We usually learn history in schools as a series of events, dates, places and names. Ghori, Lodhi, Tughlak and the Mughals are all presented to us minus the human elements. Books like this attempt to fill that void left by such a reading of history.

The author is still early in his career and his live for Mughal India is just beginning to show in his writings. While the author is British (Scottish), the colonial tint to viewing Sub-Continental history is 'mostly' (emphasis here) missing and what we get is an outsider's perspective into Delhi (Old and New) through the ages. The author goes backward in time and takes us on a journey though Delhi's ruins and tombs and forts while talking about the various rulers of Delhi.

Books like this help pique interest in history for the common man. New Delhi is the capital of India, but most Indians know very little about Delhi itself and its history except about the stuff they learnt in school. There is so much more to history then just the set of bullet points learnt in school. How many, for example, know about Dara Shikoh and the war for succession of the Mughal throne? How many know what impact the invasion of Nadir Shah was on the course of Indian history? This book and the style of writing here are very helpful in getting the reader interested in what is being written. I only hope more such books are available on the treasure trove that is Indian history.

Definitely worth a read. Only issue I have with this book is that the imperial lens is not totally absent.