India Unveiled - Hardcover

Arnett, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0965290034 ISBN 13: 9780965290036

Publisher: Atman Pr, 1999

Synopsis

This award-winning portrait of the people, landscape, and multi-hued culture of India has been acclaimed as one of the most insightful and revealing books ever written about the country. Organized by regions, the six chapters, more than 260 color photos and seven maps cover the complete essence of the nation.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Arnett is the author and photographer of the internationally acclaimed book India Unveiled that has won 3 national book awards. He is also the author of a children's book set in India Finders Keepers?, illustrated by Smita Turakhia that has won 5 national book awards.

Review

India Unveiled by Robert Arnett is a hart-warming portrait of the people, landscape and multi-hued culture of India. India Unveiled is one of the most insightful and revealing compendiums written on India in decades. Arnett has captured for posterity the very essence of India as the oldest continuously surviving civilization on earth. The twenty-five states of India are organized by regions into six chapters, each with a distinctive map. 268 photographs and seven maps (all beautifully reproduced in full color on acid-free paper) further enhance the value and beauty of this magnificent volume. Perfect for browsing through by the armchair traveler, yet informative and engaging for any serious student of the culture of the subcontinent, India Unveiled is a highly recommend acquisition for all academic and community library collections. -- Midwest Book Review

Robert Arnett's India Unveiled is obviously a labor of love - a love for the people, the cities, and the traditions of a country that is as fascinating as it is mysterious. India, to American minds, means religious mystics and beautiful dark-eyed women in iridescent saris. It means crumbling ancient gardens and cities swarming with people. Robert Arnett's work captures all of these facets of India and more. It presents the reader with pictures and experiences of each Indian state; all the while searching for the greater meaning buried within the country. This melange of travelogue, photo-journal, and history lesson makes for engaging reading, as well as a festival for the eye. The book is well constructed, dividing the country into six distinct sections. Each section includes a map at the start and is further broken down by headings of cities or other locales. This format allows the reader to navigate the country with ease. The writing style of the work gives the reader an in-depth look at the history of each area, its geography and people, and focuses on details that are not common knowledge among tourists. Because of its large, coffee-table format, Arnett's book is not one that the reader will be able to tuck into her pocket for the journey. This is unfortunate, since India Unveiled gives much information about the tricks and trials of travel in out of the way towns and villages. In this respect, Arnett educates as well as entertains. His personal experiences also reveal a devotion to the people of this country and an appreciation of their ways of life that is rare in travel writing. This, combined with the historical detail of his work, gives the reader quite a complete picture of Indian life and culture. The lush photography immediately makes the large format of the book a necessity. The sacrifice of portable information is a small one to pay for the beauty of Arnett's photos. India comes alive on these pages. The words are descriptive, but the photographs speak volumes about Arnett's fascination with people, culture, and location. A photograph of jute workers in the fields sits opposite the palatial Victoria Memorial, and we understand the depth of diverse experience which is India. Yogis and sandscapes, temples and schoolgirls, palaces, paintings, and prayer flags keep the reader turning the pages, looking to the next photo to expand upon the images of the previous ones. We are not disappointed. The images compose as much of a journal as the words. Arnett, in his Author's Notes says, "This book is a tribute to the traditional values of India." It is a tribute to much more. It is a tribute to the people, the art and the stunning beauty of an entire country. -- From Independent Publisher

Edition details

• Publisher: Atman Pr
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0965290034
• ISBN 13: 9780965290036
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 224