Asia Books

Very interesting account of an Eurasian American college student's search for his ancestors in China. This book is a real page turner, even for those who have no interest or knowledge of China. Travelers will get a realistic overview of the Chinese history and culture. Very Funny! Well worth the price!

This book was so amazing I read it twice! It is a funny, witty, educational story which really makes you feel like a part of the author's journey. His story is honest and fullfilling. The reader does not even need know much about China to be greatly entertained. I would suggest this book to anyone. I hope the author writes again...Horray for Beadle Lu!

This book combines the funniest "travel stories" I have ever read with lots of useful information including history, very practical travel tips, and a wonderfully insightful analysis of how recent changes in China have affected her people. The author steadfastly avoids any and all "travelogue cliches"- his account is all the more hilarious (and informative) for its brutal honesty.

In addition to all of this, there is a delightful plot twist (related to the title) that is both touching and hysterically funny. (And good plot twists are sometimes hard to find in travel memoirs.) This is one of the most entertaining books I have ever read!

This is one of the better books written on Taj Mahal, Taj Mahal was built by the Mughals (Muslim emporers) who were the greatest people when it comes to invent & innovate art & architecture, they (Mughals) blessed pre-British India (India & Pakistan region)with their wonderful architecture, I highly recommend it, also I think the following two books will be excellent to add to your collection

1)Taj Mahal by Jean-Louis Nou

2)The Taj Mahal (Great Buildings) by Christine Moorcroft,

This book is very well written..I just got it somedays back..& let me say that this is one of the good books I have read..it takes us back to the mystical era of the Mughals (Mughlas were Muslim emporers who invaded present India & Pakistan region & created beautiful architectures Taj Mahal (Agra, India), Badshahee Mosque(Lahore, Pakistan)) & a lot of other architectures & gardens) this books describes their (Mughals) life style...I definitely reccomend it...but the best thing you can do is go to India & Pakistan yourself & see their architecture for yourselves...during my stay in Lahore (Pakistan) I visited different Mughal architectures & one garden built my Mughals..it was wonderful..I visited a Mughal fort (in Lahore) in the fort their was a thing which really caught me...their was a very big water pool..& right in the middle of that water pool was a small square shape marble made sitting place for Mughal women & it was connected by a marble path to the end of the pool...& I was like wowwww....these Mughals were I think the only emporers in the world with a sense of building beautiful architecture..I think other emporers destroyed the architecture but never bothered to built any architecture..but the Mughals not only did they built the architecture..but they built one of the best that can be seen..I have seen Taj Mahal in Agra, India (built by Mughal emporer Shah Jehan) for his dead wife..thats really a touching piece of architecture...then there is a Mosque in Lahore (Pakistan)..Badshahee mosque..the architecture & the beauty of this mosque is wonderful..their are many other architectures (Forts & Gardens)..though most of their architecure is mosques)...you can only enjoy their architecture if you see it with your own eyes ...ok I think now I will shut up..heheh & let you enjoy this book :)

One of the most astonishing cultures in history, the Mughals created art and architecture that continue to delight and astonish. There society successfully mixed two divergent religions, Islam and Hinduism, in ways that we today can only regard with wonder.

Rothfarb has presented the most delightful and provocative introduction to time in history that I can imagine (I have read probably 45 books on the period and visited India a few times). He ties together not only Mughal culture, but India's ancient past, its religion, its mores, and culture showing the Mughals in a far wider and more accessible context than any other book I have seen. If I were to write a nonfiction book about this culture, this is the book I would want to write.

While targeted (apparently) at juveniles, it is more than suitable for adults as well.

If this is your subject, this is your book.

I'm so glad that I found this book after having been to Egypt and Jordan/Petra because this book has given me insight into the original means of transportation within the Middle East. Stephens' writing style is pure poetry and is a true joy to read. The English language has evolved, but has not improved since his day. To read this book is a true treat for the mind and adventurer.

