India in Mind: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia

This superb anthology, edited and with an introduction by Pankaj Mishra, gives us some of the finest writings on India by foreigners over the past two centuries. From Mark Twain's puzzled fascination with Indian castes and customs to J.R. Ackerley's delightful recollections of his visits with an eccentric gay Maharajah, here are pieces that will amuse, charm and surprise.