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 and Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent  •  J.C. Harle ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1994 •  PAPER  • 616 PAGES A nicely illustrated, scholarly survey of the art and architecture of not only India but also of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. With 318 black-and-white and 75 color illustrations. A volume in the Pelican History of Art by Yale University Press, the book is a popular text in university survey courses. Second edition. (IDA60, $37.00)
The Art of the Imperial Cholas  •  Vidya Dehijia ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1990 •  HARD COVER (IDA104, $41.50)
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)
The Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna's Counsel in Time of War  •  Barbara Stoler Miller LITERATURE •  1986 •  PAPER  • 162 PAGES A leading translator of Sanskrit literature, Dr. Miller edited and translated numerous works of Indian poetry and drama, including this popular translation of the Bhagavad-Gita in verse form. Knowing the story will enrich your travels in India (IDA348, $5.95)
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)
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 Puhkar, 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)
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)
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)
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, $19.00)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
The Hero's Walk  •  Anita Rau Badami LITERATURE •  2002 •  PAPER (IDA351, $14.00)
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 Idea of India  •  Sunil Khilnani CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 263 PAGES A provocative survey of India since independence, presented as four essays: Democracy, Economics, Cities, and Who is an Indian. Khilnani confronts the complexities, paradoxes and challenges of the nation in this short, elegant book. He teaches politics at Birkbeck College at the University of London. (IDA160, $15.00)
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 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, 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 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)
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)
An Invitation to Indian Cooking: With a New Preface by the Author  •  Madhur Jaffrey FOOD •  1999 •  PAPER  • 285 PAGES Any of Madhur Jaffrey's many books on Indian food will introduce you to the cooking techniques used in the subcontinent, and the diversity of flavors, ingredients, recipes, and styles of preparation and presentation, which vary enormously from region to region. This one is a classic. (IDA161, $27.00)
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)
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)
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 •  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)
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)
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 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 India  •  Tony Wheeler GUIDEBOOK •  2005 •  PAPER  • 1100 PAGES In its hallmark style, this comprehensive travel guide to India by Lonely Planet presents a wealth of practical information in addition to background on culture, history, art and language. With 200 regional sketch maps and city plans. (IDA44, $29.99)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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, $12.95)
Say It in Hindi  •  Veena T. Oldenburg LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1985 •  PAPER  • 238 PAGES A pocket phrasebook full of key words and expressions. Highly recommended for newcomers to Hindi as well as those looking to brush up on their language skill. (IDA81, $5.95)
Scoop-Wallah, Life on a Delhi Daily  •  Justine Hardy TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 266 PAGES A wry account by an English journalist of her stint at The Indian Express in Delhi. (IDA127, $15.95)
A Silence of Splendor  •  Indu Sundaresan LITERATURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 256 PAGES (IDA300, $25.00)
Snakes and Ladders, Glimpses of Modern India  •  Gita Mehta 1998 •  PAPER  • 297 PAGES Essays on contemporary India, culture, politics and personalities, by the prolific writer and thinker. (IDA68, $13.95)
South Asia  •  Sumit Ganguly HISTORY •  2006 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES A scholarly history of modern South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. Sumit Ganguly is the Rabindranath Tagore Professor of Indian cultures and civilizations and professor of political science at Indiana University. (IDA308, $18.00)
Street Graphics India  •  Barry Dawson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES A stunning presentation of the multi-layered images of outdoor advertising that festoon the streets of India from posters to decorated buses, furniture and buildings. It's an excellent overview of the vibrant, ever-changing culture of modern, commercial India. (IDA122, $19.95)
A Suitable Boy  •  Vikram Seth LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 1488 PAGES A modern classic set in Calcutta, Delhi and Brahmpur after Independence. Big and unabashedly plotty, it's like a 19th-century English novel in its structure and resolution, yet its trappings are all Indian. While courtesans sing ghazals, while young men make mischief in celebration of Holi, while pilgrims bathe in the Ganges, the newly independent nation of India launches itself into history. (IDA27, $21.95)
