Glimpses of World History (History of India Vol 1.) by Jawaharlal Nehru. London, Drummond [1949)

A History of India. Michael Edwards. London, 1961

The Last Years of British India Michael Edwards (Cassell. London 1963)

We Are Not The First Andrew Tomas, 1972.

The Continent of Circe, Nirad C. Chaudhuri. Jaico, India 1965

Autobiography of an Unknown Indian - Part One and Two Jaico books, 1964 (& Macmillan, London 1951) by Nirad C. Chaudhuri. These two huge volumes are a great tour de force covering Indian life, social change and politics in the 20th century up until Independence in 1947. Part One (570 pages) is the most learned, brilliant, challenging, and controversial book to come out of India relating to that period. A book with some of the most compelling descriptions of life under the Raj (Sirkar) in Calcutta and Bengalese villages. The author was a polymath whose breadth of intellect and historical knowledge (and languages, especially European, including ancient Greek, Latin and French) was breathtaking. He explains the ins and outs of Indian thought and behaviour through the decline of British rule and afterwards. He was the most penetrating exposer of Indian foibles and corruption, eventually moving to England after middle age and becoming an Honorary Ph.D at Oxford and and MBE. He live to 100 years of age. His books are all most insightful about India and human kind. The Continent of Circe woke me quite rudely from my somewhat romantic illusions about Indian life and times, and its varied and warring population. He was a prophet without honour in his own country - an unforgiving Hindu nation. Part two – Thy Hand, Great Anarch (979 pages) is a many-sided autobographical account of aspects of his unusual life and times – not least including his direct inside knowledge of the Gandhi movement, Bengali politics and Subhas Bose. He lifts the lid on the classes of people who shaped Independence and became the rulers of India.

Three Horsemen of the New Apocalypse (Oxford 1999) Nirad Chaudhuri's theory of the ultimate decline of Western influence in the world.

Yoga, Immortality, and Freedom Mircea Eliade (1933) translation Princetown 2009 A deeply researched book by one of the greatest authorities on religious practices, especially in India.

Hindu Civilisation Dr, Radha Kumud Mookerji. (Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay. 1989)

The Men Who Ruled India - Vol. 1 & 2. Philip Woodruff (Jonathan Cape, London. 1953-4)

Freedom at Midnight Larry Collins & Dominique LaPierre. (London : Collins, 1975) Exhaustive and well-presented coverage of the tremendous upheavals that led up to Partition and Independence.

Portrait of India Ved Mehta (Weidenfeldt & Nicholson, 1970)

India Trevor Fishlock (1986?) A general and well-informed overview of India, its population, challenges, politics and problems, especially for the foreigner without direct access to the Indian world.

India, a wounded civilisation bu Salman Rushdie

No full stops in India and The Heart of India by Mark Tulley. A Western journalist’s experiences and views of India. Rather politically correct instead of very illumining, but amusing and lively sketches of Indians and their lives.