Read more
Reviews of first edition "A powerful and coherent interpretation of the grand sweep of India's past ... It is a 'must read' for all serious students of India regardless of their discipline and/or chronological focus." History. "What impresses is Stein's ability to take the long view of Indian history and to develop his analysis across so many centuries and through such diverse material. It is also a mark of his achievement that his book stimulates discussion of matters that he has touched on only fleetingly himself, for it is an argument as much as an account of events." Times Higher Education Supplement. "A History of India is clearly superior to its predecessors ... The fact that Stein was willing to put forward so many provocative formulations is itself a virtue. The text itself is likely to stimulate interesting discussions in classes, something that most predecessors did not even attempt to achieve ... in its paperback version this book might be seen by many teachers as the solution to their text dilemma." The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society.
List of contents
About the author
At the time of his death
BURTON STEIN was Professorial Research Associate in History at the School of oriental and African Studies, London. He had previously held professorships at the universities of Minnesota and Hawaii. His publications included
Peasant State and Society in Medieval South India (1980) and
Thomas Munro: The Origins of the Colonial State and his Vision of Empire (1989).
DAVID ARNOLD is Professor of Asian and Global History at the University of Warwick. His publications include
The Problem of Nature (Blackwell, 1996) and
Gandhi (2001).
Summary
This new edition of Burton Stein's classic A History of India builds on the success of the original to provide an updated narrative of the development of Indian society, culture, and politics from 7000 BC to the present.
