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Rating: 
Summary: Interesting
Review: Although from India, much of what has been mentioned in this book I did not know. This book is well written and a very good start, since it is presented in an interesting manner. The moguls presented in this book are the main ones i.e., Babur, Humayun, Akbar the great, Jahangir, Shahjahan and Aurangazeb. The moguls were an important part of Indian History and in this book they come across as actual people who once existed along with the rest of the time period. Before you start a warning: Dont look at this book with your present sensibilities, these were people who were a product and a part of their time and not ours. Somehow these brief histories make for a good read. I hope someone writes biographical novels about these colourful rulers.
Rating:
Summary: A Beginning
Review: The full title of the book is "A Brief History of the Great Moguls", and it certainly is that, compressing just over 200 years of Indian history into 241 pages. But I suppose that's fine in that it does not purport to be something that it isn't.The best way to approach the book is as a taster for further reading. That worked for me. Gascoigne devotes individual chapters to the emperors Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan and Aurangzeb. Their history reads similarly to that of the Imperial Roman families: plots by sons against their fathers and against each other, murders, deceits, coups and so on, whilst an Empire was being constructed and yet defended against outside incursions. Gascoigne devotes much of the limited space he had available to architecture (perhaps the most enduring contribution of these emperors to the Indian landscape?). Yet, such a brief history left me asking for more information: what for example was the Mogul Empire's impact on India's society and economy? The Hindu view/reaction does not really feature until the final chapter on Aurangzeb and the revolt by Shivaji. Yet. In all, a good starting point, and the photographs are fantastic. G Rodgers
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