Review: India: A History

India: A History by John Keay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have been looking for a book which would discuss the history of India comprehensively, from the earliest evidence of human occupation to roughly contemporary times, but it has been surprisingly difficult to find one, at least, in North America. That seems strange to me, given the importance of India historically in so many ways. But John Keay's India is an excellent entry into this category, if getting a little dated by now.

What was really helpful was Keay's attention to detail and, especially his consideration of sources. This is particularly helpful in ancient Indian history, which, notably, lacks extensive narrative primary sources until around the 5th century CE. This makes the history of the earliest periods of India (which is my primary interest) reliant on archaeological research and literary and religious works whose primary focus is not historical. Keay manages to create a coherent account of this period, which I appreciated.

His handling of more recent eras is thoughtful and well-informed. I appreciated his attention to detail here as well as well as his careful consideration of causation.

This is an excellent overview of Indian history and I strongly recommend it. I would say, however, it is also a huge book- give yourself time to read it because it is densely written. It definitely will reward any effort.

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