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Loading... Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond (2017)by William Dalrymple, Anita Anand
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. i thought this would be a mere recounting of how the precious stone got into proud british hands. the fakeer purn puri's meeting with ahmad shah durrani, the maggots falling from his decaying nose into his food, the funeral of ranjith singh where the practice of satee reveals itself to the recounting austro-hungarian ambassador?, the entire life of duleep singh and the continuing farce of afghanistan, pakistan and india trying to get back the diamond from british hands were memorable :) I rattled through this book in no time at all which was a great pity as I enjoyed every page. A narrative history of one of history's most famous precious stones and which through this book you share in its journey through the rise and fall of empires, often violent changes of ownership and then into the possession of the British crown. Thoroughly enjoyable In 1849 a 10-year child was forced to sign over his life to the British as they annexed the Punjab. Duleep Singh was the last of the Maharajas, heir to the great Indian empire that had gone from glory to defeat in fifty years. As part of the great wealth gained by the British there was the Koh-inoor, the Mountain of Light, the most valuable diamond known. This book tells the story of the stone from discovery, through veneration in India and currently to being part of the British Crown Jewels. The Koh-i-noor is well-known, a stunning diamond with a supposed curse attached to it, this book aims to tell the story of the diamond by putting it into context with Indian, Colonial and modern history. The book is written in two parts by two different authors. The first section is by William Dalrymple and covers the time up to the reign of Ranjit Singh, the last great ruler. Anita Anand takes over for the fall of the Indian empire and the removal of the gem to England. This works quite well as Dalrymple, a passionate Indian historian builds the romance around the stone and weaves in fact and fiction beautifully. Anand has to deal far more with hard facts and knowledge and does this well, notably in the story of Duleep Singh and also the cutting of the stone. The book is not overly demanding but is enjoyable. no reviews | add a review
"The first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i-Noor diamond, arguably the most celebrated jewel in the world....Using original eyewitness accounts and chronicles never before translated into English, Dalrymple and Anand trace the true history of the diamond and disperse the myths and fantastic tales that have long surrounded this awe-inspiring jewel. The resulting history of south and central Asia tells a true tale of greed, conquest, murder, torture, colonialism, and appropriation that shaped a continent and the Koh-i-Noor itself."--From dust jacket. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)736.23The arts Sculpture and related arts Carving and carvings GemsLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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For the full review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/01/24/koh-i-noor-william-dalrymple-and-anita-anand... ( )