"Thomas R. Trautmann has produced the rarest of birds: a lucid, compelling, and yet sophisticated introductory text. Trautmann provides the kind of long historical sweep-from the ancient past to the present-that serves as the perfect foil for understanding the historical dynamics of the region. There is simply no other single guide to South Asia that matches either his fine balance of coverage between different historical periods or his signature combination of enormous erudition with absolute clarity. This book synthesizes and distills the lifetime's understanding of a master historian."--Mrinalini Sinha, University of Michigan"T. R. Trautmann is one of the few scholars qualified to speak with authority on the entire span of Indian civilization, from its ancient roots to its modern present.

He has done so in a masterly fashion, without sacrificing sophistication to brevity. This much-anticipated textbook will fulfill the need for a compact work for survey courses on the history of the Indian subcontinent."--Sumit Guha, Rutgers University"This book does what few other introductory texts on South Asian history do--renders all 5,000 years of India accessible to undergraduates--not just the last few hundred or so. It is written with a vision and elegance that are the hallmark of Professor Trautmann's scholarship. His mastery of the history and anthropology of India--both ancient and modern--is subtly distilled into this readable gem of a book. It is an invaluable contribution and a pleasure to teach."--A. Azfar Moin, Southern Methodist University.