the intellectually curious. With a useful glossary and some not-very-good photographs. (IDA75, $22.00)
Daughter of the Ganges, The Story of One Girl's Adoption and her Return Journey to India  •  Asha Miro BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 320 PAGES (IDA299, $24.00)
The Death of Vishnu, A Novel  •  Manil Suri LITERATURE •  2008 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES The title character lays dying on the first floor landing, spinning vivid tales of myth, memory and events in this vibrant, richly drawn novel, set in a apartment house in Bombay. (IDA197, $14.95)
Desert Places: A Woman's Nomadic Odyssey Across India  •  Robyn Davidson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • COMING IN In this account of her journey with the Rabari, nomads of northwest India, Davidson confronts the ecological and social challenges of these nomads in the modern age, as well as her own illusions. (IDA23, $13.95)
Dharma's Daughters: Contemporary Indian Women and Hindu Culture  •  Sara Mitter CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1991 •  PAPER  • 198 PAGES An American woman's insightful attempt to understand the place of women in the culture of her adoptive country. The American daughter-in-law of a Bengali family, Mitter writes of the everday life of diverse women of Bombay in Pat One. In part Two she discusses Hindu myth and culture. Part Three is a survey of the women's movement in India since the 1970s. (IDA38, $22.95)
Eastern India Map  •  Nelles MAP A detailed regional map of eastern India, from just east of Delhi through all of Nepal, at a scale of 1:1,500,000. (IDA123, $10.95)
Encountering God: A Spiritual Journey from Bozeman to Banaras  •  Diana L. Eck RELIGION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 259 PAGES Written by a professor of comparative religion at Harvard, this book reflects the author's intellectual and personal tussles with the world's great religions. A well grounded Methodist from Montana, she explores sacred texts and rituals of Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish traditions. With its wide geographic and spiritual scope, and combination of the personal and scholarly, this book is a fascinating introduction to religion, and the author. (IDA78, $20.00)
The End of a Trail, The Cheetah in India  •  Divyabhanusinh Chavda NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES A historical study of the cheetah in India, where it is now extinct. Expert Divyabhanusinh Chavda looks back into prehistory and studies interactions between humans and the cat through the years, and shows what conditions and practices led to its extinction in the subcontinent. He concludes with a discussion of a possible reintroduction of the cheetah into India. Complemented by 32 color photos, and 47 halftones and line drawings. (IDA140, $75.00)
An End to Suffering, The Buddha in the World  •  Pankaj Mishra RELIGION •  2005 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Mishra, a frequent contributor to The New York Review of Books, examines the life of Buddha and the impact of Buddhism upon the ancient and modern world. As Mishra travels to gather information, he discovers connections between the Buddha's struggles and his own. A personal and informative exploration. (IDA242, $15.00)
Eyewitness Guide Delhi, Agra and Jaipur  •  Anuradha Chaturvedi GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A compact, gorgeously illustrated guide to Delhi and environs featuring maps, site plans and 900 color photographs. With annotated recommendations of where to stay and eat and what to buy. It includes chapters on the Taj Mahal, Amber Fort Palace, Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Red Fort and dozens of other highlights for the traveler. (IDA151, $25.00)
Eyewitness Guide India  •  Eyewitness Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2002 •  PAPER  • 824 PAGES A handsome, beautifully illustrated guide to India. It features color photographs, history and plenty of background information. (IDA265, $30.00)
Family Matters  •  Rohinton Mistry LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 444 PAGES An aging professor comes to live with his daughter, her husband and their two children in a cramped Bombay apartment in Mistry's moving, and often comic, tale of history, memory and familial bonds. (IDA214, $15.95)
The Far Pavilions  •  M. M. Kaye LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 960 PAGES An sweeping tale of love, adventure and war set during the British Raj. A monumental historical romance, the book follows the life a young British soldier who takes part in actual events leading to the Second Afghan War. Ben Cross played Ashton Pelham-Martyn in the 1984 mini-series. The book is better. (IDA195, $19.95)
Fasting, Feasting  •  Anita Desai LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 228 PAGES Almost anything written by Anita Desai is worth reading. This novel tells the stories of Uma and Arun, two Indian siblings, one living in India, the other in America. It's an eye-opening view into cultural differ-ences and the Indian experience at home and abroad. Desai is one of India's best-known novelists, author, too, of "Clear Light of Day," and "Baumgartner's Bombay." (IDA172, $13.95)
Father India, Westerners Under the Spell of an Ancient Culture  •  Jeffrey Paine CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 324 PAGES A lively cultural history, which explores the attraction of India on diverse visitors and intellectuals over the last 100 years, including Annie Besant, E. M. Forster, Carl Jung, William Butler Yeats, V.S. Naipaul, Christopher Isherwood, and Martin Luther King Jr. (IDA165, $14.95)
