Histories
India is a large country, with more than a dozen official languages, and a multiplicity of cultures. There are several good surveys on the history of India and, more generally, South Asia. A few of them are listed here.
The discovery of India by Call Number: DS436.A1 N4 1960ISBN: 9780143031031Publication Date: 1960One of the most famous histories of the subcontinent was written by the Cambridge-educated first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru. It is written in the fashion of statesmen writing national histories.
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A History of India by Call Number: DS436 .T372 1966Publication Date: 1966One of the most enduring textbooks for the study of Indian civilization and history has been the two volume set by Romila Thapar and Percival Spear. This work has been in print continuously since 1966.
Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.- A history of India byCall Number: DS436 .K85 1986bISBN: 0709942095Publication Date: 1986This well-received history continues to be updated and used in the classroom.
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Army and Nation: The Military and Indian Democracy by ISBN: 9780674728806Publication Date: 2015Wilkinson looks at the unusual circumstances of India's inherited colonial army. In this book he explores how India has maintained it's army and maintained a democratically elected government contrary to the experiences of many postcolonial nations.
Tiger in Ranthambore. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
"Man-Eaters..."
Thrillers about tigers in India are by a colonial-era hunter and later conservationist, Jim Corbett, who wrote a series of books, the titles of which start as ‘Man-Eaters of ….’
The Oxford India Illustrated Corbett by
Call Number: SK17.C6 A25 2004ISBN: 019566874XPublication Date: 2004-06-17This is a richly illustrated anthology of the great hunter and conservationist's best writing, selected from his many popular works. The collection is meant to represent all phases of the great tiger hunter's life and adventures. (From the Publisher)
Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.The Second Oxford India Illustrated Corbett by
Call Number: SK235 .C67 2004ISBN: 0195684281Publication Date: 2006-08-17The Second Oxford India Illustrated Corbettis another collection of Corbett's best-loved writings complemented by gripping illustrations. The stories reflect Corbetts involvement with India, her people, and her flora and fauna, and this collection includes several written for children. (From the Publisher)
Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.- Hawkins Jim Corbett's India byCall Number: SK235 .C67 1978ISBN: 0192129686Publication Date: 1979-02-01Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
The Man-Eating Leopard of Rudraprayag by ISBN: 0195622561Publication Date: 1989-03-17Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.Man-Eaters of Kumaon by
Call Number: SK305.T5 C59ISBN: 0195622553Publication Date: 1993Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
Mystical India
Taj Mahal. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
Bibliographer
Selected and Annotated By:
Pushkar Sohoni
Area Studies Specialist for South Asia
sohoni@pobox.upenn.edu
For more information about this and other Penn excursions, please visit the Penn Alumni Travel Web site.
"Yamuna River, Agra, Uttar Pradesh." Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
Delhi
City of Djinns by Call Number: DS486.D3 D27 2003ISBN: 0142001007Publication Date: 2003William Dalrymple’s memoirs provide a quick introduction to all of Delhi’s cities, past and present.
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Palaces and Mansions of Rajasthan by Call Number: NA1507.R35 M36 2004ISBN: 8175083875Publication Date: 2004Rajasthan can be experienced virtually through multiple coffee-table books such as this one.
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Delhi: Pages From A Forgotten History by Call Number: Van Pelt DS486.D3 D86 2015ISBN: 938139878XPublication Date: 2015Dudney focuses on writers and thinkers for his perspective on Delhi history.
Jaipur
Jaipur Nama by Call Number: DS486.J3 T55 2006ISBN: 9780144001002Publication Date: 2007A wonderful little book with historical vignettes of the pink city of Jaipur.
