India Books

Read this book when it first came out and referred to it after 9/11. Answers the question on why Bin Laden is still at large. Should be required reading by every field officer in Afghanistan. Book is well written with political as well as tactical events that shaped the British trials for over 100 years in the Northwest Frontier. A great read that speaks to todays events.

This is the very best sort of popular history, colorful, well-
written, and unencumbered by massive footnotes. Even
better, it resonates with our new interests in Afghanistan
and Pakistan, indeed the entire Northwest Frontier area.
An updated edition should include the Soviet debacle, the
rise and destruction of the Taliban, and the American
presence in Afghanistan. But read it anyway if you are
fortunate enough to find a copy!

This is one of those books that, even if you read then at an early age, you'll always remember with tenderness. It has adventure, fun, suspense; it makes you think about life and people in different parts of the world. When I first read it - I was sixteen - I wanted to go to India and see all those places and villages. I read it until today with the same pleasure.

This was Kipling's only full-length novel. For it he was reviled, during his lifetime, both as an imperialist and as an Indian-independence sympathizer. In truth, the novel reflects Kipling's own experience - first as child abandoned by his parents while they went to India, then as a treasured child upon whom all the love and attention of the Indian Ayahs (nannies) was showered, when his parents returned and took him to India to live.

Actually, there are three aspects or themes of the story, reflecting the different phases of Kipling's life in India: first, as an army orphan, abandoned by those who were set to watch over him; second, as a participant inducted into the "Great Game" - the unseen, silent war of espionage between the British and the 19th century Russian Empire; third, as a spiritual journey as the boy, Kim, becoming a man, follows a Tibetan monk in search of a river that cleanses the soul.

The way in which Kipling weaves these three themes together is quite unparalleled in modern literature. There are points where the writing verges on sublime. Also, in the context of the two recent conflicts in Afghanistan, the story contains much pertinent historical context. I know of no other novel quite like it.

One of the best books I have seen in my life! The colour plates are stunning, the catalogue information very interesting and complete. Everything is beatiful on it. It is a real pleasure to have it and review it. I only would ask to e able to buy more books like this.

Unless you marry into the British Royal family, it is virtually impossible to ever personally view all the paintings featured in this book (I believe Windsor Castle displays only one painting per year). This book is the next best thing. How else can one marvel at the equisite design, detail and color presented in these Mughal paintings? While the text is written in the usual art history academia mumbo jumbo (meaning dry dry dry), the pictures speak for themselves. One can easily find a sentence here or a paragraph there that will give added insight to the paintings. But the text isn't required to appreciate the magnificance of these art pieces from Shah Jahan's era.

La Porte des Indes Cookbook is one of my favorite cookbooks and I have scores of Indian cookbooks, as I'm sort of a gourmet chef. I wrote a cooking column for a sailing magazine for a couple years and one of my favorite articles was my "Two Ways to Tandoori" which you can read in one of my "Amazon So You'd Like to Guides," if you want. Tandoori chicken is just delicious. Anyway, while I was making the guide, I listed fifty cookbooks from my collection. I have more. I know, I know, one would think a couple books would be enough, but it's sort of an obsession with me, making food taste great and I just love to see how others have done it.

While I was doing the guide, I pulled out all my Indian Cookbooks, had them all stacked around me. Then I decided to pull out all the ones I didn't think I could live without. It came to an even dozen and La Porte des Indes Cookbook was one of the books. The recipes are just divine. I've never been to India, been a lot of places, but never there. Delhi, Bombay, Ganges, names that just ring with adventure. I imagine I'm there every time I cook up something Indian. I can feel the smells as they wrap their delicious flavors all around the kitchen, or galley, if I'm cooking on board the sailboat my husband Dub and I live on half the year. You won't go wrong with this book. Check it out. Check out my other eleven too. Cook up something from India tonight, taste the adventure.

Review submitted by Captain Katie Osborne

Imagine a twist on traditional Indian faire, namely one with a resounding French influence. I was so taken by the outstanding cuisine of this London restaurant that describes itself as "Indian Cuisine with a Difference" I pined for their cookbook. My five year wait is over. Is it ever impressive!

I had never dreamed that I could create credible tandoori grilled salmon or prawns on my own outdoor grill at home by following the recipes described in the cookbook. The grilled prawns are such an absolute knock out that unsuspecting dinner guests who instinctively must reach for cocktail sauce find themselves instead reaching for yet another grilled prawn! The green fish curry made with monkfish, with its novel presentation, was another succulent dish expertly nailed.

Tadka Dal (tempered yellow lentils) and Yellow Lentil Soup are other dishes prepared that our guests readily savor. They also made delightful autumn themed additions to our table, what with the blend of yellows, reds and greens.

Mehermosh and Sherin Mody have compiled an exquisite work that is easy to follow and even includes recipes for a number of delectable chutneys and sauces that greatly complement certain foods. Many superb photographs visually accompany dozens of recipes. They sent me scurrying to my local Indian spice shop to round out my spice cabinet. And, I now keep on hand lots of fresh garlic!

Whether one's experience level with Indian cuisine is novice or sophisticated, one will find the cookbook easy to follow and informing. For me, it was well worth the wait. For my friends who cook, well, let's just say they have tasted their way into ordering their own copy of the La Porte des Indes Cookbook!

