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The Best Books to Discover India

History and sociological essays to better understand India. Non-fiction books only. Unfortunately, the list is not exhaustive.
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The Hindus: An Alternative History (Wendy Doniger)
The Hindus: An Alternative History
1
Wendy Doniger
The Argumentative Indian (Amartya Sen)
The Argumentative Indian
2
Amartya Sen
Capital: The Eruption of Delhi (Rana Dasgupta)
Capital: The Eruption of Delhi
3
Rana Dasgupta
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found (Suketu Mehta)
Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
4
Suketu Mehta
Nine Lives (William Dalrymple)
Nine Lives
5
William Dalrymple
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic (John Zubrzycki)
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
6
John Zubrzycki
The Age of Kali (William Dalrymple)
The Age of Kali
7
William Dalrymple
The Ramayana
The Ramayana
8
India: A History (John Keay)
India: A History
9
John Keay
Sadhus (Dolf Hardsuiker)
Sadhus
10
Dolf Hardsuiker
Maid in India: Stories of Inequality and Opportunity Inside Our Homes (Tripti Lahiri)
Maid in India: Stories of Inequality and Opportunity Inside Our Homes
11
Tripti Lahiri
India: A Wounded Civilization
India: A Wounded Civilization
12
India: A Million Mutinies Now
India: A Million Mutinies Now
13
Behind the Beautiful Forevers (Katherine Boo)
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
14
Katherine Boo
The Discovery of India (Jawaharlal Nehru)
The Discovery of India
15
Jawaharlal Nehru
Gandhi Before India
Gandhi Before India
16
Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle (Mark Tully and Satish Jacob)
Amritsar: Mrs Gandhi's Last Battle
17
Mark Tully and Satish Jacob
The Last Mughal
The Last Mughal
18
Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India (Gita Mehta)
Snakes and Ladders: Glimpses of Modern India
19
Gita Mehta
The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire (William Dalrym)
The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire
20
William Dalrym
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience (David Gilmour)
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
21
David Gilmour
India's War (Srinath Raghavan)
India's War
22
Srinath Raghavan
India: From Midnight to the Millennium (Shashi Tharoor)
India: From Midnight to the Millennium
23
Shashi Tharoor
The Mahabharata
The Mahabharata
24
India: A Sacred Geography (Diana Eck)
India: A Sacred Geography
25
Diana Eck
Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives (Sunil Khilnani)
Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives
26
Sunil Khilnani
Train to Pakistan
Train to Pakistan
27
Calcutta: Two Years in the City (Amit Chaudhuri)
Calcutta: Two Years in the City
28
Amit Chaudhuri
When a Tree Shook Delhi: The 1984 Carnage and Its Aftermath (Manoj Mitta & HS Phoolka)
When a Tree Shook Delhi: The 1984 Carnage and Its Aftermath
29
Manoj Mitta & HS Phoolka
Bombay
Bombay
30
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century (Nandan Nilekani)
Imagining India: Ideas for the New Century
31
Nandan Nilekani
The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age (James Crabtree)
The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age
32
James Crabtree
Autobiography of a Yogi (Paramahansa Yogananda)
Autobiography of a Yogi
33
Paramahansa Yogananda
Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali
Twilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali
34
River of Life, River of Death (Victor Mallet)
River of Life, River of Death
35
Victor Mallet
India: A Short History (Andrew Robinson)
India: A Short History
36
Andrew Robinson
The Wonder That Was India (A.L. Basham)
The Wonder That Was India
37
A.L. Basham
Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King (Audrey Truschke)
Aurangzeb: The Life and Legacy of India's Most Controversial King
38
Audrey Truschke
The Idea of Justice (Amartya Sen)
The Idea of Justice
39
Amartya Sen
The Great Partition (Yasmin Khan)
The Great Partition
40
Yasmin Khan
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