India Books

This is an excellent book, written by a very knowledgable and good teacher. I was lucky enough to take a class from him, and from what I have seen of his book, it is just as a fantastic survey of art in India as the class was.

A must for any serios student of Indain History. Helps remove a lot of doubts & proves the Aryan Invasion Theory of India being a big myth. Scientific research presented.

This book traces one of the origins of modern racism. Its analysis of the intellectual history of the 19th century and their innocent creation of a theory which gives the inspiration of modern racism is an excellent piece of scholarship. The profound knowldge of the author on Indology and Indo-European studies made his argument authorative. This book should be read by all history students, instead of only the students in South Asian studies.

I picked up this book on a whim and I read it for pleasure. Yes, dear reader, you heard me correctly . . . I read this for pleasure.
The title was what first caught my eye. I've recently started delving into Jewish studies, skirting the realms of both ancient history and theology, so I thought this book would fit in nicely so far as the Aryan Myth being co-opted by Europeans to subvert and displace Jewish origins. What I failed to realize, until I started the book, was that the study approached the subject matter from a textual standpoint rather than a historical one.
Like most of us who received our higher education in the late eighties and early nineties, I had all the requisite exposure to European history, but I also had some exposure to East Indian history as well, so the whole notion of the Aryan Myth being not solely a European phenomenon was not new to me.
However, this book is squarely aimed at scholars, and is not for the general reader. Furthermore, the author is a professor of literature, so a certain degree of knowledge in that field is greatly to be desired. My background is in history, so I had some initial difficulties digesting the onslaught of "isms" that Figueira marshalled in these pages. And certainly, as any academic can attest to, most "isms" have different meanings in different fields of study, ranging from philosophy to history to literary analysis.
Still, despite it all, I really felt I got something out of the book. Part One deals with European approaches to the Aryan myth, and many may react with shock and disgust at the manner in which our fine European scholars of centuries past manufactured absent text to suit their social and political agendas.
Part Two deals with Indian approaches to the Aryan Myth, and how it was used to promote social reform and various nationalist agendas. Certainly, some knowledge of Indian history and the British Raj would come in handy.
Though some readers may need to have a Webster's Collegiate Dictionary at the ready, Figueira states her arguments quite clearly and her language is polished. There is a cohesive nature to the way she has organized her thoughts, and she manages to tie up each chapter quite neatly while transitioning into her next line of thought. Her afterword binds it all together and ends with the rather disturbing, if not pithy, observation that the Aryan legacy haunts academia though the "Brahminization of theory."
We are left to ponder this in the wake of her thesis.

This short book written by the nephew of K offers some beautiful and very sincere reflexions about Krishnamurti.

This is a fabulous little cookbook. All of the recipes are easy and the directions are very, very clear. The photography is wonderful -- you really get excited about the prospects of making a particular dish. I've done the spicy tamarind shrimp and the curried sweet corn fritters so far (I've owned the book all of four days) and I've got plans to do the steamed shrimp dumplings this week. What's wonderful about this book is that it gives you some very new and different things to make without requiring you to invest hundreds of dollars in hard-to-find Asian ingredients. Most (though not all) of the ingredients will be readily available at a good market. And I live in New Hampshire!

For thousands of years parents around the world have been telling kids stories: here's an outstanding and enthusiastically recommended specialty collection of some thirteen lovely folktales drawn from eight major countries in Asia: each of which is perfect for both introducing very young kids to Asian favorites and for adding new excitement to the nighttime reading routine. ASIAN CHILDREN'S FAVORITE STORIES holds many fascinating picks, from 'How the Sea Became Salty' from Japan to a Malaysian folk story 'Why the Tapir Has No Tail'. Parents interested in unique read-aloud opportunities will find it inviting, with lovely color drawings by Patrick Yee adding excitement.

This is a well thought out, clearly written contribution to our understanding of an important generation in modern Viet Nam, with insightful comparisons to parallels in the social history of modern India. Highly recommended for any scholar or layperson interested in studying the lives of the modern Vietnamese intelligentsia. Reviewed by Le Minh-Hang & Stephen O'Harrow, University of Hawaii

iwould like to know about south indian ancient coins ,pictuers, period and values.

Among adepts this remarkable book is simply refered to as "Manual No.5" (that was it's old Theosophical Society designation.) When it was penned in 1894 this book was unique. This is because prior to that time all books on the subject were traditionlly written in an obscure and metaphorical manner. Bishop Leadbeater changed all that- he took 19th century scientific objectivism and applied it to the most mystical and subjective of studies. The result is a virtual Baedecker (travel book) of the astral realms. As a result this was the first modern English language text to be included in the permanent collection of the Brotherhood. This book opened, and continues to open, doors.

Briefly, this little volume, covers: scenary, inhabitants, and phenomena of the astral realm. Since this is the realm most closely in contact with our own it can be a most useful and practical guide book. For instance, you will find summarised here more real facts on black magicians, elementals, shades, vampires, and werewolves than in many thicker, more modern volumes. Indeed, a pocket sized hard cover of this manual is quite convenient to carry at all times as a review, and passport....