India [Hardcover]

Michael Wood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 13, 2007

In the 13th Century, Marco Polo described India as “a land of wonders,” and his observation is no less true today. India is the world’s largest democracy, a nuclear power, and a rising economic giant-but also the world’s most ancient surviving civilization, with unbroken continuity stretching back into prehistory. It is a land of tremendous spirituality punctuated by terrible religious violence, of vast deserts and Himalayan peaks that disappear into the sky, of remote Mughal forts and jam-packed megacities, and of the world’s most glorious architectural splendors: the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, and Luyten’s Delhi. An epicenter of trade and a land of extraordinary riches, India has played a prominent role in world history. At the beginning of the 21st century, India has once again become a leading player on the world stage. In India, Michael Wood leads his audience on six eye-opening journeys into the subcontinent, where he uncovers the fabulous sights and sounds, the dazzling achievements, and the dramatic history of the world’s most influential civilization. This sumptuously illustrated book is a magical mix of history and travelogue, and an unforgettable portrait of India-past, present, and future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a style that blends encyclopedic knowledge with a travel narrative, Wood (In Search of the Trojan War) presents the history of a country which, he claims, is itself "a tale of incredible drama, of great inventions and phenomenal creativity, and of the biggest ideas." Combining ancient and recent history with archaeology, anthropology, religion and linguistic studies, Wood provides a thorough view of India's journey to the present. Woods has a long personal history with the country and he uses it to great effect, combining first person accounts (such as hunting down an original manuscript of the ancient Rig-Veda text in a Calcutta library and stopping for tea at the "bazaar of storytellers") with discursive accounts of Tamil literature, the analysis of Hindu legends and subtle historical interpretation. As in the past, India's greatest strength, Wood claims, will be to "adapt and change, to use the gifts of history and to accept its wounds, but somehow, magically, to always be India." Filled with photographs and artwork, this is an excellent primer for anyone wishing to know about the evolution of this growing world power.
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Review

“Michael Wood is the maker of some of the best television documentaries ever made on history and archaeology.”–Times Literary Supplement --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465003591
• ISBN-13: 978-0465003594
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #574,250 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A vivid journey through the history of India, February 21, 2009

By 

Susan "Curious about the World" (Fairbanks, AK, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: India (Hardcover)

I had to write because I do not understand the negative reviews of this fabulous book. The writing is so vivid you can picture each of the places he discusses even without the beautiful photographs. Wood knows how to tell history as a rich narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed the recent books on Indian history, "Indian Summer" by von Tunzelmann and "In Spite of the Gods" by Luce, but this epic tale of the entire sweep of Indian history from prehistory to today is even better. I can't imagine what the negative reviewers are looking for. I find this a remarkably rich and varied tale, well told. I highly recommend it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Below average effort for Michael Wood, October 3, 2009

By 

Paul Lawrence "'EJL'" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Story of India (Hardcover)

I've got Michael Woods series on Troy on DVD, ditto for his Alexander the Great show. And I've picked up some of his books too including this one.

The real crux of the matter here is that Wood does not seem to have hit the nail on the head with this book. When covering Troy or Alexander The Great he provided a lot of detail and logical thought to his subject. The books flowed just as well as the made for TV history series(a much maligned sub genre). Here however the chronological history seems somewhat confusing, not terribly well defined in time and space and not overly engaging though thankfully the book has provided me with a few other products to chase down to fill in some of the shortfall.

Things do pick up somewhat in later chapters where Wood is covering more modern history and where the vibrancy and colour of India shine through and the authors obvious interest in his subject starts to engage the reader. Also the couple of groups of colour plates do help the reader glean some sense of the grandeur that is India.

As a fan of Wood I came a way a little non-plussed by this outing but I still intend at some point to get his DVD of the same name. Not bad or anything of the sort but not something a newcomer to the subject was looking for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent companion to the DVD, April 27, 2009

By 

PeeAM - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Story of India (Paperback)

The book helps in better understanding of the chronological events that Michael Wood lays out from first human migration into India to present times. The strongest parts are the early periods for which there is lack of written history and later where mythology and history have blended together. Not exhaustive but a great read. I would also recomment Abraham Eraly's book- Gem in Lotus Pond.