After having had a private guided tour where we did not have to secure a boat that had been scuttled to save it from indentured service to the Pasha, and we did not have to obtain camels and goods as well as questionable guides that might slit our throats in the desert for our money, I could appreciate our accommodations much more.

To have been an adventurer then was much more of a true adventure. While I may have had a massage on the top deck of the cruise ship on the Nile at dusk, which made me feel like Cleopatra, I by no means was an adventurer of Stephens' stature and could appreciate the true effort it was to make the same trip 150+ years ago.

The Bedouins of today are not much different than the days of yore. We did not have to sneak into Petra from over the mountains, but did sit down to coffee and tea provided by them. They still live in tents, but many are now driving top end Mercedes instead of camels. :)

After reading that he shot a pigeon at Denderah and shot out an eye of Hathor, I had to go back and look at my pictures to see if I could find that statue at the temple!

If you go to Egypt or Petra, I recommend reading this book after the trip because it has much more meaning then.

This book is a true treasure and I can see why a book written by a man who was born over 200 years ago is still in print! I can only hope that it will stay in print for another 200 years so that "modern" people can appreciate the arduous travails of yore.

At the very beginning of Stephens' travelogue, he explains to the careful reader the methodology he used to validate the legitimacy of his writing. I thought it brazen of him, and since he falsified this "rationalization for writing" under such a guise, at times I did not know whether to believe him or not. He did have a quaint deadpan, tongue-in-cheek demeanor.
I thought it funny that just after our returning from Poughkeepsie, (New York) I was reading about his traveling through Poughkeepsie!
Little nuances such as "... with all the extravagance of Eastern hyperbole..." (page 233) dot the pages.
Throughout the book, there are many wonderful learning experiences such as "...I remember I had a long discourse about the difference between the camel and the dromedary. Buffon gives the camel two humps, and the dromedary one; and this, I believe is the received opinion, as it had always been mine; but, since I had been in the East, I had remarked that it was exceedingly rare to meet a camel with two humps. I had seen together at one time, on the starting of the caravan of pilgrims to Mecca, perhaps twenty thousand camels and dromedaries, and had not seen among them more than half a dozen with two humps. Not satisified with any explanation from European residents or travelers, I had inquired among the Bedouins; and Toualeb, my old guide, brought up among camels, had given such a strange account that I never paid any regard to it. Now, however, the sheik told me the same thing, namely, that they were of different races, the dromedary being to the camel as the blood-horse is to the cart-horse; and that the two humps were peculiar neither to the dromedary nor the camel, or natural to either; but that both are always born with only one hump, which, being a mere mass of flesh, and very tender, almost as soon as the young camel is born a piece is sometimes cut out of the middle for the covenience of better arranging the saddle; and, being cut out of the center, a hump is left on either side of the cavity; and this, according to the account given by Toualeb, is the only way in which two humps ever appear on the back of a camel or dromedary. I should not mention this story if I had heard it only once; but, precisely as I had it from Toualeb, it was confirmed with a great deal of circumstantial detail by another Bedouin, who, like himself, had lived among camels and dromedaries all his life; and his statement was assented to by all his companions. I do not vie this out as a discovery made at this late day in regard to an animal so well known as the camel; indeed, I am told that the Arabs are not ignorant of that elegance of civilized life called "quizzing." I give it merely to show how I wiled away my time in the desert, and for what it is worth.2 In spite of Stephens' information, zoologists still classify camels as Dromedary (one hump) and Bactrian (two humps)." (Pages 241-242).
I never quite understood the evacuation and continuous abandonment of Petra until Stephens stated: '...in reference to the interpretation of the prophecy, "None shall pass through it for ever and ever,'I can say that I have passed through the land of Idumea..."(Page 306)."...because the Bedouins would always be lying in wait for travelers..." (Page 266.)
Do absorb the explanation and vivid description of POOLS OF SOLOMON on page 327 and The traditions of prayer at The Wailing Wall on pages 368-369.
I had just gotten half-way through this book the night (5-27-02) my father own died, and how I wished that I could be able to share my findings, my questions I need answered, and discuss this book with him!

