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India |  | Author: Michael Wood
Publisher: Basic Books
List Price: $35.00
Buy Used: $3.83
as of 11/23/2009 01:24 CST details
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Seller: bookhaven1
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 33176
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 256
Number Of Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2.2
Dimensions (in): 9.8 x 7.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0465003591
Dewey Decimal Number: 954
EAN: 9780465003594
ASIN: 0465003591
Publication Date: November 12, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
From the Buddha and Alexander the Great to Genghis Khan, Akbar the Great and Mahatma Gandhi, an acclaimed historian offers a sumptuously illustrated history of five-thousand years of India. 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.
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
Below average effort for Michael Wood October 4, 2009
Paul Lawrence (Australia)
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.
 excellent companion to the DVD April 27, 2009
PeeAM
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
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.
A vivid journey through the history of India February 22, 2009
Susan (Alaska)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
Essence of India December 31, 2008
Rita Sharma (Washington DC)
32 out of 35 found this review helpful
The famous British contemporary historian Michael Wood's book India is a companion to his latest six-part television documentary series "The Story of India". Mr. Wood's ability to present the vast and complex history of India in such a brief, logical and remarkable manner is a captivating and mesmerizing experience for the audience. His deep knowledge of the subject, profound understanding of the culture, and above all, his strong affection for India is exhilarating.
I have been watching his documentaries since the early 1990s. Among them some of my most favorites are Legacy, Art of the Western World, In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great, Conquistadors, In Search of Shakespeare, and In Search of Myths and Heroes. However, "The Story of India" is on top of my list.
He intricately describes the beautiful landscapes and climate of India, from the rugged mountains of the Khyber Pass to the vast monochrome deserts, and from high peaks of the Himalayas to the Ganges Plain. The history of India is so vast, so rich and so complex and yet much is still to be discovered. The waves of people, cultures and religions that all make India what it is today and it is the tale of the long, slow rise of humanity. Wood presents the world's most ancient, influential and surviving civilization with unbroken continuity, from the Bronze Age to the present. His description of the present is excellent, as he properly characterizes the world's largest democracy, an open and pluralist society with huge natural and cultural resources. India played a dominant role in world history and was once center of trade and commerce for the whole known world. Now, once again, India has become a leading player on the global stage with its mastery of information technology, its mathematical and technical skills and widespread use of the English language. Wood's simultaneously evokes the many problems and issues India still faces, such as caste inequities, rural poverty, environmental degradation and over-population.
In summary, India began with the first human migration from out of Africa; the Aryan migration from central Asia and then morphed with a succession of invading Greeks, Kushans, Turks, Afghans, Mongols, Mughals and the coming of the British. All played their part in bringing new languages, cultures, foods and ideas to a deep, intermixing humanity. The story of India revolves around the whole range of human creativity, from the practical and the intellectual, to the artistic and spiritual.
India gave birth to four of the world's religions: Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism. The Jains (Mahavira) and Buddhist ideas of non-violence and compassion run very deep in Indian thought. Non-violence came with an idea, a technique for self-knowledge. It was an idea so powerful that it would transform half the world and be spread not by war, violence and coercion, but by respect, interdialogue and the thirst for knowledge. Wood takes his audience to the Buddhist pilgrim trail and the path of noble-truth. From Pataliputra to Taxila; from Bodhgaya, the place where the Buddha found enlightenment to Sarnath, near Benares, where Buddha preached his first sermon.
Wood introduces you to the great influence of the Aryan Vedic tradition and the Rig-Veda, the first text of India history. Then he takes you to Benares, the greatest sacred city and center of Hindu religion and the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. Wood then delves into two additional traditions that influence India immensely - The epic poems of India and the Mahabharata and Ramayana. These texts, later written down in the Sanskrit language, became the vision of India's history.
It has been said by outside observers, that no Indian ruler has ever set out beyond their own national borders to wage aggressive wars. These same observers attribute this non-aggression to India's historical respect for justice and their common bound of humanity.
Wood describes the legendary figures in India's history as well. Chandragupta Maurya, the king of Maghada and its capital present day Patna, in Bihar, was one of greatest leaders and organizers in Indian history. His Prime Minister Kautilaly wrote the first book on Economics, Arthashastra.
Maurya's grandson Ashoka was a great ruler and is famously known for his edicts, such as the prohibition of meat-eating to protect animal rights. Ashoka also oversaw the largest spread of Buddhism in Indian history.
After writing on the figures, Woods enters into a discussion on the many invading rulers. The Kushans period made many achievements ,including their patronage of Buddhism and Hinduism, their famous Gandhara art of north India and Kushani coins.
