Books

The Sunday Book Bazaar: Delhi's enduring kutub khana and literary legacy

One of Delhi's most beloved cultural institutions, the Daryaganj Sunday Patri Kitab Bazaar has for decades drawn students, collectors, families and tourists to its pavement

J&K's academic audit: Why the govt is reviewing books in schools, libraries

After a row over two books in school libraries, the J&K government has ordered a review of books and academic material across schools, colleges, universities and public libraries

Tehran Diaries: A poignant portrait of life under war, repression in Iran

Since the bombings began, the regime has made concerted attempts to rally the nation

Empire of Ink: A spunky history of newspapers adds color to black and white

Essentially, Empire of Ink argues that technology transforms, but the fundamental human drive to share and compare notes remains the same

We the People: Jill Lepore's book revisits 250 years of the US Constitution

Lepore argues that the framers of the constitution were ordinary people - farmers, and tradespersons and local teachers

The Nord Stream Conspiracy: An international war story in blockbuster prose

Bojan Pancevski's The Nord Stream Conspiracy traces the planning, execution and fallout of the 2022 pipeline sabotage through an in-depth investigation

A rediscovery of Aurangzeb/Alamgir through a remarkable new book

Faruqui's book is incomparable. It is unlike any book that has been written on Mughal political history or on any Mughal emperor

Natasha Walter calls for a feminism rooted in solidarity and renewal

Ms Walter, who worked with refugee women, heard countless stories of women who had fled across borders for their safety. These were stories from war zones, prison camps and detention centres

Lucky People: A breezy neuroscience take that misses wider realities

Does luck fall equally on everyone? You might not think so, but Japanese neuroscientist Nobuko Nakano argues that this is the case

AI For Good: Can artificial intelligence become a force for humanity?

AI for Good is structured like a travelogue and the author's prose is breezy, concise and well observed. But travellers don't always come home with a nuanced understanding of what they've seen

Flower of India: The life and times of the lotus in myth and memory

The lotus is mentioned in some of the oldest creation myths of India. The Puranic myths state that Brahma was seated on a lotus when he conjured up the universe

Trauma Nation: India's neglected mental health challenge needs addressing

As anxiety, depression, physical illnesses and addiction become global problems, this book studies their impact with an Indian lens

The Durian Flavour: India-Asean ties underperform despite promise

India's first Ambassador to Asean, Gurjit Singh, offers an in-depth assessment of India's relationship with the grouping and why it has fallen short of its full potential

First Bite: A journey through urban India's diverse breakfast cultures

Priyadarshini Chatterjee's First Bite explores India's urban breakfasts, blending food, history, and culture into a rich ethnography of everyday life

Biting Off More Than: A culinary rebel's multi-course life story

Rahul Akerkar's candid memoir serves up a rich mix of chaos, craft and reinvention, tracing the journey of a chef who helped shape India's modern dining culture

William Dalrymple wins Mark Lynton History Prize for book on ancient India

Historian William Dalrymple has been awarded the 2026 Mark Lynton History Prize for his book "The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World" for combining "literary grace, commitment to serious research and social concern". The Mark Lynton History Prize is an annual USD 10,000 award given to a book "of history, on any subject, that best combines intellectual or scholarly distinction with felicity of expression". The other finalist in the category was Siddharth Kara for "The Zorg: Tale of Greed and Murder That Inspired the Abolition of Slavery". The jury comprised Scott Reynolds Nelson (chair), Geraldo Cadava, Ann Fabian, and Manisha Sinha. "Dalrymple's 'The Golden Road' is a perspective-shifting book that places India at the centre of ancient Asian history. After Dalrymple, it will be difficult to discuss the Silk Road connecting China and the West without also considering the importance of the Golden Road, which spread India's influence west and east through trade, ...

The Broken China Dream: Minxin Pei's book charts Xi's inevitable rise

The author argues that Xi could dismantle Deng's "reforms" because latter was not totally committed to political reform and was against a third-party check on future establishment of personality cults

The Land and the Shadows: Perumal Murugan's theatre of life explored

Throughout the book, and particularly in the first half, Mr Murugan talks about how cinema is tied in the fabric of Tamil society through anecdotes and his own analysis of certain phenomena

What banning To Kill A Mockingbird tells us about fear, memory, and race

Over the years, Harper Lee's book has encountered pushback and bans, but in her centennial year, its lesson is as clear as it was when she wrote it: Silencing a mockingbird is difficult

The Echo Machine: Why democracy depends on citizens, not perfect leaders

Democracy's survival does not hinge on perfect leaders or policies, but on cultivating citizens who can tell the difference between what their feeds confirm and what evidence actually supports