A Brief History of the Great Moghuls (Brief Histories): India's Most Flamboyant Rulers Paperback – 23 Jun. 2009

Starter for ten!Yes! its -that- Bamber Gascoigne, he of the big square noggin and unruly red hair, so beloved of 1970's university drop-outs and other greasers.This is, at first, the story of one Babur (Babur Gascoigne, haw) direct descendent of the much vaunted mass murderer Tamberlane.Babur who, as an young introducee to the eternal Art of War, lost every battle he fought in, at first. At one diabolically low point in his career, he became a simple vagabond warrior, left to poke a twig into the bone-dry sands of Samarqand and draw stick figures with it each and every day, all day, such was his ill-luck.Little did he realise that this luck was about to change and that one day his descendants would own an empire that in effect controlled most of the northern Indian sub-continent. Indeed, it was only the Hindu Maratha menace and the whims of the English East Indian Co. (The Company) that eventually brought it all crashing down around the place (and it's still a big place) centuries, yes centuries, later.But it's not all about conquest, oh no. The Mughals (aka Mongols, Mogols, Mugals) loved their architecture, calligraphy, high fashion and other fine arts according to their Islamic beliefs. You can still come across countless traces of all of this today (especially in Pakistan, Afghanistan or other modern day places where (rival) Hinduism didn't successfully prevail or even survive/exist). This is all rather subjective to me as a reader as I see the Mughals often as defined by their eventual nemeses.A grand book, written in prose that is lively but beetle-browed and University lecturer-who-got-up-on-the-wrong-side-of-bed disdainful when it needs to be.Loved it. And so will you.

This book is a great primer on the achievements of the Mughal Empire in the realms of, not only politics, military and economics, but also art and architecture. The style of writing is accessible yet sophisticated, with a number of humorous passages. Would definitely recommend!

Bamber Gascoigne's book serves as a relatively brief and readable introduction to the reigns of the six Great Moghuls. Gascoigne tells the stories of the reigns of Babur, Humayan, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb in a pacey, attractive way. He focuses principally on the political history, with some excursions into cultural and architectural developments. Overall a helpful introduction to its subject.

Good book, fast service. Bamber Gascoigne is a true master at telling the art of history

Read the book while on holiday in Rajasthan. Entertaining and interesting account of the actions and lives of the Great Moghuls

great book

This volume is a good entry level introduction to anyone wanting an overview of Moghul history in India. Good value

Excellent review of Moghul history

Bamber Gascoigne’s The Great Moghuls is a delightful read. The book offers a detailed account on lives of each of the 6 great Mughals, with the prologue and epilogue discussing Timur (their ancestor) and later Mughals respectively. This 50 year old research will definitely add to the knowledge of both beginners of Mughal history as well as veterans.

It took forever to come but it was free shipping so that's expected. Still reading it, nice illustrations.

Excelent narrative of various glorious periods of Indian History. An exhibit at the British Museum on the subject helped to understand the magnificent art and culture of the time.

Very interesting read ....a bit concise but gives an overall picture of the timres and life

Great description by Bamber Gascoigne. It gave me answer to lots of questions and opened up new questions. Book content is great, page quality is good and lightweight.