William Dalrymple – The golden road
Recommended to pick and choose the chapters where the subject matter is most of interest to the reader.
Once upon a time there was a mysterious country that tried to be unique in everything and to large extent succeeded
Jonathan Clement – A brief history of Japan
The broad strokes and accessible style help to create a basic understanding of Japan – although necessarily with major simplifications.
Governments of developing countries should: 1. stimulate household farming 2. push through land reform, and 3. protect their budding manufacturing industry – in that order
Interesting historical perspective on economic development with renewed relevance in a post free-trade world.
It is quite hard to die in peace while owning the most famous diamond in the world
Anita Anand and William Dalrymple – Koh-i-Noor
The stone itself is just an excuse to tell wonderful stories.