1 comments about Yankee India.

1. This book does a rare and fine job of leveraging the artifacts and paintings of a museum -- supplemented by highly relevant paintings from other sources -- and making the period to which the pieces relate come alive. Admittedly, as a Bostonian, I may have a special susceptibility to the subject matter, but the juxtaposition of the background historical material against the narratives of individual mariners makes a very attractive and instructive whole.
   
   Among the interesting facts to emerge from the book are the origin of the phrase Boston Brahmin. Although we know it was coined by Oliver Wendell Homes, Sr. in Autocrat of the Breakfast Table, the influence was direct from the Yankee trade with India. Although New York had long eclipsed Boston and Philadelphia as major ports for maritime trade, nonetheless Boston, Salem and Newburyport were the prime ports for the India trade, which began after the Revolutionary War (because the monopoly of the British East India Company no longer held for American traders).
   
   Perhaps the most fascinating part is near the end of the book, where a young Mr. Blood describes a walk around Calcutta, including all of the sights, smells and emotions one would encounter.

1 comments about Steam: India's Last Steam Trains.

1. I thought this was a wonderful book about indias last steam trains. It was very helpful for school reports to. I would suggest this book to any won curious and excited about learning about India's famous railways. This book is worth purchasing.

No comments about Tales of the Border - Military Exploits in India - Pakistan and Afghanistan (Tales of the Border).

1 comments about Mister Raja's Neighborhood: Letters from Nepal.

1. Jeff Greenwald is a funny writer--we should get that out of the way first. From the first page of Mr. Raja's Neighborhood (never mind the title!), I smiled--Greenwald is both humorous and wise in his prose. One other thing on his style: few writers I've read are as brave or creative with a simile, and that makes for lively reading which, in certain instances, borders upon the sublime. But back to Mr. Raja's Neighborhood--the book's premise (it is non-fiction) is that Greenwald has come to Kathmandu, Nepal to write a novel. He felt he had to leave his home in Santa Barbara, California to do this. The catch: he gets half-way around the world and can't write anything. So Mr. Raja's Neighborhood becomes a book about not writing a book--an un-book, if you will. At times, and between laughs, you feel as if you are sitting up with a slightly un-sober Greenwald in his flyblown, noisy, cluttered Kathmandu flat while he neurotically tries to create the novel that, as the pages turn, you begin to realize he will not. And we might be the better for it. Because of Greenwald's year-long case of writer's block, we read his letters home, his journal musings, his abstract (and abject!) thoughts on life in Nepal. Even a newspaper clip published in The Kathmandu Post is included. When finally sandwiched between two covers, Mr. Raja's Neighborhood is a relatively light-hearted spin upon a rather serious theme: one man's struggle with himself and his acceptance--artistically, anyways--of his mortality. One other note: for any traveler who has found him or herself living in Kathmandu for an extended period of time, this book is a must read for its often hilarious insights and observations upon Nepali culture and customs.

3 comments about River Dog: A Journey Down the Brahmaputra.

1. I found 'River Dog' to be a touching moving and at times quite funny travelouge. It could be easily argued that the main focus of the book is not shand himself but rather his adorable companion, bhaiti , the hunting dog. This loveable mutt, which amazingly turns out to be an ancient pedigree breed is initially rescued from the back streets of india and is then launched on an amazing journey with shand both hiking and sailing down the mighty brahmaputra river. The dog repays shand by literally saving him from a horned viper. shand then has an extensive opium fuelled conversation with bhaiti which the author notes, quite rightly, as being....really weird!

   Shand is an effortless travel writer, transporting your imagination to bamboo forests, sacred mountains and gentle currents with consumate ease. The various characters that he introduces soon feel like your best friends. Gamma the permanently stoned captain of the riverboat is a real stand out, and the entire journey comes across as a boys own adventure. You can actually find yourself reminiscing about the epic trek even though you weren't really there.

   And finally does anyone know where I can buy one of those indian hunting dogs. I really want one. you will too after you read 'river dog'




2. I found the main observations in this book fairly interestering. But overall I found his attitude to the locals fairly arrongant unless they happened to help his journey. If you read the book them you will otice a few pieces of information don't check out e.g. the first cane bridge that he walks on and falls through he describes the pieces of wood being 30 cm apart, however in the picture in the book you can clearly see in the photos taken by himself that the only space close to that is the hole he fell done the rest were closer to 10 cm. To be honest this book has stirred an interest in this genre but I will be looking for books by a open minded writer, unlike Mark Shand.



