India Books

The Places In Between

Rory Stewart

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Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Afghanistan
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Subjects -> History -> Middle East -> General AAS

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 154 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Total Disappointment 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 5 people found this review helpful.

This was a truly awful book on Afghanistan. It provided little new information about the country, its people, or its history. The book also was dull and lacked a coherent theme. The best part of the book was the short anecdotes on Babur Shah and the brief descriptions of the Ghorid dynasty, which once ruled parts of central Afghanistan. While I acknowledge that the author took great risk in walking from Herat to Kabul shortly after the fall of the Taliban, I question his motives and am fairly convinced that his self-promoting journey did little to improve the lot of the Afghan people.

Editorial Review:

In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by an unexpected companion-a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was following.

Through these encounters-by turns touching, con-founding, surprising, and funny-Stewart makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map's countless places in between.

India (Country Guide)

Sarina Singh, Joe Bindloss, Rafael Wlodarski, Amy Karafin, Paul Harding, Lindsay Brown, Mark Elliott, Simon Richmond, Virginia Jealous, Tom Spurling

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 60 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

Explore the myriad wonders of India with this useful guide in hand. Whether you wish to cruise the backwaters of Kerala on the rooftop of a ferry, explore the Buddhist gompas of Leh, drink Darjeeling's namesake tea, get lost in the dusty bazaars of Hyderabad, or stroll the 16th-century ruins in Hampi, this book will help you get there. Highlights include more than 200 traveler-tested maps, thousands of places to stay and eat for all budgets, excellent health information, all you need to know about transportation options, and a 32-page color section on India's religions. --Kathryn True

Shadow of the Silk Road (P.S.)

Colin Thubron

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Subjects -> History -> World -> General

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 24 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Un libro hipnotizante 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

El Sr. Thubron es un viajero de antiguo cuño. No usa máquinas fotográficas. Si es que toma algunos apuntes, me imagino que lo hace sobre una Moleskine. Allí,tal vez, también dibuja. Educado en Eton y Oxford, su prosa es elegante y maravillosa. Hipnotiza al lector. Calla para dejar que los propios personajes hablen. Ha gastado su vida en Asia. Su conocimento llega al grado de la erudición, aunque nunca intimida con ello.
Lo veo en la línea de un Patrick Leigh Fermor o de R. Kapukzinski.
Se lo recomiendo, fervientemente.

Editorial Review:

To travel the Silk Road, the greatest land route on earth, is to trace the passage not only of trade and armies but also of ideas, religions, and inventions. Making his way by local bus, truck, car, donkey cart, and camel, Colin Thubron covered some seven thousand miles in eight months—out of the heart of China into the mountains of Central Asia, across northern Afghanistan and the plains of Iran into Kurdish Turkey—and explored an ancient world in modern ferment.

India - Culture Smart!: a quick guide to customs and etiquette (Culture Smart!)

Nicki Grihault

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 10 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include:

* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken

"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times

India

DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Beautiful, sweeping overview 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

This is not a travel guide, but rather a beautiful, sweeping overview of a country with a rich heritage. A great introduction to the many aspects of the Indian culture, covering various regions, landscapes and practices.

India 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is an excellent book. It is full of imformation and has abosolutely gorgeous picutres. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about India or is planning a trip to India.

Editorial Review:

Just 60 years after winning independence from British rule, India's economy is booming and the nation is fast becoming a leading global power. With a population of a billion people, India's society is as varied as its awe-inspiring landscape. Home to a dizzying array of languages, ethnic groups, beliefs, and lifestyles, India can seem overwhelming in its complexity. India takes the lid off this cultural melting pot, showing how past events have shaped this diverse but unified nation, where tradition and modernity successfully coexist. Through stunning photography and insightful text, India offers an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and authoritative visual guide to one of the world's most exciting and vibrant nations.

Nepal (Country Guide)

Bradley Mayhew

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.

This completely updated guide contains excellent trekking information (including advice for those planning to trek with children), extensive background on people and cultures, and essential pretrip guidance, including tips on being an ecologically sound traveler. Sidebar highlights: short overviews of a festival calendar, the Dhyani Buddhas, one traveler's account of a Nepalese bus ride, antiques, and the gods of Nepal. --Kathryn True

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

Suketu Mehta

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 74 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Bombay Underworld, Nightlife, Bollywood.... 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I received this book as a gift from my sister, who went to college in Bombay. I myself have lived in Bombay 6 months at the most in a stretch, but have visted it many many times and have several relatives there.

