The book of Indian kings comprises stories and essays about some of the greatest rulers and statesmen in the history of India. Beginning with an essay on one of the country iconic rulers, the Mauryan emperor, ashore, by our greatest living historian, Romila Thapa, this volume brings together some of the finest writers of our time on a glittering array of monarchs, including Salman Rushdie on emperor Akbar, Khushwant Singh on Maharaja Ranjit Singh, William Dalrymple on Bahadur Shah Zafar, Rajmohan Gandhi on Tipu Sultan, Jadunath Sarkar on Chhatrapati Shiva, and Manu S. Pillai on Krishnadeva Raya. The emergence of empire: Mauryan India by Romila Thapar the first Hindu empire by Abraham Eraly Raja Raja Chozhar by Kalki Krishnadeva Raya by Manu S. Pillage the shelter of the world by Salman Rushdie Shiva and his times by Jadunath Sarkar Tipu Sultan by Rajasthan Gandhi the last Mughal by William Dalrymple Ranjit Singh, Maharaja of the Punjab by Khushwant Singh Madhav Rao SC India by Vir Sanghvi and Namibia Bhandar.