3. I had high hopes for 'River Dog' as the Brahmaputra is a unique wonder of a river, but this is more of a personal diary than a travel log. We get to know a bit about the adventurous Mr. Shands and his new dog Bhaiti. Hints of the troubled history of India's eastern states peek through, but there's disappointingly little that describes the role the river played. And Mr. Shands is admittedly not taken with Bangladesh, so while it's almost half of the distance he traveled, the Bangladesh part of his journey gets about 10% of the pages.
   
   It's far from a waste of time, though. It's a fast read and it opened my eyes to this incredible river. The first part of his adventure as he joins a hunt for Shangri La is edgy and exciting, and we get a great feel for the roots of this river at the top of the world.
   
   But after that we need to wade through altogether too much material about his new pooch. Clearly, the dog had a great time on this trip. As for us, we do get glimpses of the river and snippets of quotes from some early British explorers. And we have several detailed descriptions on how to deal with government administrators. But while we learn that eastern India is a disputed area, we don't get a lot of insight beyond that. He mentions in passing, for example, that the Chinese army had made its way far into what is now India. This must have some kind of residual impact on the people who live there now. But we wouldn't know that through this work. We also get bits of Hindu culture that flow throughout as he occasionally mentions a religious foundation to what is driving actions for his fellow travelers and himself. It's hard to tell for this novice, though, how much of this is real and how much is just for fun. When he, for example, encourages his friend to help him find a pet by envoking a heritage of dog worship. Sure this was funny. But it's hard to tell if there was any real foundation.
   
   So River Dog is a fun fast read, and it relays a touch of cultural insight while you learn a bit about this incredible river as it roams through eastern India. Just don't pick it up if you're looking to learn anything about Bangladesh.

No comments about Traditional Buildings of India.

No comments about Himalayan Passage: Seven Months in the High Country of Tibet, Nepal, China, India and Pakistan.

2 comments about Spectacular India (Spectacular Series).

1. I have personally reviewed this book. Most journalists and photographers have exhibited shortsightedness by never being able to see beyond India's status as a third-world country. This has reinforced India's reputation in the Western world more in terms of what it was under British rule rather than the period before or after it. Of course this is not an accurate portrayal of the rich culture, heritage and diversity spanning thousands of years; and modernity of rapidly changing contemporary India.

   "Spectacular India" is beautiful collection of 150 color photographs by some of India's finest photographers with accompanying text by prominent Indian experts. It makes an honest and successful attempt of portraying real India and does justice to the country and it's people. It gives a sense of what India was, what India is and where it is heading. Recipedelights.com gives it a "must-buy" rating for Tourists, armchair Indians and Indians away from home. The format and size of this delectable volume make it a perfect coffee-table book.




2. Well, this is a beautiful book about absolutely "SPECTACULAR INDIA." The book is a compilation of engrossong photographs of majestic architectural and natural treasures of India. India potrays immense beauty (cut the third-world country crap out). Where the ancient survives with the modern, this country if not more, is as unique and fascinating as any on Earth.

2 comments about Indian Summer: A Good Man in Asia.

1. Will Randall, wearied of his job teaching sullen, unresponsive English children, accepts an offer from an eccentric elderly lady to accompany her on her annual journey to India, and then travels to Poona. Once in Poona, Mr Randall finds himself getting caught up in the affairs of an ashram for destitue children, where he is persauded to teach English. His adventures in India are often hilarious, occasionally heartbreaking. The sights and sounds and smells of Poona are vividy described, but it is the people who are most memorable, especially the children of the ashram, whose cheeerfulness and courage and optimism in the midst of appalling poverty and deprivation left me breathless with admiration. Will Randall's story is quite enthralling, and the small triumphs won by the children and the ashram by the end of the book will make you want to cheer. I just couldn't put this book down.



2. Will Randall is a teacher in an underpriviledge area of the UK. On a chance meeting with an older lady he ends up in India. At first repulsed by what he sees and his experiences, by another chance meeting he ends up teaching slum kids in an ashram. I found all these chance encounters made the story less credible and Mr Randall has a lot of cliches views of India, which while true, don't show much respect for the culture. I found this book funny in parts and his care for the children and friends he makes is obvious.

No comments about Elephant Tales (Penguin 60s).