Mr. Sthepens was a great traveler and writer too, he made easy to follow his travels and gave his very personal point of view ot those days. In particular I like his graphic description of the conditions that people lived in the past. I recomend it to everybody all ages.

The plain title does not begin to do justice to the richness and diversity of the contents. The numerous lightly sepia-toned photographs, many full-page and one a panoramic fold-out, are especially handsome as well as informative as to Indian buildings, royalty and their traditional wear, ordinary Indians, ruins, and landscapes and nature scenes. But even with these, the book is more than only a distinctive album of vintage photos of India. Essays by art historians and critics go into various aspects of the project engaged in by native Indians and colonial British to record India in all its diversity and foreignness with the new device of the camera, as if to preserve India before it would be touched by the machinery and pace of the modern world.

Different native and colonial photographers were attracted to different aspects of India during the decades covered. Some concentrated on pictures of different ethnic groups; some on portraits of royalty; while others recorded the British administrative and military presence. With essays on several of the leading photographers, the book is also a survey of the field of photographic work done in India in the mid to late 1800s and into the early 1900s. Thus, "India Through the Lens" can be appreciated both for its exceptional, engaging photographs and as a introduction to the subject of photography in India.

A visual reference of museum quality for researchers, or just people interested in this country.

This book accompanies an exhibition of photography collection of India for the period 1840-1911. These images are produced more than hundred years ago, during the early ages after photography was invented. Indian and foreigner found photography as magic, when using their camera to capture the surrounding environment to image. It covers powerful images about landscapes, people, architecture, etc from India.

the collection of these rare pictures of the time of british raj in india is gorgeous. reading this book is like visiting a museum. brilliant job done

what i like about this book firstly, is that its not an intellectual exercise of analyzing tons of theses, etc., but shaped by personal experiences in india over many years, meeting people from different walks of life from all over india. to me, a book about india should be grounded in its earth and in humility, because the real india is several things at once and full of apparent contradictions - for me, thats a key differentiator between this book and say, amartya sen's Arg.Ind essays/diatribes thats twice as long, but i fell asleep after the first few pages.

i dont agree with some of tully's ideas, but i used to firmly disagree with some of those ideas before i read this book; now i know, i cant be "sure for sure". thats why this book is so important. it humbly asks for balance and the need to avoid extremes, be in far-left pseudo-secularism, or far-right fundamentalism. these ideas are valid not just for india, but for the entire world.

This is an excellent book by Mark Tully and represents the net result of a lifetime of reporting in the subcontinent. The author does a very fine job of contrasting the fundamental differences between the Indian and the western tradition. Being a Britisher born and having spent most of his life in India, Mr.Tully is the perfect person to write about East vs West. He touches all aspects of human life and culture in a succinct manner giving the reader a wonderful perspective on the Indian way. Though a little simplistic at times, I came out with a better appreciation for the role of tradition and uncertainty after reading this book as well as a fresh view point about Indian civilization. Right in the foot steps of 'The Argumentative Indian' by Amartya Sen, I think this book is a very fine contribution of to the ongoing debate about the idea of India.

Most Indians and Indophiles are familiar with Mark Tully, who worked for long out of Delhi as BBC's correspondent. In the process, he fell in love with the country, and ended up settling down in India permanently.

This book is a kind of personal journey for him. The narrative is rather tentative, and covers a lot of ground. He weaves back and forth between UK and India, and offers quite a few valuable insights about religion, politics and culture of the two countries. UK is not treated independently, but more as a kind of foil to India. The book's 11 chapters are placed in various towns that he visited, which also serve as a kind of cultural emblem for what he is going to talk about in a particular chapter.

He also shares a lot of personal details, his trials, tribulations, anecdotes and triumphs. Being a journalist with a highly respected Channel, he had access to almost everyone in India. It goes without saying that his narrative is very sympathetic to Indian culture and the 'Indian way of dong things'. However, it is also reasonably balanced, so that it does not become a gushing, sentimental kind of nonsense about how great everything about India is.

