Mao the scholar
Most people are under the impression that Mao is a coarse and illiterate leader, perhaps because of his round and big Hunan facial features. That…
Very readable- The Tale of Genji
There are two recent English translations of this famous Japanese masterpiece. The Royall Tyler’s translation in 2001 and the translation by Dennis Washburn in 2015.…
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An Infectious read – Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi
I first read this biography in 2006. Rereading it now that her granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi has entered politics it is still the best biography on…
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A gripping story – In the Heart of the Sea: The Epic True Story that Inspired ‘Moby Dick’
This is easily the best book I read in 2015. Philbrick writes very well. He tells the story briskly and with sufficient background and scientific…
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A gem – Making China Modern: From the Great Qing to Xi Jinping
The strength of this 717-page book is that it presents the latest scholarship on the history of modern China. Klaus has reviewed the latest books…
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Riverting excerpts of an Inquiry – The Amritsar Massacre,1919: General Dyer in the Punjab
As 2019 is the centenary of the Amritsar Massacre , I reread this book which I first read from 25 to 26 June 2006. Both…
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Jinnah explained – The Sole Spokesman
In this book {first published 1985} Ayesha Jalal analysed the evolution of the demand for a Pakistan by Mohamnad Ali Jinnah and the All-India Muslim…
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Wonderfully told – Cairo in the War: 1939-45
This gem of a book first came out in 1989. It was reissued in 2013. During the hiatus, a second hand copy was difficult to…
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A sad history – Sowing the Wind: The Seeds of Conflict in the Middle East
There are 3 popular histories of the Arabs . John Keay’s Sowing the Wind is published in 2004. Eugene Rogan’s The Arabs A History is…
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Beautifully told – The Arabs: A History
There are 2 popular histories of the Arabs. John Keay’s Sowing the Wind is published in 2004. Eugene Rogan’s The Arabs A History is published…
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An excellent look at his private life – Mountbatten: The Private Story
This is an excellent book. It starts with a narration of the events in Aug 1979 which led to the assassination of Lord Mountbatten. This…
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