A History of Nepal [Paperback]

John Whelpton (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521804701 | ISBN-13: 978-0521804707 | Publication Date: March 7, 2005

While John Whelpton's history of Nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the Rana family autocracy in 1950-51, the early chapters are devoted to the origins of the kingdom and the evolving relations of its diverse peoples. Whelpton portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been buffeted constantly by its neighbors, China and India. Economic and political turmoil over the last fifty years came to a climax with the massacre of the royal family in 2001, when the country erupted into civil war. This book is the most comprehensive and accessible English-language one-volume history of Nepal. John Whelpton, who works as a teacher in Hong Kong, is an historian and linguist. He has worked and traveled extensively in Nepal, and has written numerous articles and books on the subject. These include Nationalism & Ethnicity in a Hindu Kingdom: The Politics and Culture of Contemporary Nepal (Routledge, 1997), and Kings, Soldiers and Priests: Nepalese Politics and the Rise of Jang Bahadur Rana, 1830-1857 (South Asia Books, 1992).

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A History of Nepal will be of interest to any student of South Asian studies, since it fills a serious lacuna in scholarship on the region. ... Whelpton's text is the first accessible overview of Nepal's political history published by a university press in English. ... Whelpton deserves much praise for rising to the challenge of writing a comprehensive yet orderly history of a nation ... Whelpton succeeds on all accounts. As a result, A History of Nepal is a compelling narrative introduction to this frequently misunderstood country.' Times Higher Education Supplement

'... very well written and organised, ... an excellent one-volume up-to-date history of Nepal in addition to being an extremely good reference book.' The Britain-Nepal Society Journal

'... Whelpton's History of Nepal is a valuable introduction to that country. It will be useful to all non-Nepalese specialists interested in South Asia: it gives a good and accurate account of the historical events and provides general information on a wide range of quite disparate topics.' Contributions to Nepalese Studies

Book Description

John Whelpton's history of Nepal focuses on the period since the overthrow of the Rana family autocracy in 1950-1. Drawing on recent research, the author portrays a country of extraordinary contrasts, whose history has been constantly buffeted by its neighbours, China and India. Economic and political turmoil over the last fifty years climaxed in the massacre of the royal family in 2001, when the country erupted into civil war. The book, which represents the first one-volume history of Nepal, will appeal to students, professionals and those visiting the region.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (March 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521804701
• ISBN-13: 978-0521804707
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #327,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > History > Asia > Nepal

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Read!!!, February 19, 2011

By 

Binaya SJB Rana (Kathmandu, Bagmati Nepal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Nepal (Hardcover)

A wonderfully written book on the history of Nepal after its unification. Whelpton gives an unbiased viewpoint on the events that have transpired in Nepal's turbulent historical past. He starts out by giving a geographical, social, cultural background of the country, then continues to narrate its history from how the nation was born to the near present (Nepal has seen drastic political changes in the years after 2005). He points out the major players and events that have shaped the country's present. Apart from just identifying the events and players, Whelpton also does a great job of showing what situations conspired to bring them together. The basic attitude of Nepalese politics and politicians is aptly summarized. The chapter on Nepalese lifestyle, values and identities is a real treat. He has also dedicated a chapter on the Nepalese attempts at development in which he tries to describe why Nepal is not making as much progress as it would like on that front. The final chapter most notably describes the current feelings of ordinary Nepalese towards their politicians and their disillusionment with democracy.

The concept of `Sanskritization', an introduction to the major ethnic groups and their struggle to survive and thrive in changing circumstances is also very nicely put.

Short biographical notes of prominent personalities In Nepalese history from the Buddha to the present day politicians at the end of the book were a treat to read.

Nowhere in the book does Whelpton say that Nepal was part of India, as a previous reviewer has mistakenly mentioned. Magadha did subdue the Shakyas, the Buddha's clan, as history shows us, but that does not mean that India took over Nepal.

All in all, this book is a must for anyone interested in Nepal and Nepalese history, and would like to go beyond just dates and events. Even for a native like myself who already knew most of the things in the book, I could not put this book down.

1 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars this book says many false things about the history of nepal, June 29, 2010

By 

lovenepal - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Nepal (Paperback)

Dont buy this book... save ur self some time. most of the things in this book are false.... as a nepali, i know more of the true history of nepal than this writer.. the writer is not a nepali himself, why trust him? this book is just the modified version of the true history of nepal.

inside this book:

history of buddha---false
history of nepal in 17th century, about kings and kingdoms-- mostly false (says nepal was a part of india back when buddha was born.. nepal was an independent country back then, ans it is now)

history of the expanding territory of nepal-- true
history if the battle between nepal and great britain-- partly false

so, save urself some time. the modified version of our nepali history isnt interesting at all. the real history is awesome. pick another book to read.
u will enjoy reading the real history of nepal.