Some of his comments are quite perceptive - for instance, about how India always tries to find a balance between extremes, a middle (middling?) way of doing things. He believes this is one of India's keys to longevity as a civilization.

Well, he is certainly right that this search for a balance, of avoiding the extremes, is almost an unwritten, unbreakable law in India. My late father often used to say 'ati sarvatha varjayet' - excess is to be avoided always / everywhere. And this philosophy gradually worked its way into my conscience, so that now the extreme option is always automatically renounced in favor of the moderate one.

In fact, in India, the term 'extremist' is often used as a political pejorative and is more popular than fundamentalist or terrorist, though it includes both these categories as well. Similarly, 'atyachar' which literally means 'extreme behaviour' is used to signify inhuman behaviour.

This is a book you can soak into. However, it will not make a conscious, discernible impact on you. The book is too wispy for that, too much like a mild fragrance, one of those extremely expensive perfumes, which only leave behind a tantalizing suggestion. I read it only last month, and already I have forgotten what were the key points that Tully made. Perhaps he didn't make any at all. May be he made many. He doesn't try to convince you or sell you his viewpoint - he merely shares his views. And that does really mean that he has become more Indian than many of us (see for example, Amartya Sen's The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity).

The hardcover edition issued by Rider (Random House group) has been printed and bound in India. The book is fairly easy to carry, and easier to read, because of good paper and printing. Of course, Tully's light, conversational style adds to the ease of reading.

All in all, an enjoyable, readable book - much more perceptive and interesting than his previous India in Slow Motion (India in Slow Motion), which was more task-oriented.

The author's views on the babri mosque dispute proved to be prophetic. "will the mosque stand?" he asks, and replies that not unless Indian politics, discourse and judicial dilly-dallying change. I recommend this book to all those intrested in understanding the politics of identity obtaining in contemporary India. Though most of the essays in the book seem to have been written almost a decade ago, they are as relevant today as they were first written.

An important book by India's greatest living journalist.

This is considered a celebrated work of Arun Shourie, and is a collection of essays and articles he wrote over the years, on topics ranging from the Ayodhya dispute, Salman Rushdie, Shah Bano controversy, etc.. The writings on the Babri Masjid proved to be prophetic, and articulate very cogently the reasons and frustrations that led to the mosque's destruction. Personally, I found the best chapter to be the one on Muslim personal law, titled 'Your Wives Are your Fields...'. This chapter outlines the present status of Muslim Personal law, the outlook of the courts and the absence of any leeway that courts have in interpreting it, the reasons behind such a mindset. Srun Shourie then proceeds to explain in detail why such positions are not justified or explanable in any way. This particular chapter is a must read. A must read book.

This book has a lot of useful information about insects. It describes basic characteristics, life cycle, and much more. It also includes info on other terrestrial arthropods, such as spiders and centipedes. As a field guide, it focuses on families of insects, not species, which makes more sense because there are so many species that are hard to identify. There are great photographs and descritions as well.

These books are so helpful to use as references for painting.

Very clear photograhy. I would have liked a few close-up shots for some of the images perhaps, but otherwise a great book.

(Although I'll admit some of the inclusions in this book made my skin crawl!! I really just wanted the insects and not the spiders, but that's not the author's problem!)

This is really a nicely done guide and almost fits in my coat pocket. The pictures are fabulous and the insects are divided up into their respective families with very clear identifying traits. I'm really impressed, so much easy-to-use information in such a small book. This would be a great precursor to an entomology class. Some of my favorite critters are in the Psuedoscorpion order and are the cheliferids and chernetids, both of which look like tiny ticks with claws. So very cool. I actually found one once in Washington state--in my kitchen! It was very, very tiny. I digress. A book like this is handy if you are always finding insects and wondering what the heck you are looking at. A good value!