If you have never been to Bombay and you read this book, it might scare you. Bombay might seem like this ominous city under the control of gangsters, trigger-happy policemen, self-serving politicians, and such. Although these are undoubtedly aspects of the underbelly of the city as perhaps of many large cities around the world, a casual visitor to the city will of course experience none of this in all likelihood. But then, this isn't really intended to be a tour book for the casual visitor either.

This book could perhaps be called "Bombay Underground", and that would be an apt title for it too. It takes you into the undercurrents of Bombay that you suspect exist, and which you might see surface and manifest themselves in the mundane day-to-day happenings of the city from time to time, but nothing quite like this book describes. In that sense, this is a brave undertaking and an intrepid journalistic venture -- Mehta meets with the glitterati of Bollywood and the good cops, but also with the lost souls and downright dangerous criminals of Bombay. I also found Mehta to be an objective observer although the Bombay riots really touched a deep communal nerve and discussing the riots, the aftermath and the judicial process could be a highly divisive and controversial issue. Despite having deep roots in Bombay and a conservative family background growing up, Mehta doesn't take sides and raises the right questions.

My only grouse with the book, like many others have also commented, is that it is perhaps too long and could have been edited a little more tightly. However, it did provide me with an excuse to read a little longer and anyway, it's not just the size of the book that matters as we all know. As the cliched Hindi film advertising joke goes: This book has drama, emotion, tragedy, romance -- you gotta have all that in a book about Bombay, and I had fun reading up on a different perspective on the city!

Editorial Review:

A native of Bombay, Suketu Mehta gives us an insider’s view of this stunning metropolis. He approaches the city from unexpected angles, taking us into the criminal underworld of rival Muslim and Hindu gangs; following the life of a bar dancer raised amid poverty and abuse; opening the door into the inner sanctums of Bollywood; and delving into the stories of the countless villagers who come in search of a better life and end up living on the sidewalks.

The Rough Guide to India 7 (Rough Guide Travel Guides)

Rough Guides

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Subjects -> Travel -> Reference & Tips -> Guidebooks

Editorial Review:

Discover a land of exotic beauty and inspiring culture with The Rough Guide to India, the most comprehensive guide to India on the market. The 36 page full-colour introduction with stunning photography will whet your appetite for the country’s many highlights, from fast-paced Delhi and the sacred sites of the Ganges plain to the Moghul splendour of Agra and the shell-sand beaches of the south. The guide features three new colour sections on Sacred India, Handicrafts and Bollywood, as well as expert background information on everything from temple architecture to Indian classical music. Easy-to-use maps and extensive accommodation and restaurant listings, plus all the practical grittiness you’d expect from a Rough Guide make this your must-have item for the trip of a lifetime.

Make the most your time with The Rough Guide to India.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure

Sarah Macdonald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 98 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

In her twenties, journalist Sarah Macdonald backpacked around India and came away with a lasting impression of heat, pollution and poverty. So when an airport beggar read her palm and told her she would return to India—and for love—she screamed, “Never!” and gave the country, and him, the finger.

But eleven years later, the prophecy comes true. When the love of Sarah’s life is posted to India, she quits her dream job to move to the most polluted city on earth, New Delhi. For Sarah this seems like the ultimate sacrifice for love, and it almost kills her, literally. Just settled, she falls dangerously ill with double pneumonia, an experience that compels her to face some serious questions about her own fragile mortality and inner spiritual void. “I must find peace in the only place possible in India,” she concludes. “Within.” Thus begins her journey of discovery through India in search of the meaning of life and death.

Holy Cow is Macdonald’s often hilarious chronicle of her adventures in a land of chaos and contradiction, of encounters with Hinduism, Islam and Jainism, Sufis, Sikhs, Parsis and Christians and a kaleidoscope of yogis, swamis and Bollywood stars. From spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war zones and New Delhi nightclubs, it is a journey that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love life—and her sanity—can survive.