How long does it take to read Early India?
From the Origins to AD 1300
Early India by Romila Thapar takes about 10 hours 11 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.
About 10 hours 11 minutes
A week or two of reading
First published 2002. 555 pages, about 152,625 words.
21 days at 30 minutes a day
Estimate based on 275 words per page.
At other speeds
| Slow, 150 words a minute | 16 hours 58 minutes |
| Average, 250 words a minute | 10 hours 11 minutes |
| Fast, 400 words a minute | 6 hours 22 minutes |
The page count is the median across 7 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.
About the book
Early India represents a complete rewriting by Romila Thapar of her classic work, A History of India (the first volume in the Penguin History of India series), thirty-five years after it was first published. Thapar has incorporated the vast changes in scholarly understanding and interpretation of Indian history that have occurred during her lifetime to revise the book for a new generation of readers. This new work brings to life thousands of years of history, tracing India's evolution before contact with modern Europe was established: its prehistoric beginnings; the great cities of the Indus civilization; the emergence of mighty dynasties such as the Mauryas, Guptas, and Cholas; the teachings of the Buddha; the creation of heroic epics such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana; and the creation of regional cultures. Thapar introduces figures from the remarkable visionary ruler Ashoka to other less exemplary figures. In exploring subjects as diverse as marriage, class, art, erotica, and astronomy, Thapar provides an incomparably vivid and nuanced picture of India. Above all, she shows the rich mosaic of diverse kingdoms, landscapes, languages, and beliefs.
Subjects: History, Histoire, Civilisation, India, history, India, antiquities, India
