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)
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 Islam 1250-1800  •  Sheila Blair  •  Jonathan Bloom ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 368 PAGES An illustrated survey of the great monuments and art produced by Muslim peoples from the 13th to 19th centuries, including the Taj Mahal and the Alhambra. Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the art and architecture of the Medieval Arab world. (ISL27, $40.00)
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, $40.00)
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)
The Baburnama: Memoirs of Babur, Prince and Emperor  •  Zahiruddin Babur Shah  •  Salman Rushdie  •  Wheeler M. Thackson TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 608 PAGES As recommended by author Rory Stewart: "The five-hundred-year-old diary of Babur, the first Mughal emperor of India, describes his journey from exile in a small kingdom in Uzbekistan to the conquest of a giant Muslim empire. He is a poet, a general, a statesman, a wine connoisseur, and above all a gardener. He does not attempt to conceal his defeats, his embarrassments, his unrequited loves. His clipped, confident prose reveals both the mentalities and city life of medieval central Asia." (CAS149, $17.95)
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)
Berlitz Pocket Guide Delhi  •  Berlitz Pocket Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A shirt pocket guide to the north Indian city with essential travel information, a few photos and some very useful maps. (IDA333, $8.95)
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)
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)
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)
Climbing the Mango Trees, A Memoir of a Childhood in India  •  Madhur Jaffrey BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2007 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • NEW Jaffrey closes her warm tale (peppered with sepia-toned photographs) of coming of age in a sprawling homestead in Old Delhi with 32 savory family recipes. (IDA327, $14.95)
The Complete Taj Mahal  •  Ebba Koch ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2006 •  HARD COVER  • 288 PAGES An authoritative, spectacular overview of Taj Mahal and Mughal Agra, featuring 378 illustrations, 218 in color (including detailed site plans). Koch, an expert on Mughal architecture and professor at the University of Vienna, celebrates Taj Mahal along with the palaces and riverfront gardens of Shah Jahan. (IDA332, $75.00)
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, $28.00)
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)
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)
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)
Footprint Rajasthan Handbook  •  Matt Barrett GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 352 PAGES A sturdy guide in the practical Footprint series. It features background information on the history and culture of Rajasthan with sections on Jaipur, Delhi and Agra, as well as practical information for the independent traveler on accommodations and sightseeing. (IDA267, $23.95)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Hindi, Start Speaking Today!  •  Educational Services Corporation LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  CASETTE TAPE A 90-minute crash course in Hindi featured in two audio tapes and a phrasebook packaged in a vinyl sleeve. Geared for travelers, the course follows the foreign service method -- which focuses on dialogues and useful sentences instead of individual words. In each case, an English phrase is spoken once, and repeated in Hindi twice. Topics include introductions, transportation, business and health. (IDA142, $21.95)
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 Hungry Tide  •  Amitav Ghosh LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 333 PAGES A powerful, moving novel by the author of Glass Palace and Dancing in Cambodia, set in the Sundarban Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The novel follows the fate of two travelers, one from Delhi and the other American. (IDA258, $13.95)
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 Safari Companion  •  Alain Pons NATURAL HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 80 PAGES A colorful illustrated guide to wildlife, photographic opportunities and travel in India. There are beautiful photographs on every page, each accompanied by a caption with photography tips for travellers looking to get the most out of their cameras. (IDA371, $14.95)
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)
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, $18.95)
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 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)
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, $14.95)
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)
Jaipur Nama, Tales from the Pink City  •  Giles Tillotson CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2007 •  PAPER  • 280 PAGES Three centuries of history in the city of Jaipur Nama are chronicled by diverse residents and visitors - from a French naturalist to a court priest - presenting an energetic portrait of the passions and dramas of everything from the palaces to the people. (IDA339, $14.00)
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)
Karma Cola, Marketing the Mystical East  •  Gita Mehta CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1994 •  PAPER  • 193 PAGES In this witty collection of short essays, Mehta critiques both those visitors who come to India looking for instant enlightenment and the gurus who exploit them. (IDA136, $13.95)
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)
Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra  •  Abigail Hole GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 428 PAGES A practical guide to Rajasthan, featuring 36 maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and plenty of information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. It also includes a handful of color photographs. (IDA238, $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)
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, $15.00)
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)
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)
Monster of God: The Man Eating Predator in the Jungles of History and the Mind  •  David Quammen NATURAL HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 384 PAGES In tracking the alpha predators, Quammen transports us to four of the world's great wild regions: the Gir forest in India, the Russian Far East, the coast of northern Australia and the mountains of Romania. Much like in his award-winning Song of the Dodo, Quammen combines scholarly insight, vivid prose and travel in this latest effort, a marvelous meditation on Indian lions, Australian crocodiles, European brown bears and Siberian tigers, man-eaters all. (BST84, $15.95)
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)
Nanda Devi, Exploration and Ascent  •  Eric Shipton  •  H. W. Tilman EXPLORATION •  2000 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES • COMING IN A single-volume edition of two classics of mountaineering literature: Eric Shipton's "Nanda Devi" and H.W. Tilman's "Ascent of Nanda Devi." Shipton cracked the mystery of how to climb the peak in the early 1930s, and Tilman used Shipton's findings to make the first ascent of Nanda Devi in 1936 (while Shipton was climbing Everest). The two men, friends and frequent climbing partners, wrote a slew of books between them, most available in omnibus editions by the same publisher (EXP13, EXP12). (HML54, $18.95)
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)
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, 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 Rig Veda  •  Wendy Doniger RELIGION •  2005 •  PAPER Doniger's choice selection of 108 Sanskrit hymns (1200-900 B.C.E.), deftly translated and with notes. The earliest of the four surviving vedas, these hyms are a foundation of Hindu mythology and culture. (IDA355, $15.00)
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)
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 •  2008 •  PAPER  • 1456 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, $29.99)
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)
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)
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)
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's rule. (IDA57, $14.95)
Untouchable  •  Mulk Raj Anand  •  E. M. Forster LITERATURE •  1990 •  PAPER  • 160 PAGES Referred to by some as his nation's answer to Charles Dickens, the author tackles India's caste system with urgency and conviction; in this work he paints a portrait of India's lowest caste. (IDA180, $13.00)
The Vintage Book of Modern Indian Literature  •  Amit Chaudhuri LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 672 PAGES Unusually, this anthology includes both Indian writing in English and Indian writing in translation. "Modern" is defined as 1850 and on, which means Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee as well as Rushdie and Anita Desai. Edited by Amit Chaudhuri. (IDA218, $15.00)
War at the Top of the World, The Struggle for Afghanistan, Kashmir, and Tibet  •  Eric Margolis HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES Margolis, a veteran correspondent in the region, presents a detailed overview of the ongoing struggle over the high Himalayas, showing their strategic importance to Pakistan, India and China. Updated throughout for this second edition, including a new chapter on the Taliban. He sorts out confusing religious differences, complex geographies and politics with clarity, explaining -- for example -- the strategic value of the 16,000-foot Siachen Glacier where oxygen-starved Indian and Pakistani soldiers have been fighting for years. (PKN09, $25.95)
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)
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, $64.95)