A Field Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent  •  Krys Kazmierczak  •  Ber Van Perlo FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 352 PAGES A compact field guide to 1,300 species with 96 color plates by bird artist Ber van Perlo, covering Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. With distribution maps and concise information on identification, voice and habitat by the author of "A Birdwatcher's Guide to India." (FG40, $45.00)
Field Guide to the Mammals of the Indian Subcontinent  •  K. K. Gurung  •  Raj Singh FIELD GUIDE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 140 PAGES • COMING IN Subtitled "Where to Watch Mammals in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan," this compact guide to 106 species features color illustrations, tracks, range maps and information about habitats and conservation. With an overview of 23 parks and reserves, including location maps and species lists. (FG33, $41.00)
A Fine Balance  •  Rohinton Mistry LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 624 PAGES • FAVORITE The secret to life, according to a recurring character in this sprawling tale, is "to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair." Set in 1975 in an unnamed Indian "city by the sea," which seems to bear a striking resemblance to Bombay, this tender novel follows the intermingled fortunes of a Parsi widow, a college student who is her boarder, and two Hindu tailors trying to make their way in the city. Each character is meticulously drawn, and the often harrowing background stories (including some murderous caste violence in the tailors' family) are interweaved through the main narrative, which finds the four thrown briefly, and eventually very happily, together in a tiny flat. All this is set against the background of Indira Gandhi's "emergency Raj," in which civil liberties were essentially suspended. It's all profoundly moving, a rare window into the cultural and religious maelstrom of India. One of the best things we've read on India, and a fine piece of literature. A Booker Prize finalist. (IDA92, $15.95)
First Under Heaven, The Art of Asia  •  Hali Publications ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  HARD COVER  • 196 PAGES The fourth Hali Annual, a showcase of textiles and decorative arts throughout Asia including chapters on Islamic calligraphy, Mughal bronze, Indonesian textiles and Indian temple architecture. (ASA19, $78.00)
Footprint Goa Handbook  •  Annie Dare GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES A sturdy guide in the practical Footprint series. It features background information on the history and culture of Goa as well as practical information for the independent traveler on accommodations and sightseeing. (IDA266, $19.95)
Footprint India Handbook  •  Robert Bradnock GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 1405 PAGES A comprehensive guide published in Britain, nicely divided between a general overview of India and practical travel detail on where to go and what to do. (IDA138, $29.95)
Freedom Song  •  Amit Chaudhuri LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES Chaudhuri is a spectacularly understated writer who occasionally reaches the sublime, and this three-novella omnibus contains his finest work to date -- in particular "A Strange and Sublime Address," his evocation of childhood in Calcutta. (IDA217, $14.00)
Funny Boy  •  Shyam Selvadurai LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Building a complex portrait through detail of family, society and place, this prize-winning novel is a gay coming of age story set in contemporary Sri Lanka. Splendidly written. (SRL01, $14.00)
Gandhi  •  Catherine Clement  •  Ruth Sharman BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1996 •  PAPER  • 176 PAGES A pocket-size biography in the "Discoveries" series, this little gem features hundreds of black-and-white and color photographs and illustrations, a chronology and a section of historical documents. It illuminates the life and influence of the Mahatma. (IDA203, $12.95)
Gandhi, His Life and Message for the World  •  Louis Fischer BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES A classic biography of Gandhi first published in 1950 -- and still one of the most readable, lively, and interesting books on the subject. Used by Richard Attenborough as the basis for his film. (IDA162, $7.99)
Gandhi, Prisoner of Hope  •  Judith Brown BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1991 •  PAPER  • 440 PAGES A comprehensive study of the complex life of India's most famous figure. Drawing on some new material, Brown argues that Gandhi remained committed to his ideals even when they seemed no longer plausible. (IDA226, $23.00)
Geography of Religion: Where God Lives, Where Pilgrims Walk  •  Susan T. Hitchcock  •  John Esposito  •  Desmond Tutu  •  Mpho Tutu RELIGION •  2006 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES A handsomely produced tour of the five major world religions and the places that each holds sacred. This oversize book by National Geographic features 210 photographs, illustrations and maps, along with essays by contributing scholars. (REL05, $24.00)
The Glass Palace  •  Amitav Ghosh LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 474 PAGES In this panoramic novel, full of tales and anecdote, Ghosh follows the lives and fortunes of Rajkumar and his family over three eventful generations in Burma, India and Malaysia. The book opens with the British taking the Burmese royal family into custody in Mandalay in 1885. (IDA173, $14.95)
The God of Small Things  •  Arundhati Roy LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A family saga and tale of innocence lost set in Kerala during the tumult of the 1960s. The novel opens in June, at the beginning of the monsoon season, when "The countryside turns an immodest green ... Pepper vines snake up electric poles. Wild creepers burst through laterite banks and spill across the flooded roads." Winner of the Booker Prize. (IDA31, $14.95)
A Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives  •  Richard Grimmett  •  Carol Inskipp  •  Tim Inskipp FIELD GUIDE •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 888 PAGES Beautiful, comprehensive and up-to-date, this is the definitive field guide to birds from Bhutan to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. It covers 1300 species -- and weighs 5 pounds. With 150 color plates and a detailed map for each species. Also available in a field edition (FG43). A major book, essential to serious bird watchers. (FG31, $132.00)
Heaven's Command: An Imperial Progress  •  Jan Morris HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 554 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE First of the famed "Pax Brittanica" trilogy, concerning the British colonial rule in India, Central Asia, Africa and elsewhere. Morris weaves historical accounts, character studies, and much imagination into this readable, compelling tale. It covers the rise of British rule to 1897; the second two volumes, on British dominance and its decline respectively, are also available. (IDA20, $26.00)
Henri Cartier-Bresson in India  •  Henri Cartier-Bresson ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1995 •  PAPER  • 128 PAGES (IDA295, $29.95)
Hindoo Holiday, An Indian Journal  •  J.R. Ackerly TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 300 PAGES Ackerly traipses across India in 1923 as the English tutor to the very handsome and wonderfully homosexual Maharajah of Chhatarpur in this famous account. A comic, beautifully turned-out novel masquerading as a travelogue. Ackerly is a terrific writer and guide. (IDA115, $14.00)
Hindu Art  •  T. Richard Blurton ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 239 PAGES A beautifully illustrated large paperback of excellent quality, this book is a good introduction to the complexities of Indian painting, sculpture and sacred architecture. The author is a curator at the British Museum. (IDA35, $33.00)
Hinduism, A Very Short Introduction  •  Kim Knott RELIGION •  2000 •  PAPER An introduction to the beliefs and practice of Hinduism, and a consideration of its influence in India and around the world. (IDA329, $11.95)
The Holder of the World  •  Bharati Mukherjee LITERATURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 286 PAGES A daring novel of ideas, travel and history. Mukherjee interweaves the story of a modern American researcher with the travels of her 17th-century ancestor who roamed through Mughal India. (IDA190, $13.95)
The Illustrated Kama Sutra, Ananga-Ranga, Perfumed Garden  •  Richard Francis Burton CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1991 •  PAPER  • 156 PAGES An abridged edition of Richard Burton's original translation of the Kama Sutra (1883), Ananga-Ranga (1885) and The Perfumed Garden (1886). These classic erotic texts are edited and introduced by Charles Fowkes, who also chose the accompanying Mughual paintings and sculpture. Take note: the beautful color paintings illustrate, in glorious detail, the many varieties of sexual pleasure. (IDA221, $24.95)
India Briefing, A Transformative Fifty Years  •  Marshall Bouton  •  Philip Oldenburg HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES A primer on the political issues facing modern India geared to intellectually curious travelers and researchers. (IDA204, $34.95)
India Map  •  ITMB 2006 •  MAP A double-sided shaded relief map of India at the excellent scale of 1:2,100,000, printed on tear and waterproof paper. With an index, it shows major roads, rivers, and locations of national parks. (IDA18, $10.95)
India Modern, Traditional Forms and Contemporary Design  •  Herbert J.M. Ypma ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES This illustrated book examines the stylistic and thematic roots of modern Indian architecture, craft and design. It's a great resource for the design-minded traveler -- especially as it's also available in a pocket edition (IDA187). Both editions contain the same 109 color illustrations and insightful text. (IDA186, $29.95)
India Modern, Traditional Forms and Contemporary Design (Pocket Edition)  •  Herbert J.M. Ypma ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 240 PAGES This illustrated pocket book examines the stylistic and thematic roots of modern Indian architecture, craft and design. It's a handy resource for the design-minded traveler, with 109 color illustrations and insightful accompanying text. Also available as a large-format paper edition (IDA186). (IDA187, $9.95)
India Unbound  •  Gurcharan Das BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES In this pleasant and readable narrative, acclaimed journalist and author Gurcharan Das weaves his personal story into the larger context of India's recent history, discussing at length the economic and political issues facing the nation. He argues that deeper economic and political reforms will be needed for India to take advantage of its early information technology lead within Asia, forego the need for a complete industrial revolution, and become a successful services-oriented society and economy. Das' argument relies on firsthand experience and personal contacts. (IDA144, $15.95)
India Unveiled  •  Robert Arnett CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 215 PAGES A celebration of the people, landscapes and traditional culture of India, organized regionally and featuring 268 beautifully produced color photographs. It's a revealing, insightful portrait of the country combining history, geography and travelogue. (IDA107, $55.00)