Into The Fire: A Post - 9/11 American In Tel Aviv is the memoir of Charles T. Salmon, an American who immersed himself in Israeli culture. He arrived on a Fullbright fellowship, speaking no Hebrew, and largely unfamiliar with Judaism and Israeli customs. As time passed, Salmon closely observed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; Palestinian terrorist events and Israeli responses; the differences between university studies in Tel Aviv and America, and a great deal more replete with insight, wit, and candid openness. Into The Fire offers contemporary readers a revealing, informative, and highly recommended presentation.

This book was well-written, funny and easy-to-read. I read the entire book in two sittings because it was so interesting -- I was just engrossed in it. This book is good for someone interested in politics, foreign countries, and academia. Salmon's interest in wanting to make a difference and learn about many different cultures makes me want to take a class from him. I also liked how he used humor and candor in admitting his own shortcomings and what he missed about America. I would highly recommend this book to anyone over the age of 15. Wonderful! Keep writing and I will keep reading, Charles T. Salmon!

Reading the book, you feel like you are alongside Salmon as he experiences the sites and people of Israel. Salmon's writing blends descriptions of his experiences with insightful perspectives on how life in Israel differs from the US in a way that entrances the reader. As an American living in our post-9/11 society, I found Salmon's descriptions of those who live world that constantly deals with terrorism, and how they deal with their environment, fascinating. It has made me think of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a new enlightened perspective. This book is a must read!

This book was well written.
It was given as gift and was throughly enjoyed by the reader.
Hope to see more books written by the author in the future.

Lawrence's insightful look at this little understood nation will open your eyes to events that led to America's invasion of Iraq. His first hand knowledge and in-depth research will introduce you to a cast of characters that underlay America's invasion and continue to influence events in the region. This eminently readable book will be referred to by historians for decades to come as America's misadventure is studied.
Lawrence's travels have clearly given him a great fondness for the region. In vivid language, Lawrence gives you a feel for the landscape and people of Iraqi Kurdistan. Several times while reading Invisible Nation I found myself thinking that I wanted to travel there. No other person has made me want to visit Iraq.
Buy this book!

As a producer/director for British and American TV I have made numerous films in and about Iraq over the last five years, but Invisible Nation is a revelation to me. Like most people covering the tragedy, I have been distracted by the carnage in the south and Lawrence's book fills a gaping hole. He has been a regular visitor there since shortly before the US invasion and, as well as providing a potted history of Iraqi Kurdistan, he paints a vivid picture of the country, its people and its leaders. There is a wonderful breezy energy to his prose and by the end we feel not only informed but also emotionally involved in what happens there.

Lawrence was an eye-witness to many of the key events he describes and he talks us through the strange parallel history that has unfolded. As Sunni and Shia Iraq have descended into anarchy, the Kurds, largely un-noticed, have established the prosperous, peaceful, functioning democracy (rough and ready though it may be) that was supposed to be the goal all along. The paradox is that it is only the weakness of their southern neighbours that has enabled them to do so and, should the US succeed in restoring stability in the rest of Iraq, Baghdad will almost certainly try and re-establish its traditional control. The Sunnis can look for support to Saudi Arabia, the Shias to Iran. The Kurds have no-one to shake a stick on their behalf other than us, and we have always betrayed them in the past. The truly unforgivable final act in this tragedy, as we scuttle away from the disaster we have inflicted, would be to do so again as the price of peace.

Richard Sanders

keep it up we must talk as i am a landscape photographer from india but in dubai uae we could work something together pl email me and see my books elements

Being a Rajput whose father is from the Jaipur dynasty, I was very impressed with this book. Like the latest book (please refer to "Maharaj's Jewels"), I found this book very ornate with beautiful pictures and rich historical details. The book is full of facts and intersting tidbits a reader will find facinating. Like all table top books, this one will add integrity to one's collection...

Jaipur: The Last Destination which was among the six books chosen by Christie's first catalog of art books under its Islamic/Oriental/Indian Section and recommended for its "stunning images." Published by St. Martin's Press in North America and I.B.Taurus in Europe, the book also received a national award from the Indian government, and has become a landmark in Indian art book publishing by having four reprints.