The broad span of India's history is taken on by author of nine books on the subject Andrew Robinson, emphasising the details of individuals, ideas and cultures equally to the politics and economics.

Andrew Robinson is the author of twenty-five books in the arts and sciences, nine of them on aspects of Indian history and culture. They include two definitive biographies: Satyajit Ray: The Inner Eye, described by V. S. Naipaul as 'an extraordinarily good, detailed and selfless book', and the coauthored Rabindranath Tagore: The Myriad-Minded Man. He holds degrees from Oxford University and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London, has been a Visiting Fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge, and is currently a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Preface; Introduction; 1. The Indus Valley Civilization; 2. Vedas, Aryans and the Origins of Hinduism; 3. Buddha, Alexander and Asoka; 4. Hindu Dynasties; 5. The Coming of Islam; 6. The Mughal Empire; 7. European Incursions and East India Companies; 8. The Jewel in the Crown; 9. The End of Empire; 10. The World's Largest Democracy; Postscript; Map