India, A Concise History  •  Francis Watson HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 200 PAGES An illustrated history in the fine series from Thames & Hudson. Organized chronologically, separate chapters are devoted to the Chola Empire, impact of Islam, Moghuls, the British, and contemporary India. Hundreds of portraits, paintings and black-and-white photographs illuminate the accompanying text. (IDA139, $18.95)
India, A History  •  John Keay HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 608 PAGES A sweeping history of India from early settlement in the Indus Valley around 2000 B.C through ancient civilizations, Hindu, Christian and Muslim traditions, Mughal pomp, colonial rule, independence and the heady challenges of modern democracy. Keay marshals a huge amount of information into a lucid, beautifully written history, told with flair and balance. (IDA175, $19.95)
India, A Mosaic  •  Robert B. Silvers  •  Barbara Epstein HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES A collection of nine exemplary essays, all originally appearing in the New York Review of books, on culture, politics and society of contemporary India. (IDA153, $14.95)
India, A Wounded Civilization  •  V.S. Naipaul CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Originally published in 1975, this vivid and unsentimental cultural portrait draws together conversations with Indians, news reports, politics and literature, paying particular attention to the Hindu confrontation with the West. (IDA224, $12.95)
India, Emerging Power  •  Stephen Philip Cohen HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES A critical assessment of India as a world power by a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. Cohen looks especially at the relations between India and Pakistan and China, as well as the United States. (IDA263, $22.95)
India, From Midnight to the Millennium  •  Shashi Tharoor HISTORY •  1998 •  PAPER  • 392 PAGES A novelist, reporter and diplomat, Tharoor tackles religious differences, his upbringing in the south of India, his own experiences as a "Non-resident Indian," and a great deal of history in this sweeping, narrative history of the last 50 years. (IDA106, $14.95)
India: Land of Dreams and Fantasy  •  Doranne Jacobson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  HARD COVER  • 192 PAGES • COMING IN OCTOBER An introduction to India, this large-format hardbound volume, features both 300 color photographs and informative accompanying essays on India's history, religions, architecture, rural wonders, urban glories, handicrafts, rituals, festivals and daily life. (IDA32, $29.95)
Indian Art  •  Vidya Dehejia ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 448 PAGES A volume in Phaidon's excellent "Art and Ideas" series, this book considers the religious and intellectual contexts of three thousand years of Indian art and architecture. It's particularly commendable for its extensive coverage of modern art -- which gets short shift from many such surveys. This very readable book features 250 color illustrations. (IDA185, $24.95)
Indian Art, A Concise History  •  Roy C. Craven ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES This convenient volume in the acclaimed "World of Art" series is a crisp, illustrated overview of the range of Indian art over the centuries. Mostly black and white illustrations, with a few in color. (IDA16, $18.95)
Indian Balm, Travels Amongst Fakirs And Fire Warriors  •  Paul Hyland TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES Hylands perceptive, witty account of travels in Southern India from Madras to the Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh, partly to make contact with his cousin, last of five generation of missionaries and traders along the river. Originally published in 1995. Hyland is a popular writer and poet based in Britain. (IDA287, $14.95)
Indian Embers  •  Lady Rosamund Lawrence TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1991 •  HARD COVER  • 397 PAGES First published in 1949, this travelogue is a classic account of a journey through India. (IDA54, $22.95)
Indian Subcontinent Map  •  Nelles MAP A map of all of India as well as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and parts of Tibet, China and Burma, at a scale of 1:4,500,000. (IDA271, $10.95)
Indira  •  Katherine Frank BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2002 •  HARD COVER  • 448 PAGES A controversial biography of Indira Nehru Gandhi, the wildly controversial prime minister of India who was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguard in 1984. Author Katherine Frank "complicates and enriches the picture [of Mrs. Gandhi] in fascinating ways," wrote Sunil Khilnani in his New Republic review. Frank, whose previous credits include biographies of Mary Kingsley and Emily Bronte, acquits herself admirably in the book's first half, which treats Indira's childhood and her relations with her father Jawaharlal, mother Kamala and husband Feroze; but she is less confident when detailing the events of Mrs. Gandhi's prime ministership (notably the Emergency of 1975-77 and Sanjay Gandhi's reputed misuses of power). It's this period of Indira's life, of course, that is rife with allegations and counter-allegations, not to mention huge potential to offend Mrs. Gandhi's surviving friends and relations. Enter Maneka Gandhi, Sanjay's widow (and the current Indian Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment), who filed and won a libel suit against the biography's British publishers in 2001. For all the book's failings, however, the fact remains that it's the only biography of Mrs. Gandhi currently in print in the U.S. -- and as such, a fine introduction to her life. (IDA199, $35.00)
The Inheritance of Loss  •  Kiran Desai LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • NEW Alternating between a once grand household in northern India and the life of the cook's son in New York, this second novel by the marvelous and wise Desai skewers the aspirations and reality of both worlds. Happily, she immerses the reader in the particulars of place. Winner of the 2006 Man Booker Prize. (IDA303, $14.00)
