General Books

The Places In Between

Rory Stewart

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Subjects -> History -> Asia -> Afghanistan
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 157 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Meh 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

What Mr. Stewart did was brave, and interesting in theory, but the narrative that emerges is unavoidably monotonous, as the areas he walked through are pretty much the armpit of the world. Blah blah snow blah grudgingly given sleep space in the mosque blah left the next day blah Kalashnikovs blah they threw rocks at my dog again. I was hoping for a much more eventful story as I love travel writing and have been wanting to know more about that part of the world... and it turns out, not surprisingly, that it's primitive and poor and cold and isolated and just not real interesting. And this is not to denigrate Mr. Stewart: on the contrary he should be admired for telling it like it is.

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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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

Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

Suketu Mehta

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 75 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Some Great Stuff Buried in a Mountain of Unedited Prose 3 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Having recently read several books about the explosion of unregulated urban development in the second and third world, I was eager to check out this well-reviewed book about Mumbai and its 18+ million residents. Written by an "NRI" (non-resident Indian) who grew up there, and then spent majority of his adult life in New York -- the book kicks off with the author relocating his wife and young children to Mumbai in his attempt to rediscover the city he'd been away from for twenty years. Unfortunately, this is as close as the book comes to having any kind of framework, and as a result, it rambles on for almost 600 pages where 300 would do nicely. If ever a book needed a firm editor to shape and slash it, this is it.

The format largely involves Mehta hanging around various people and places he finds interesting, and then reporting back in excessive detail. To be sure, most of his subjects are inherently interesting, such as the Indian film industry, the hidden lives of bar girls, the murky world of gangsters, hit men, and the colorful cops who battle them, the sordid side of sectarian politics, and Jain mystics. However, his encounters with each of these are largely formless and meandering, further confused by leaps in chronology. This is exacerbated by the time lag between his research and the book's publication, since the fortunes of a number of his subjects had shifted considerably even by the time the book came out.

As a reader, one struggles to tease out the golden nuggets from the mountain of prose, some of which is repetitive, and much of which is simply not very interesting. He's also far too willing to let his subjects go on extended monologues, failing to ask many difficult questions or challenge them on their assertions. The result is lengthy reportage and description with little to no analysis or synthesis. Meanwhile, other than a few anecdotes about daily life, his own family concerns are left unexplored. The raw material is mostly there, but it lacks a form editorial hand to give it shape and purpose.

The best parts of the book are those concerning the city's 1992-93 sectarian riots and bombings, which threatened to spark widespread Hindu-Muslim violence. This is also what puts him in contact with the police and the underworld, and the influence of the gangs on daily life is somewhat eyeopening. On the other hand, the datedness of the material makes it hard to know to what extent life has moved on in the intervening decade. Ultimately, it's hard not to suspect that one might get a more complete understanding of Mumbai's police and thieves material -- and perhaps the city itself -- in Vikram Chandra's sprawling novel Sacred Games. Which is kind of funny, since Chandra is referred to several times by Mehta as a friend and fellow researcher of the underworld.

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.

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.
5 of 5 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.
2 of 2 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.

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.

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

Rough Guides

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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.

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