This is India  •  Shobita Punja CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 176 PAGES This book is a handsome illustrated overview of the culture, nature and scenic attractions of India. The striking color photographs, including many of wildlife, are complemented by expert commentary on the region by Shobita Punja. (IDA97, $39.95)
Through the Tiger's Eyes, A Chronicle of India's Wildlife  •  Stanley Breeden  •  Belinda Wright NATURAL HISTORY •  1997 •  PAPER  • 193 PAGES This handsomely illustrated book chronicles India's noblest endangered species and the ever-present threat of their extinction. (IDA272, $24.95)
Train to Pakistan, A Novel  •  Khushwant Singh LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 226 PAGES Originally published in 1956, Singh follows the fate of the inhabitants of the Punjab countyside, Sikh, Muslim and Hindu, in this novel set during the violent 1947 partition of the region between India and Pakistan. Born in 1915, the Delhi-based novelist has also written a two-volume history of the Sikhs. (IDA264, $14.00)
Travelers' Tales India  •  James O'Reilly  •  Larry Habegger ANTHOLOGY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 496 PAGES A collection of 45 descriptive and thought-provoking short excerpts on Indian life and culture, from the famous and not-so-famous. It includes Rushdie, Naipaul and Dalrymple, plus some valuable excerpts from books long out of print. (IDA05, $19.95)
A Traveller's History of India  •  Sinharaja Tammita-Delgoda HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A condensed introduction to the themes and events that have shaped India from prehistory to Rajiv Gandhi. (IDA57, $14.95)
Travels Along the Edge  •  David Noland GUIDEBOOK •  1997 •  PAPER  • 410 PAGES An excellent resource for anyone dreaming of their next adventure, travel writer and adventurer Dave Noland provides lively descriptions of 40 offbeat, demanding or just-plain-fun fun trips around the world, from kayaking in Greenland to cycling in Portugal's wine country and skiing to the North Pole. He includes contact information for recommended tour operators, things to consider before taking a trip, and plenty of how-to information. A world traveler himself, and frequent contributor to adventure magazines and web sites, Noland is an excellent guide to adventure. (TRV02, $19.00)
Trekking in Ladakh  •  Charlie Loram GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • COMING IN OCTOBER A practical guide to trekking in this remote enclave, this book includes 50 maps, route descriptions, an overview of Leh and a section of color photographs. (HML25, $19.95)
Western India Map  •  Nelles MAP A detailed double-sided regional map of India covering the western region of the subcontinent and including Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Rajasthan, at a scale of 1:1,500,000. The map (one in a regional series) extends from Chandigarh and Dehra Dun to Mumbai. With insets of the Mumbai area and Delhi. (IDA73, $10.95)
White Mughals  •  William Dalrymple HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 512 PAGES In the 18th and 19th centuries, British colonialists who adopted traditional Indian lifestyles and took Indian women as their brides were known as "white mughals." Dalrymple writes of James Kirkpatrick, officer of the British East India Company, convert to Islam and husband to an Indian princess. In doing so, he vividly portrays the "white mughal" experience and its influence on the history of India and England. Dalrymple has written engagingly about India in a series of essays and travel books, including the outstanding "City of Djinns," a memoir of a year in Delhi. (IDA233, $18.00)
Wild India, The Wildlife of India and Nepal  •  Guy Mountefort  •  Gerald Cubitt NATURAL HISTORY •  2008 •  PAPER  • 208 PAGES A colorful and informative introduction to the natural history of the region in a handsome, oversize volume with photography by Gerald Cubitt. After a long introductory section, it presents hundreds of extraordinary photographs of the wildlife and landscapes of the Himalayas, Indo-Ganges Plain and the Deccan. (IDA02, $29.95)
The Wisdom of the Buddha  •  Jean Boisselier RELIGION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 191 PAGES A pocket-size primer of Buddhism, this book is an illustrated history of the sixth-century Indian prince and his quest for enlightenment. With 207 illustrations, 160 in full color. (IDA55, $12.95)
A Woman's Asia  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. Featuring selections from Jan Morris, Pamela Logan and Alison Wright. (ASA49, $17.95)
The Wonder House  •  Justine Hardy LITERATURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 386 PAGES (IDA302, $24.00)
World Religions: Eastern Traditions  •  Willard G. Oxtoby RELIGION •  2002 •  PAPER  • 515 PAGES A clear and insightful introduction to Eastern religions by a team of scholars. It's a handsomely produced concise overview of Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, and East Asian traditions, as rewarding for the general reader as the student. This second edition features additional suggested reading, photographs, glossary and thought-provoking review questions. (ASA07, $62.95)