India
by John Keay · first published 2000
100% recommend
Why HN recommends it
Readable survey of Indian history from ancient civilisations through the colonial period, academic yet fascinating and even-handed. Suits readers wanting a single comprehensive overview of the subcontinent.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"This book is a compelling epic of cultures and conquest, colonization and independence. It vividly re-creates the turning points of Indian history and brings to life the leaders who shaped India's evolution, from Ashoka, the "Caesar of Ancient India," who ruled the vast Mauryan empire in the third century B.C., to twentieth-century figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Along the way Keay provides fresh insights into the patterns of invasion and migration that have stirred the subcontinent's cultures for centuries, from the "Aryan" invaders, to Alexander's Macedonian armies, to
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Also, for anyone interested in an academic, objective, inclusive and yet thoroughly fascinating summary of Indian history, I highly recommend "India: A History" by John Keay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Keay)
on “Sanskrit As A Language Of Science” ↗India: A History. Revised and Updated by John Keay Url : http://www.amazon.com/India-A-History-Revised-Updated/dp/080...
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored” ↗…couple of years before and upto the freedom in 1947. The way the french author duo paint the then lifestyle of the Britishers, the kings and the common man left me satisfied. Currently I'm slow reading "India - A History" by John Keay. Another well written book.
on “Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?” ↗India: A History, by John Keay
on “Vijayanagara – The Last Emperors of South India [audio]” ↗…civilisations (Egypt, Babylon, Harappan) and the progression through time (for example mentioning the Periplus of Roman adventurers into the far east). Good histories of China (Goldman/Fairbanks), and India (Keay) had whetted my appetite, and I think I'll need to read Dalrymple to be fully sated.
on “An amateur historian's favorite books about the Silk Road” ↗…could resolve it's South China Sea concerns via multilateral agreements, or through military aggression. Also, there are other theories, including realism and constructivism. ---- [1] John Keay, in India: A History. Keay is not a credentialed academic historian but has written respected surveys of history; I don't know how well his theory ultimately holds water, but it's the best expression of the issue…
on “The Geopolitics of the United States, Part 1: The Inevitable Empire (2011)” ↗