Product Description

Just 60 years after winning independence from British rule, India's economy is booming and the nation is fast becoming a leading global power. With a population of a billion people, India's society is as varied as its awe-inspiring landscape. Home to a dizzying array of languages, ethnic groups, beliefs, and lifestyles, India can seem overwhelming in its complexity. India takes the lid off this cultural melting pot, showing how past events have shaped this diverse but unified nation, where tradition and modernity successfully coexist. Through stunning photography and insightful text, India offers an eye-opening, thought-provoking, and authoritative visual guide to one of the world's most exciting and vibrant nations.

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Product Details

Publisher	DK Publishing
ISBN	0756639778
Format	Hardcover
Author	DK Publishing
EAN	9780756639778
Label	DK Publishing
Edition	First American Edition
Dewey Decimal Number	954
Studio	DK Publishing
Number Of Pages	376
Title	India
Publication Date	2008-09-01
Manufacturer	DK Publishing

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Customer Reviews

Beautiful coffee table book on India

Review by allis, 2010-08-04

Bought this book at Borders the other day - $7.99 and a steal, if I do say so. Normally, the books on the super clearance shelf at Borders are there for a reason: they're big and useless and no one wants them. But I have an obsession with India, and I think this 350+ page, full color, coffee table book is amazing.
Divided into six sections:
1. Landscape - beautiful full page picture
2. History - easy to read, full of pictures, comprehensive timeline covering 6000+ years of Indian history
3. People - day-in-the-life of random Indians
4. Culture - mostly text, explaining complex indian cultures & beliefs
5. Archetecture - my favourite section, floorplans and pictures of an assortment of indian building
6. Travel - a short section covering the main attractions of the Indian subcontinent

There is so much information packed into this book, and in a very aesthetically pleasing way. Its not the definitive history book, or travel guide, or cultural treatise, but it incorporates aspects of all these things and displays them in a beautiful tomb perfect for browsing and flipping through.

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Like a school book

Review by Txel, 2010-06-30

Good book, beautiful cover, but not what I was hoping for: a picture book from the main sites/cities/monuments in India. Instead you get plenty of explanations and fewer places. Good before traveling there to learn about it (but nowadays internet has it all). I wanted more pictures.

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beautiful book

Review by NOLA Gal, 2010-06-10

If you are interested in India, you'll love this book. Received quickly and in good condition.

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Sumptously presented, super value, seriously written

Review by John L Murphy, 2010-03-20

This visually stunned me. It opens with panoramic vistas and fills pages with imagery. Its text packs lots of learning. While a heavy book in size and contents, it enriches readers and it's surprisingly affordable.

DK lavishes graphics in all its publications, and this approach matches well the wonders of landscape art, architecture, daily life, occupations, sights, religious and mythical tales, and travel highlights that cram these large pages. Evocative verse excerpts top double-page spreads of beautiful photography to open the volume, and alongside such as the Taj Mahal and Khajuraho, the colorful wares of a dye seller, a Ladakh Tibetan Buddhist monastery, a bridal dinner, the makeup worn by a dancer, or the inlay of a Mughal archway gain impact from the enlarged illustrations.

Also, the text, credited to Abraham Eraly, Yasmin Khan, George Michell, and Mitali Saran, explores such topics as the early cities of the Indus, a train driver's day, or a "dabbawallah" who somehow delivers tiffin lunchboxes each day in Mumbai, clearly. The Bhagavad-Gita, for instance, earns excerpts from its second chapter that use Krishna's encouragement to Arjuna to fight in battle that sum up the whole Hindu mindset skillfully.

This relates to one small shortcoming. Lacking a reading list, I am not sure where to turn next to find out more. The translation of the B-G is noted in the acknowledgments along with a couple of the poems earlier cited, and there's an index and photo credits, but a supplemental guide to films, books, or other media could have been inserted. The travel guide at the end whets one's appetite to visit, but the illustrated maps can be hard to read, drawn engagingly though they may be with art and color in a style that reminds me of lush coffee-table tomes of my childhood of faraway places. The binding, as earlier reviewers on Amazon mention, is noteworthy, but the book might be scuffed or dented easily-- so I'd keep it away from the coffee under the table. But I'd also take it out and read it from cover to cover, for browsing the art will lure you into the print quickly.

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A joy. Very nicely done. Learned a LOT!

Review by T25, 2010-03-12

I must say, it's almost amazing to me how India is still standing after invasion after invasion. I had know clue India had such a complicated and rich history. Definitely learned A LOT! Far more than I expected. The book is absolutely gorgeous. From the outside in. There was quite a bit of work that was put into this. It's sad India and China were the only countries done this way. India is far more diverse than I expected as well. Not just in history, but landscape, people, religion, art, point of views, etc. The book is broken up into sections. Places/Landscape is first (pages 7-41). It's mostly eye candy but in no way to be missed. History is second (pages 63-111). Which not only covers the race history, but a little on artifacts, religious texts, invasions, civil rights and independence (Gandhi), westernization, future, etc. People is third (pages 113-215). I enjoyed this section because is was done as a day-in-the-life-of 14 different people. Covers a Hindu priest, a Hindu wedding (more so the bride), a schoolgirl, a dance teacher, a royal guard, a fisherman, and 8 more. An even more fascinating read was the Culture (pages 217-275) section. Which mostly goes through a bit more in depth, all the different religions. Which seems to be a huge part of India's culture. Architecture (pages 277-355) goes through mostly ancient dwellings. Gives insight more as to why certain things were done rather than how (if that makes any sense). It's mostly overview and history. But still an enjoyable section. Travel is the last part of the book (pages 357-371). It goes through all the country by North, East, West, South and Central. Recommends places to check out, best time to go, etiquette, hotels, places to eat, etc., etc. It's a small but still informative section. Well, the Index and photos credits is last last. I borrowed this book from the library and now I see I am definitely going to have to buy it. It really is a gorgeous and informative book. Makes you want to learn more. I'll never see India or anything, or one for that matter, the same way. I highly recommend it.

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