The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World

I am a big fan of William Dalrymple and have read every one of his books. I think he is the best living historian and one of the greatest writers in the English language. His books are throughly researched and are written in inviting prose. He leads you by the hand as you read the words in every sentence in the book. I recommend him highly

I have read all of Dalrymple’s books and this is definitely one of his very best. Thoroughly researched and beautifully written it is an instant classic, flipping conventional history on its head by introducing the concept of the “Indosphere” and explaining how the west, a previous civilizational backwater, was in fact enriched by the east, not the other way around. Dalrymple’s stunning photography is an added bonus to an already marvelous read.

DALRYMPLE writes an accessible account of India's influence on European and Asian civilizations. He provides extensive notes for the points he covers, and establishes the significance of trade with Rome, religious influence through central and east Asia, political connections in s.e. Asia, and the importance of the numbering system. In all, I felt a little disappointed in his demonstration of ongoing influence or depth of influence. In part, this may be scarcity of source material, but he also lacks the imagination that Wallerstein marshalled in demonstrating the impact of connections.

Excellent book and its edition.

A good easy read.

I am a big fan of this author, William Dalrymple, but to be honest I was disappointed in his latest effort, The Golden Road. His earlier books, including The Last Mughal and The Return of the King, marked him as a remarkable historian, capable of merging thrilling narrative with expert scholarship. The Golden Road just has the scholarship part.Honestly, I struggled to get through this. It was just too broad, moving from one idea based in India to another: like Buddhism becoming a dominant religion in China and Southeast Asia, to the impact of India's great mineral wealth, to what he called "Indo-Arabic" numerals becoming the closest thing the human race has to a universal language.That last point sums up what I like about the author, but why I have a problem with this book.That is a really provocative point about Arabic numerals, but they are Arabic, aren't they, more than Indo?I hung in there, and I must say I was impressed with an ending chapter that concluded that the 21st century will belong to the United States, China and India. It seemed to pull together many of the threads of this book, threads that seemed disconnected while I was reading it.Recommended, but you have to be a bit obsessed with India.

I found this book fascinating as it detailed the mostly unknown at least by me contribution of Indian civilization over the years to the advancement of learning in the world and how it occurred. I wish the book had been much longer and a wee bit detailed as he whips right along. But definitely worth a read

I have read every book written by Dalrymple and am hugely interested in South (East) Asia. I’ve always been fascinated by the Hindu and Sanskrit influence in places like Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia.So I was thrilled when this was published and bought it immediately. Unfortunately it does not meet my expectations.It misses a clear storyline and is large a dry, historical analysis. The first few chapters are just a litany of fact after fact- Roman coins found in India, a Buddhist scriptures found in Bactria, caves found here , ruins found there, that lack a clear story and fail to pull me in.Unfortunately it’s so dry that it puts me to sleep- I barely can do more than 2 pages before nodding off.No doubt it’s well researched but it’s more of an academic paper than an engaging book.It’s also odd that instead of delivering on its promises of showing of Indian influence on n SE Asia, it severely limits itself. As an example, it never really discusses Bali, the only Hindu culture outside of South Asia.I guess this book appeals to a certain kind of Indian chauvinism, as witnessed by many of the reviews here, as its intent, clearly expressed in the introductory chapter, is to prove that India has been just as strong a cultural force in Asia as China.But history is not a competition. That is not a winning premise that makes for a compelling book except for a very specific group of readers.