A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth – an epic and absorbing tale about the marriages, loves, fortunes and woes of Indian families. Vikram Seth paints the characters so well, it is possible to imagine that you are one of the family.

City of Joy by Dominique Lapierre – named after an infamous Calcutta slum, this novel portrays the lives not only of those who live in the slum, but also those from more privileged backgrounds who give up their comfortable lives to help those less fortunate, revealing the hope inherent in society in the process.

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – with a unique style of prose, this is one of the most widely read books of Indian contemporary writers. Depicting the claustrophobic monsoon life of a Keralan family through the eyes of two small children, it reveals some of the taboos of Indian society.

A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry – against a backdrop of Indira Gandhi’s State of Emergency in 1975-6, Mistry crafts a fine tale of four inhabitants of a guesthouse and their daily struggle to survive.

Eat Smart in India by Joan Peterson and Indu Menon – a simple guide to Indian dishes, their ingredients and an overview on how to prepare them.

Hinduism: An Introduction by Dharam Vir Singh – an introduction to the basic tenets of Hinduism, including some of the many deities worshipped in this fascinating religion.

Sahib: A British Soldier in India from 1750 – 1914 by Richard Holmes – a specialist in military history and former lecturer at Sandhurst, Holmes has created a lively account of the soldiers who won and garrisoned the British Empire, both British nationals and the Indian troops who served alongside them.

Maharanis: The Lives and Times of Three Generations of Indian Princesses by Lucy Moore – based on historical account; this intriguing and complex tale of three generations of maharanis during the twentieth century could well be a Hollywood film. Love, glamour, intrigue, hedonism are but some of the themes in this fascinating account.

The Sceptre and the Veil: Autobiographies by Indian Maharanis by Ranjana Harish – concentrating on some of the same maharanis as Lucy Moore, Ranjana Harish concentrates more on the paradox which Indian princesses at this time faced – they had all the power which royal status endowed but were at the same time restricted by the confines which Indian society placed on women, no matter which class.

A Malgudi Omnibus by R K Narayan – admired by Graham Greene, R K Narayan has a unique and modern style of prose. The omnibus consists of 3 of his most famous books: Swami and Friends, The English Teacher and The Bachelor of Arts which all reflect different aspects of an Indian man’s life.

The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity by Amartya Sen – Amartya Sen is a Nobel prize winning economist who has gathered a series of essays together on many aspects of Indian culture and history, showing how the tradition of argument in India is vital to each and every one.

The Ruling Caste: Imperial Lives in the Victorian Raj by David Gilmour – taking a wide cross section of the British ruling class in India, Gilmour examines the challenges of every day life and the struggle to survive for all from ambassadors to tea planters.

The Age of Kali: Travels and Encounters in India by William Dalrymple – a series of essays from one of modern day’s most famous travel writers, Dalrymple raises serious questions about the future of the sub-continent in these difficult times, reflected in interviews with 15 year old guerrilla girls and drug barons on the North West Frontier.

The Life of Mahatma Gandhi by Louis Fischer – a thorough biography of one of the twentieth century’s most influential figures.

White Mughals: Love and Betrayal in Eighteenth Century India by William Dalrymple – the true story of a successful British East India employee who falls in love with a Hindustani princess and is gradually forced to choose between his loyalty to Eastern and Western culture.

City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi by William Dalrymple – based on his own account of living in India’s capital, this provides an insight into all aspects of Delhi life, both past and present.

The Honourable Company: The History of the English East India Company by John Keay – an historical account of the rise and power of the East India Company, taking in its influence on Southern Africa, Singapore and Hong Kong as well as India.

Holy Cow: An Indian Adventure by Sarah MacDonald – an entertaining account from an Australian traveller as she came to grips with India, including the amazing Kumba Mela festival.

The Jewel in The Crown by Paul Scott – one of the famous Raj Quartet, this seminal novel is a story of love and tradition against a backdrop of the disintegration of Anglo-Indian relations in the early 1940’s.

A Passage to India by E M Forster – a classic novel portraying the confines of British women in India and the disastrous consequences as they try to escape from the narrow-minded Raj society.