Insight Guide India  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A volume in the award-winning Insight series, this guide is noted for its wonderful photography, full-color maps, superb production and informative short essays on contemporary topics such as India's movie industry, language, and cuisine. It includes introductions to the major temples, forts, and wildlife sites, as well as background on each region, and plenty of photos and maps. A well illustrated overview of the culture, history and attractions of the subcontinent for travelers. (IDA19, $23.95)
Insight Guide Sri Lanka  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  PAPER This handsome guide gives a profusely illustrated overview of the region, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on history, politics and culture, hundreds of photographs and maps and some limited travel information. (SRL02, $22.95)
Interpreter of Maladies  •  Jhumpa Lahiri LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES The Pultizer Prize-winning debut by the young writer Jhumpa Lahiri. In these nine stories, Lahiri captures the experience of first-generation Indian-Americans as their marriages shift and fall apart, and their families are threatened by miscarriages, infidelity, and the trials of assimilation. With offbeat humor, tenderness, and a feel for detail, Lahiri has created a memorable collection of honest, heartbreaking slices of life. (IDA243, $13.95)
An Introduction to Hinduism  •  Gavin D. Flood RELIGION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 359 PAGES A comprehensive, accessible overview of Hinduism, from the basic principles and tenets of the religion to modern variations and controversies, geared for an undergraduate audience, in the Cambridge University Press Introduction to Religion series. A religious studies scholar with a focu on South Asian traditions, particularly Kasmiri Saivism, Gavin D. Flood is professor and chair of religious studies at the University of Stirling. (IDA315, $25.99)
Jaipur: The Last Destination  •  Samar Singh Jodha  •  Aman Nath ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 224 PAGES • COMING IN A gorgeous tribute to Jaipur, its art, architecture and heritage, featuring stunning color photographs of citadels, palaces, theaters, art, textiles and mosaics, archival prints and drawings, and accompanying text. With in-depth information on culture and history, and a genealogy of the Rajahs. (IDA109, $95.00)
Jewel in the Crown  •  Paul Scott LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 462 PAGES The first book in Scott's addictive Raj Quartet, set in British India in 1942, is a rousing, psychologically complex tale of English colonial rule. First published in 1966. (IDA66, $20.00)
Jewish Portraits, Indian Frames: Women's Narratives from a Diaspora of Hope  •  Jael Silliman CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2003 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES Jael Silliman directs attention to a lesser known Indian community--the Baghdadi Jews of Calcutta. Part of the Brandeis Series on Jewish Women, this account of the personal experiences of four Jewish Indian women, from those of Silliman's great grandmother to her own, is a scholarly yet sentimental portrait of women's lives. (IDA244, $19.95)
A Journey in Ladakh  •  Andrew Harvey TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 236 PAGES A well told account of a 1981 journey by a young English poet in search of ancient Buddhist traditions in remote Ladakh. It's a heartfelt record of a spiritual journey. With a new afterword, twenty years later. (HML15, $18.95)
Ka, Stories of the Mind and Gods of India  •  Roberto Calasso  •  Tim Parks LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 464 PAGES A mindbending collection of stories by the Italian intellectual Roberto Calasso based on traditional Hindu myths. The "New York Times Book Review" calls this "a giddy invasion of stories -- brilliant, enigmatic, troubling, outrageous, erotic, beautiful." Not recommended for beginners. (IDA168, $16.00)
Kali's Child, The Mystical and Erotic in the Life and Teachings of Ramakrishna  •  Jeffrey J. Kripal CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  PAPER  • 386 PAGES A scholarly analysis of the life and thought of a 19th century Bengali mystic, marked by critical acclaim and some controversy surrounding issues of gender and sexuality. Kripal demonstrates through textual analysis and psychoanalytic theory the centrality of desire -- and homesexual desire -- in the thought of this important Tantric mystic. For those with intellectual tendencies, this is good stuff. (IDA112, $32.00)
Kim  •  Rudyard Kipling LITERATURE •  1992 •  PAPER  • 365 PAGES For the sheer pleasure of its prose, insight into the British in India and its extraordinary sense of place, you can't do better than this classic novel. It's one of the great adventure stories -- the enduring tale of an orphan boy who, through happenstance, travels the Grand Trunk Road. (IDA65, $7.00)
Kim  •  Rudyard Kipling LITERATURE •  1983 •  LARGE PRINT  • 448 PAGES For the sheer pleasure of its prose, insight into the British in India and its extraordinary sense of place, you can't do better than this classic novel. It's one of the great adventure stories -- the enduring tale of Kimball O'Hara, an orphan boy who, through happenstance, travels the Grand Trunk Road with a Tibetan Lama. A large print edition. (IDA116, $27.99)