The Guptas are contemporaries of the late Roman Empire. The Guptas ruled from the Bay of Bengal to the Indus and were famous for their brilliant gold coins and the 6-ton, iron pillars of Qutab Minar in Delhi. During this period, art, poetry and science thrived. The Nalanda university became a global institution and students came from the Far East to study there. Aryabhata, the astronomer and mathematician, defined the concept of zero during the Gupta's time period.
The last classical civilization of India was of Rajaraja the Great of the Cholan. Rajaraja `s great temple of Tanjore is a World Heritage Site today. The empire and traditional civilizations of South Indian culture is still alive, continuing to thrive from ancient times. Wood dedicates some pages to illustrate the beauty of Palm-leaf manuscripts, the Cholan's classical dances, sculptures, music, plays and other art done in same traditional way.
Woods points out the Indian architecture of Khajuraho, Oriss & Gujarat, the cave shrines at Ajanta, Elora and Karle; Mahgrine, the Jain temple at Mount Abu and the Sikh temple of Amritsar.
In the year 1192, the centuries-long domination by Afghan, Turkish and Mughal dynasties began in India. In today's time, the Mughal age is a defining image of North India. Mughal literature, poetry, art, and some of the world's most glorious architectural splendors such as the Taj Mahal and Mughal forts come from this iconic age. The Mughal gardens, with their geometrical designs and water fountains shaded by magnificent chinar trees a favorite example of Wood's.
To show Wood's exemplification of the Mughal age:
"The Mughal courts' great scholars and artists would transform Indian ideas in philosophy, architecture, art and manuscript painting. An extraordinary exchange and interaction developed over many centuries, during which most Hindus and Muslims coexisted peacefully. As a tenth century Persian writer described, India was one of the richest lands on Earth and the greatest country in the northern world. Akbar religious reform was tolerant of all religions, and it was a place where literature, music and painting flourished and magnificent palaces and mosques were built, but the gulf between rich and poor was acute. He admits a tale of conquest, but one in which the foreign invaders adapted, changed and became Indian. It was the end of a great era, but a long, slow decline rather than a cataclysm."
Wood's discussion on the partition illustrates his moral outrage with the separation of two countries on the basis of religion. Wood's demonstrates readily the negative aspects of the partition on both Pakistan's and India's future paths.
The Hindus call this land Bharat, the Mughals call it Hindustan and the British call it India. India's unity in diversity is it's essence. India's greatest strength is how it adapts and changes yet still remains Indian in nature. Despite the ravages of time, and the myriad of difficulties and setbacks, Wood explains how India's democracy has shown a remarkable ability to hold its many diverse communities together. As Wood's journalist friend Ravi said, "...you saw the unlikely situation of an Italian Catholic woman as prime minister-elect, giving way to a Sikh swearing the oath to a Muslim president, in a majority Hindu nation. Now I ask you, where else on Earth could that happen?" And that is the story of India.
Film-maker's take on the history of India November 15, 2008
Rajkumar Vedam (Katy, TX, USA)
13 out of 22 found this review helpful
History is an opinionated art form which must rely on science, technology and archeology to constantly refine its opinions, and sometimes convert opinions to facts. The history of India written by Indians and non-Indians follows a viewpoint defined by European sources, ancient Chinese sources, and medieval Muslim sources. While sometimes useful, this trajectory often follows an opinionated path, often colorized and divorced from reality, as illustrated, for example, by the opinions of Romila Thapar and her school of thought. The cautious historian does not negate any piece of evidence, be it archeological, oral tradition, living traditions, in addition to scripture evidence, preserved writing and paintings, rock-inscriptions, etc. It takes a great leap of bigotry or is just poor scholarship to negate a whole set of traditional evidence as irrelevant, as exemplified by Romila Thapar, and unfortunately continued by Michael Wood.
The book offers selected vignettes from Indian history from pre-historical to the current time. The book has a lot of valuable illustrations and photographs collected from museums in the Indian sub-continent. This is the biggest plus of this book, written by a documentary film-maker, and less a historian. Additionally, I liked his reporting archeological evidence from as recent as 2005. Unfortunately, he trashes Indian epics as non-history (never mind that satellite imagery has revealed the existence of the Vedic-era river, Saraswati, and the submerged city of Krishna Dwaraka off the Western coast). Then when he discusses British rule in India, he could not have selected softer kid-gloves. His credibility as a historian is shot in just these two aspects. As a historian he has fallen prey to becoming a victim of his opinions, rather than an unbiased examination of the evidence.
Read this book for what it is - a film-maker's view of selected episodes of Indian history and enjoy the imagery presented. For authoritative history, you must look elsewhere.
I am giving this a 3-star, but I will value the glossy book with its important collection of photographs and illustrations, on my book-shelf, as well as the DVD.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 8
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