The Empire of the Great Mughals: History, Art and Culture Paperback – 1 July 2006

I read this hand in hand with other histories of greater India and it fleshed out / coloured the imagery of the period that text books don't always cover.

Having purchased other books on this subject I was extremely impressed with A.M. Schimmel's approach in her book. She begins by detailing the life and achievements of the first six mughal rulers (Babur to Aurangzeb), followed by a section on the last 150 years of decline when the rulers changed in quick succession. The book then goes on to discuss this wonderful period of the history of the subcontinent in the context of developments in art and literature and all aspects of culture from marriage to fashion. In this manner the book lends itself to being a handy reference text and the illustrations are a real treat. The author's knowledge on the subject is quite staggering and a real love of this glorious period in history shines through. Proud to own this one.

A very detailed study of many and varied aspects of life at the Mughal court. I have one small criticism, it reads rather like a text book. The photographs are excellent although I missed indications of where the originals can be seen. The glossary of Arabic/Persian/Hindu terms is an essential addition which I referred to throughout the book.