Lives of Indian Images  •  Richard H. Davis ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 350 PAGES A scholarly award-winning study of the complex lives of Indian images as expressed through worship, ritual and commodification. Davis is an engaging and uncommonly literate guide, blending art history, anthropology, literary theory and religious studies. With notes, bibliography and the usual scholarly apparatus. (IDA91, $33.95)
Lonely Planet Goa  •  Bryn Thomas GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A practical guide in the popular series. (IDA219, $17.99)
Lonely Planet Hindi & Urdu Phrasebook  •  Richard Somers Delacy LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  2005 •  PAPER  • 303 PAGES A handy phrasebook for Hindi and Urdu basics. This guide focuses on pronunciation, basic grammar and essential vocabulary for the traveler. (IDA82, $8.99)
Lonely Planet South India  •  Lonely Planet  •  Lonely Planet Publications GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 548 PAGES In Lonely Planet's hallmark style, this practical guide to South India features maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature and much nitty-gritty information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a section of color photos and 50 maps. (IDA188, $24.99)
Love and Longing in Bombay  •  Vikram Chandra LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES Five transfixing stories in five different genres, united in setting and authorship by the contemporary wizard of the human condition, Vikram Chandra. (IDA216, $13.95)
Love in a Different Climate, Men Who Have Sex with Men in India  •  Jeremy Seabrook RELIGION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 184 PAGES Based largely on interviews, Seabrook explores sexual identify and politics in India focusing on middle and working class men and women. Seabrook, who is fluent in Hindi, intimate with India, a gay man and an eloquent critic of western globalization, has produced a powerful record. (IDA113, $25.00)
Mahabhrata  •  William Buck  •  B. A. Van Nooten LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 451 PAGES An introduction and retelling of one of the great Hindu epics for the general reader.fMahabhrata (IDA167, $21.95)
Maharanis, A Family Saga of Four Queens  •  Lucy Moore HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES Moore captures the passion, complexities and power of four influential women in this family saga covering the history of India from 1911 to Independence. Includes maps, family trees, black-and-white photographs and a glossary (IDA309, $16.00)
Mahatma Gandhi and his Apostles  •  Ved Mehta BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1977 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A vivid, enlightening examination of the life and work of Gandhi by novelist Ved Mehta. He interviews Gandhi's disciples in five countries, revealing the man, his ideas and legacy. First published in 1977. (IDA21, $25.00)
Malgudi Days  •  R. K. Narayan  •  Jhumpa Lahiri LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES • FAVORITE Wonderful tales about a fictional South Indian town by a beloved Indian writer. Malgudi is a composite of Narayan's two hometowns -- Mysore and Madras -- populated by quirky characters whose unique approaches to tradition and modernity are the stuff of great short stories. (IDA59, $14.00)
Mantles of Merit: Chin Textiles from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh  •  David Fraser  •  Barbara Fraser ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2005 •  HARD COVER An abundantly illustrated study of the textiles of the Chin peoples of southern and eastern Asia. With more than 600 color illustrations. (ASA46, $60.00)
Maximum City, Bombay Lost and Found  •  Suketu Mehta TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 528 PAGES The tale of the author who, after a 21-year sojourn in New York, returns to his native Bombay -- the biggest, fastest, richest city in India. (IDA252, $16.95)
A Meeting by the River  •  Christopher Isherwood LITERATURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Two brothers meet in India, one a bisexual capitalist and the other a Hindu monk. It's Isherwood's last novel, which brings together sexuality, spirituality and the complicated relations among brothers. (IDA114, $16.95)
Meeting God, Elements of Hindu Devotion  •  Thomas Moore  •  Stephen Huyler RELIGION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 271 PAGES A stunningly photographed introduction to the rituals and daily devotion of contemporary Hinduism in India. The author combines scholarly knowledge with personal reverence. With hundreds of vivid, full page color photographs culled from the author's years of travel. A companion to the traveling exhibition "Puja, Expressions of Hindu Devotion." (IDA132, $24.00)
Miles from Nowhere, A Round the World Bicycle Adventure  •  Barbara Savage TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1985 •  PAPER  • 340 PAGES The adventures of a beginning cyclist and her husband who cover 23,000 miles and 25 countries in two years. The personal, unpretentious writing captures the colorful characters that cross the path of this young couple and the flavor of the countries they traverse. Sadly, Barbara Savage died in a cycling accident training for the triathlon upon her return home as the book was going to press. (BCY02, $16.95)
Mirrorwork, 50 Years of Indian Writing 1947-1997  •  Salman Rushdie  •  Elizabeth West ANTHOLOGY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 554 PAGES This choice anthology -- published in celebration of 50 years of Independence -- includes both fiction and non-fiction by Jawaharlal Nehru, R.K. Narayan, Satyajit Ray, Amit Chaudhuri, and Vikram Seth. Selected by Rushdie and Elizabeth West, the collection begins with begins with Nehru's Tryst with Independence, his most famous speech. (IDA293, $17.00)