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Ranthambore
Battling for Survival by Call Number: QL84.5.I4 B38 2003ISBN: 0195662938Publication Date: 2003-09-25Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
The Last Tiger by Call Number: QL737.C23 T4697 2006ISBN: 0195680006Publication Date: 2006-01-01The royal Bengal tiger is on the verge of extinction. There have been other moments in the past when the tiger in India has been threatened. This book traces the history of such crises and conservation efforts to battle them from the nineteenth century right up to the present crisis. (From the Publisher)
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Ranthambhore by Call Number: QL737.C23 T53 2008ISBN: 0195699467Publication Date: 2009The tiger has always evoked awe, fear, and fascination.Ranthambhore: 10 Days in the Tiger Fortresscreates an engrossing, unforgettable portrait of this magnificent creature, featuring many images of tigers in the wild never before captured on film. (From the Publisher)
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Land of the Tiger by Call Number: QH21.I5 T47 1997ISBN: 0520214706Publication Date: 1998After a lifetime devoted to the study and conservation of the tiger, Valmik Thapar turns his attention to the plants and animals that share the tiger's domain. Thapar links the region's tremendous diversity to the reverence shown to nature by Eastern religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. (From the Publisher)
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Tigers in the Emerald Forest by Call Number: QL737.C23 T43 2012ISBN: 0198082193Publication Date: 2012This book is about the very special "post monsoon" period of Ranthambhore National Park, which in 2011 received a record 1200 mm of rain. (From the Publisher)
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Varanasi
"Ahilya Ghat by the Ganges, Varanasi." Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
- Banaras, City of Light byCall Number: BL1150 .E25 1983Publication Date: 1982A good book on Varansasi, in which Eck looks at the city in the context of history, spiritual and natural world, economics and quality of life, as well as the entirety of India.
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Guides for your Travels
There is no dearth of popular travel guide, most of which are particularly suited to Penn’s itinerary for what is known as the tourist triangle, comprised of Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra.
Delhi, Agra and Jaipur - Eyewitness Travel Guide by ISBN: 075666182XPublication Date: 2010The guide includes cutaways, floor plans, and reconstructions of sights such as Humayun's Tomb, the Rajput Fort-Palace and the Taj Mahal. Also included are street-by-street maps of cities and towns, travel tips and local information religious beliefs and practices, wildlife, temples, bazaars, museums. In the DK fashion, this guide includes hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps.
Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
Rajasthan, Agra, Delhi by ISBN: 0906672449Publication Date: 2013First published in 1989, this title is intended both for first-time visitors and experienced travelers to India. It provides a thoughtful companion to India’s preeminent attractions, exploring the intricacies of art, architecture and everyday life in modern north-west India.
Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
Rajasthan, Delhi and Agra by ISBN: 1741794609Publication Date: 2011This guide is the result of 15 weeks of research and includes 48 maps including a pull-out city map and 3D plans of renowned sites.
Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
Khajuraho Temple. Courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org.
Taj Mahal and Agra
The wealth of literature about the Taj Mahal is overwhelming, but an excellent essay by Wayne Begley, explaining an alternative meaning of the Taj can be found in the Art Bulletin of March 1979 (vol. 61 no. 1).
Taj Mahal by Call Number: NA6183 .N6813 1993ISBN: 1558596178Publication Date: 1993Otherwise, a good stock guide to the Taj (of which there are plenty) can be supplemented with this heavily illustrated volume. Most guides to the Taj Mahal will have notes and a small piece on the Agra fort.
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Khajuraho
It is not unusual that the same author produces a scholarly monograph on a site, as well as a popular guide book. Such is the case for Khajuraho.
The Religious Imagery of Khajuraho by Call Number: NB1912.H55 D43 1996Publication Date: 1996Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
Art and icon : essays on early Indian art by Call Number: N7302 .D47 2013Publication Date: 2013Purchase this book from Amazon or borrow it from your local library.
Khajuraho by Publication Date: 2004Not available through Penn Libraries, but borrow it from your local library.
Other books of interest
Bollywood's India by Call Number: Van Pelt PN1993.5.I8 J673 2015ISBN: 9780231169608Publication Date: 2015Written by an award-winning scholar of popular culture and postcolonial modernity, Bollywood's India analyzes the role of the cinema's most popular blockbusters in making, unmaking, and remaking modern India. From the publisher.
The book looks specifically at the films, Awara (1951), Ab Dilli Dur Nahin (1957), Deewaar (1975), Sholay (1975), Dil Se (1998), A Wednesday (2008), and 3 Idiots (2009).
Culinary Culture in Colonial India by Call Number: Van Pelt GT2853 I5 .R39 2015ISBN: 9781107042810Publication Date: 2014Ray looks at India's culinary histories and practices to investigate India's change from a colonial nation to an independent country with a developing middle class culture.
The First Firangis: Remarkable Stories of Heroes, Healers, Charlatans, Courtesans & Other Foreigners Who Became India by ISBN: 9382277633Publication Date: 2015An immigrant to India himself, Harris looks at the history of immigration to India and the diversity that has brought to this culturally rich nation.
