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John Keay

Author of India: A History

35+ Works 4,195 Members 63 Reviews 2 Favorited
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About the Author

John Keay is a historian write, and world-downed South Asia expert. He is the author of nineteen books, including Into India, India Discovered, and China: A History.

Includes the names: John Keay, John Keay, ed. John Keay

Disambiguation Notice:

(fl. 1941-2022).

Series

Works by John Keay

India: A History (2000) 1,259 copies
China: A History (2008) 563 copies
The Spice Route: A History (2005) 288 copies
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places (1991) — Editor — 175 copies
India Discovered (1981) 108 copies
Everest: Summit of Achievement (1755) — Contributor — 79 copies
Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland (1994) — Editor — 71 copies

Associated Works

Travels in the Interior of Africa (1799) — Introduction, some editions — 410 copies
The London Encyclopedia (1983) — some editions — 391 copies
Lamas of the Western Heavens (1982) — Introduction, some editions — 50 copies
Slightly Foxed 22: Don't Give Up the Day Job (2009) — Contributor — 31 copies
Slightly Foxed 69: The Pram in the Hall (2010) — Contributor — 26 copies
Slightly Foxed 36: Attics with Attitude (2012) — Contributor — 21 copies
Slightly Foxed 54: An Unlikely Duo (2017) — Contributor — 19 copies
Slightly Foxed 45: Frankly, My Dear (2015) — Contributor — 18 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1941-09-18
Gender
male
Nationality
UK
Birthplace
Barnstaple, Devon, England, UK
Places of residence
Barnstaple, Devon, England, UK (birth)
China
Scotland, UK
Education
Oxford University (Modern History)
Ampleforth College
Occupations
journalist (The Economist ∙ 1966-1971)
author
broadcaster
Relationships
Keay, Julia (wife)
Keay, Anna (daughter)
Awards and honors
Sir Percy Sykes Memorial Medal (2009)
Royal Geographical Society (fellow)
Short biography
Born in 1941 in Devon, England, Keay was educated at Ampleforth College, York and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he was a demy (scholar) in Modern History. His tutors included the historian A J P Taylor and the playwright Alan Bennett. He first visited India in 1965 and has been returning there about every two years ever since. After a brief spell as a political correspondent (The Economist), he assisted in the revision of the last edition of John Murray's Handbook to India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka (1975) and wrote Into India, his first book.
Disambiguation notice
(fl. 1941-2022).

Members

Discussions

Folio Archives 318: The Spice Route by John Keay 2005 in Folio Society Devotees (April 2023)
Keay’s China in Folio Society Devotees (October 2021)

Reviews

 
Flagged
BBrookes | Dec 5, 2023 |
It's like a thrilling adventure story, but instead of Indiana Jones, it's a bunch of British guys in India measuring the distance between two points with a big stick.

Keay does an excellent job of bringing history to life, and I found myself completely engrossed in the story. The way he weaves together the science, politics, and personalities involved in this project is truly impressive.

I was blown away by the dedication and perseverance of the surveyors who worked on this project for over a decade.

At times, Keay's writing can be a bit dense and academic, which may turn off some readers. But honestly, I was so invested in the story that I didn't really mind.

I highly recommend "The Great Arc" to anyone interested in history, geography, or just a good British administrative adventure story.
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Flagged
paarth7 | 10 other reviews | May 6, 2023 |
Excerpt from longer article:
Timely Take-aways for Life-Long Learning: History of Place
Whether exploring the history of remote mountain regions or telling the story of a city through its people, these new works of nonfiction explore how five places around the world evolved over time.


Himalaya: Exploring the Roof of the World
John Keay, Nov 2022, Bloomsbury Publishing, an imprint of Macmillan
Themes: History, Asia, Central Asia
Keay explores the unique historical, social, geographic, and environmental aspects of Himalaya. Told thought fascinating anecdotes, readers explore the unique features of this endangered area of the world.
Take-aways: Of particular note is how the author connects the history of the Himalaya to the consequences of climate change. Think about how this approach could be applied in teaching about other areas of the world.
Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb
… (more)
 
Flagged
eduscapes | Mar 30, 2023 |
Has a real pacing issue, lot of fat to trim for the first 2/3rds of the book
 
Flagged
martialalex92 | 8 other reviews | Dec 10, 2022 |

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Awards

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Associated Authors

Tashi Tenzing Contributor
Ed Douglas Contributor
Joanna Wright Contributor
Judy Tenzing Contributor
Sue Thompson Contributor
Mike Westmacott Contributor
Julia Keay Editor
Jaroslav Poncar Photographer
Ekai Kawaguchi Contributor
Hugh Lander Contributor
Joseph Thomson Contributor
Henri Mouhot Contributor
St. John Philby Contributor
Regis-Evariste Huc Contributor
Charles Doughty Contributor
Hugh Clapperton Contributor
William John Wills Contributor
Charles Sturt Contributor
John Ross Contributor
John Wood Contributor
Hiram Bingham Contributor
Sven Hedin Contributor
Mungo Park Contributor
John Franklin Contributor
David Livingstone Contributor
Roald Amundsen Contributor
John Hanning Speke Contributor
Fridtjof Nansen Contributor
Samuel White Baker Contributor
James Bruce Contributor
Alexander Burnes Contributor
Captain James Cook Contributor
Edmund Hillary Contributor
Robert E. Peary Contributor
Meriwether Lewis Contributor
Clive Friend Photographer
Tenzin Gyatso Foreword
Thomas Ritsche Translator

Statistics

Works
35
Also by
8
Members
4,195
Popularity
#5,995
Rating
3.8
Reviews
63
ISBNs
149
Languages
7
Favorited
2

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