Modern South Asia: History, Culture, Political Economy  •  Ayesha Jalal  •  Sugata Bose HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 253 PAGES A cogent, brief history of India from earliest times to the 1990s. Co-authored by a Pakistani and an Indian (professors of history at Tufts and at Harvard, respectively) the book is especially good on its coverage of the fractured post-Independence political landscape. Bose is a grandnephew of the renowned Indian freedom fighter Subhas Chandra Bose. Our friend, a doctoral candidate, directed us to this excellent history of the subcontinent. (IDA192, $35.95)
Monkfish Moon  •  Romesh Gunesekera LITERATURE •  1996 •  HARD COVER  • 140 PAGES These nine excellent short stories, all but one set in Sri Lanka, capture the spirit of the place. The author introduces us to a corpulent tycoon, an expatriate couple in London, and aristocrat turned communist, an anxious hotel clerk, and a middle-class maiden choosing between potential spouses; they all share the question "what's happened?" as Gunesekera forces them (and us) to deal with the reality of a nation embroiled in Tamil-Sinhala strife. (SRL03, $16.95)
The Moor's Last Sigh  •  Salman Rushdie LITERATURE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 435 PAGES A sweeping family epic that tackles the complex history of India and its diverse cultures. Related by the "Moor" Moraes Zogoiby, it is a tale that spans many decades as well as diverse classes, races, religions and moral positions. In his characteristically rich prose, Rushdie tells the history of India, with the precision of reality and the force of myth. Much of the book is set among the spice traders of Cochin. (IDA89, $14.95)
Mr. Sampath, The Printer of Malgudi  •  R. K. Narayan LITERATURE •  1981 •  PAPER  • 220 PAGES A handsome edition of one of Narayan's funniest tales, which features Mr. Sampath, the equanimious printer of a failing local newspaper. When the paper folds, Mr. Sampath finds his editor a new job as a scriptwriter for the movies, and hilarious hijinks ensue. (IDA182, $12.00)
Much Maligned Monsters: A History of European Reactions to Indian Art  •  Partha Mitter HISTORY •  1992 •  PAPER  • 376 PAGES Another fascinating chapter in the continuing study of the European world's fascination with the exoticism of non-Western civilizations. Mitter presents a history of Indian art and a parallel history of its fascinated European spectators, ranging from the early days of Asian exploration up through the twentieth century. (IDA285, $27.00)
The Mughal Empire  •  John F. Richards HISTORY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES An admirably concise, scholarly history of the Mughal Empire (1526-1720) from early conquests through expansion and decline. Organized chronologically, the book includes chapters on both Jahangir and his son, creator of the Taj Mahal, Shah Jahan. A volume in the extensive New Cambridge History of India. (IDA210, $33.99)
The Namesake  •  Jhumpa Lahiri LITERATURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES An intricate and beautifully told tale by the author of Interpreter of Maladies. Lahiri follows the Ganguli family -- Ashoke, Ashima, and their son Gogol, named after the Russian author -- as they leave Calcutta and settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Now a feature film directed by Mira Nair of "Salaam Bombay!" and "Monsoon Wedding." (IDA292, $14.00)
National Geographic Traveler India  •  Louise Nicholson GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 400 PAGES Veteran guidebook author Louise Nicholson teamed up with National Geographic photographers for this profusely illustrated travel guide, which also features maps, good overviews of culture, nature, and history, and practical travel information. (IDA208, $27.95)
A New History of India  •  Stanley Wolpert HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 530 PAGES A readable survey of 4,000 years of Indian history in just over 500 pages. Although he begins at 2500 B.C., Wolpert doesn't skimp on the modern social, political and economic issues of the country. Seventh edition. (IDA225, $47.95)
News from Tartary  •  Peter Fleming TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES A rousing, ironic account of Fleming's 3500-mile trek in the 1930s from Peking to the province of Sinkiang and onwards to India. (CAS46, $18.95)
Northeastern India/Bangladesh Map  •  Nelles MAP A convenient regional map of northeastern India and Bangladesh at a scale of 1:1,500,000 by the travel publisher Nelles. With excellent topographic detail. (IDA98, $10.95)
Northern India Map  •  Nelles MAP A colorful regional map of northern India at a scale of 1:1,500,000 with excellent topographic detail. It includes a detailed map of Zanskar & Ladakh at a scale of 1:650,000 (IDA124, $10.95)
Of Tigers and Men  •  Richard Ives NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A haunting tale of a man's quest to encounter tigers in the wild, and to understand the meaning of the threat of the tiger's extinction. Ives visits the forests of India, Thailand, and Sumatra, and many of the "tiger-men" who have devoted their lives to saving tigers. His quest entails a growing realization that the tiger may be doomed. It is a beautifully written story, providing not only a sense of the life of tigers and those who care about them, but also describing an unusual and moving personal journey. (IDA30, $12.50)
On a Shoestring to Coorg: An Experience of Southern India  •  Dervla Murphy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 261 PAGES This tough Irish grandmother has made travel something of a cottage industry. Here's the story of her first venture outside Europe, an insightful tale of her wanderings by bus and on foot with her then-five-year-old daughter through the mountainous province of Coorg in 1976. She captures the flavor of the coffee plantations, rice paddies and tropical forest that characterize this region of India near the Malabar Coast. (IDA29, $15.95)