This a great book combining fascinating insights into politics, history and the day to day lives of people living in the borderlands as well as being a riveting account of travelling in the area combining adventure and danger at every turn.

If you have ever comtemplated travelling in contested areas, this is a book for you. Highly recommended.

When Bertil Lintner and his wife, Hseng Noung, set out to visit the Kachins in Upper Burma, little did they know that the journey would take 18 months and involve walking from India to China. But they did it and this book is the result. It's a fascinating description of a part of the world cut off from the outside for over 30 years. The Lintner's spent most of their time with various rebel groups, and this account delves deeply into both the politics and culture of this little-known land.

When I was about to leave for an 8-month assignment to New Delhi, I went to my local book store to buy Lonely Planet's guide to the country. But unfortunately (or fortunately) the store only had this book instead.

After reading it -- or more like browsing through -- and experiencing the country, I've found that the guide's very informative and spot on. The thing that I found to be most helpful is about the Indian culture and the street life. These are especially important if you intend on taking to the streets, where you'll see that anything is possible.

The prices mentioned in the book tend to be a bit off, but not that much.

The book also has a lot of humor without losing focus, and also more entertaining than the Lonely Planet book I have (Central Europe)..

Now I'm off to look for the France version.

Highly recommended!

After winding up pretty much abandoned in NWesn India (long story), my copy of Let's Go: India was my bible. Their writers are accurate, observant, pithy and ballsy. The info's good, the recommendations excellent and *they're funny* which I cannot say for any of the Lonely Planet guides I've read.

Let's Go is a book for a budget traveler -- there are some higher-end listings but you won't find Bangkok's Taj Mahal hotel listed. Instead, you'll find tiny guesthouses run by tiny women overflowing with personality and good advice -- who can paint your hands with hemp, teach you the fine points of Bollywood cinema or take you sari-shopping.

I used Let's Go throughout Rajastan and Gujurat as well as in Bombay/Mumbai. It was so good that I've taken versions to Peru, London, Thailand, Malaysia and Italy. I recommend the entire series.

I read this book several times in the eighties - I was reading as many titles as I could find on charismatic psychopaths. Ed Sanders "The Family" was another excellent read. Neville's story of CJ's rampant career across Asia was fascinating - he seduces us even from the page. I love/hate the charismatic trigger that all humans respond to - is it a genetic imperative to resond to this rare attribute in someone to ensure that we follow leaders? Few modern leaders have this charisma essence anyway - see Australian PM John Howard - maybe we need more Charismatics, and damn the odd psychopath as a necessary part of the deal. Collateral Damage, as the Yanks like to say...
Get this book, however you can, and enjoy.

If any one has been to Thialand, Vietnam or India this book is a must, you simply cannot put it down and it's all true!

This book is a highly readable description of the relationship between music and society in North India. Topics include: becoming a musician, being a musician, social organization of specialist knowledge, gharanas (musical traditions), adaptive strategies of Hindu music culture, ecology of Hindu music culture, and the cultural structure and social organization of a music tradition. As an outsider, Neuman is quite attuned to the special characteristics of Hindu music culture that make it unique. He points out that in the Indian culture, "there is a high premium on musical knowledge. The more esoteric, the more it is valued," which goes a long way towards explaining the complexity of Indian rhythms and modes. In the chapter on becoming a musician, Neuman relates how beginning students are evaluated not so much on how well they play, but on the thicknesses of their calluses. Students are expected to practice 8, 12, even 18 hours a day, just as mature performers do. Neuman describes the relationships between the teacher and the student, and between the soloist and the accompanists, between the musicians and the audience. In his chapter on gharanas, he discusses the history of gharanas and how this ancestral system of musical `heredity' works. He also provides an informative discussion of All India Radio, and what it means to be employed as a musician at AIR. The appendices include a variety of material, from charts diagramming connections and marriage links between gharanas, to types of musicians employed at AIR and the fees they receive. There is also a glossary, in addition to a list of references and index.

This book is a must for all those interested in the tradition of Hindustani music (the 'classical' music of North India). It covers the cultural structure, social organization, and adaptive strategies of the musicians, from both an historical and current perspective.

I bought this book for my toddler son but I enjoyed reading it more than him, as it is an educational tool for us Asian-Americans. The illustrations are magnificent and it truely speaks to the Indian garden lover.

Kids ages 3-8 will delight in this story of a young girl who discovers India by exploring the unusual plants in her mother's exotic garden. Lily's survey of the plants comes to life when suddenly she is transported to India to learn about the lives of three different Indian girls in this whimsical tale, with bright drawings by Rob Hefferan.

Valuable resource regardless of your level of interest in personal growth or natural healing. a Well written book. The author gets the essence of the process accross. An inspiring book. Thank you.

I found this gem at a booksale and was overjoyed to be finding something about the "luminous essence" --meaning our lightbody and how it relates to alternative healing. While I believe some of the best parts in the book are his relaying information from his teachers, he has provided us with valuable information--particularly pertinent to energy therapists. This book provided a bridge for me from Reiki to Chinese Energy Therapies. It helped me better understand the function of the energy body and how that controls physical body health issues.
I would love to read more on the subject if he offers it. Parts were reminiscent of Castenada with an oriental flair.