This collection of four books captures the essence of Delhi, India's capital and one of the world's legendary cities. Delhi's importance lies not just in its past glory as the seat of empires and its magnificent monuments, but also in the rich and diverse cultures that have arisen here. Taken together, these four well-researched books provide different yet complementary viewpoints on the history, culture and architecture, and urbanization of Delhi over the centuries. Of the many visitors to India who have written on aspects of its history Percival Spear was an exceptional historian, explorer and teacher. Delhi: A Historical Sketch details the origins of the city while Twilight of the Mughuls traces the late medieval history of Delhi up to the end of the Mughal Empire. Delhi Between Two Empires explores the socio-political history of Delhi from 1803, when it was conquered by the British, to 1931, when New Delhi was formally inaugurated. In this well-researched study Narayani Gupta provides a lively portrait of the city during a crucial phase of its more recent history. Finally, Delhi Through the Ages, a collection of essays edited by R.E. Frykenberg, focuses on the strategic importance of Delhi, its architecture, the schools of philosophy that flourished here, the impact of modern religious movements on the city, as well as its urban growth. In an introduction written especially for this volume, Narayani Gupta pays tribute to Spear, reiterating, with a sense of nostalgia unique to the older residents of this bustling city, that "Dilli dur ast" will be even truer in the days to come than when Nizamuddin Auliya said it seven hundred years ago.
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