A Passage to India  •  E.M. Forster LITERATURE •  1976 •  PAPER  • 362 PAGES The story of an Indian wrongly accused of assaulting an English woman. The book, an enduring masterpiece, challenged the attitudes of the British occupation of India, and prophetically showed why British elistist and racist attitudes would lead to the downfall of the empire in India. (IDA26, $14.00)
A Passage to India  •  E.M. Forster 1997 •  CASETTE TAPE The story of an Indian wrongly accused of assaulting an English woman. The book, an enduring masterpiece, challenged the attitudes of the British occupation of India. (IDA67, $23.95)
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India  •  B. Grewal  •  Bill Harvey  •  Otto Pfister FIELD GUIDE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 520 PAGES A comprehensive guide to 668 species of birds found from the Himalayas to Sri Lanka with good color photographs, concise text and range maps. (IDA215, $35.00)
A Photographic Guide to the Birds of India and Nepal  •  B. Grewal FIELD GUIDE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A slim pocket guide to 252 of the most conspicuous birds of India and Nepal featuring color photographs, concise descriptions and range maps. (IDA46, $15.95)
Princely Rajasthan, Rajput Places and Mansions  •  George Michell  •  Antonio Martinelli ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  HARD COVER  • 272 PAGES • COMING IN This handsomely illustrated book, with text by architect and historian George Mitchell, showcases royal palaces, palace hotels, museums and mansions throughout Rajasthan, nicely balancing interior and exterior views. Organized geographically, the book is an excellent overview of architecture and design. With introductory chapters on the history and significance of Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and other cities throughout the 500-year-old principality. (IDA251, $65.00)
Raj, The Making and Unmaking of British India  •  Lawrence James HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 544 PAGES An anecdotal, engrossing mostly military history of the East India Company. (IDA87, $23.95)
The Ramayana  •  Ramesh Menon LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES An excellent translation by the Indian novelist of the ancient Hindu epic poem about the adventures of the god Vishnu incarnated as Prince Rama. An absorbing tale of heroism, love and fate. (IDA88, $40.00)
The Ramayana, A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic  •  R. K. Narayan LITERATURE •  2006 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES Novelist Narayan's translation of the adventures of the god Vishnu incarnated as Prince Rama, the great Hindu epic tale of heroism, love and fate. (IDA311, $13.00)
The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760 (Comparative Studies on Muslim Societies, No 17)  •  Richard M. Eaton RELIGION •  1996 •  PAPER  • 359 PAGES A prize-winning survey of Islam and its history on the Indian Subcontinent. Written for a scholarly audience, the book gives an in-depth appreciation of the contentious history of religious pluralism in India. (IDA169, $26.95)
A River Sutra  •  Gita Mehta LITERATURE •  1994 •  PAPER The enchanting story of a civil servant who moves to the banks of India's holy Narmada river. This fine novel weaves together history, tradition, religion, and love. (IDA43, $14.95)
Road Guide to Calcutta  •  Variety Book Depot 1998 •  MAP (IDA154, $5.95)
The Romantics  •  Pankaj Mishra LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 272 PAGES The story of a Brahman youth who travels to the holy city of Benares and there falls in with a motley crew of westerners enamored of India. The young author is a prolific critic of Indian fiction, and this conservatively written bildungsroman, his first novel, reads a bit like a rebuttal of Rushdie and especially Rushdie's legion of impersonators. (IDA143, $13.95)
The Root and the Flower  •  L.H. Myers  •  Penelope Fitzgerald LITERATURE •  2001 •  PAPER  • 639 PAGES A trilogy of historical novels about India in the time of the Mughals -- first published separately in the 1930s and now back in print as a single volume. Penelope Fitzgerald provided the introduction. (IDA191, $16.95)
Rough Guide India  •  David Abram GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 1480 PAGES Geared to the independent traveler, this Rough Guide combines an opinionated survey of culture and history with good information on sightseeing, food and accommodations. The writers even care about what books to read. With 135 maps and plans. (IDA86, $26.99)
The Royal Palaces of India  •  George Michell  •  Antonio Martinelli ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1999 •  PAPER  • 232 PAGES • COMING IN An architectural survey of Hindu and Muslim fortresses and royal residences from the 12th century to the days of British colonial rule -- well-informed, comprehensive and handsomely illustrated. It includes not only the Mughal palace complexes of Delhi and Agra but also Hindu complexes of central and southern India. With expert commentary by Mitchell, a noted architectural historian, and 250 exceptional color photographs by Antonio Martinelli. (IDA74, $39.95)
Running in the Family  •  Michael Ondaatje BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1993 •  PAPER  • 207 PAGES This hypnotic short book powerfully evokes grand society in post-colonial Sri Lanka and, especially, Ondaatje's impressively eccentric grandparents. Written by the author of The English Patient, this book is hard to categorize: it's as much fiction as family memoir and travelogue -- and wonderful. (SRL04, $13.95)
Say It in Hindi  •  Veena T. Oldenburg LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1985 •  PAPER