{"title":"Anita Anand","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnita Anand’s works delve into pivotal moments in history, blending meticulous research with compelling storytelling. Readers can explore gripping narratives that illuminate the complexities of empire, conflict, and identity, often revealing lesser-known perspectives on significant historical events.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a keen eye for biography and memoir, her books offer intimate portraits of remarkable figures, capturing their resilience and influence amid turbulent times. Anand’s writing is both informative and evocative, perfect for those interested in history and the human stories within it.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"koh-i-noor","title":"Koh-i-Noor","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKoh-i-Noor\u003c\/i\u003e by Anita Anand and William Dalrymple offers the first comprehensive and authoritative history of the Koh-i-Noor, arguably the most celebrated and mythologised jewel in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOn 29 March 1849, the ten-year-old Maharaja of Punjab was ushered into the magnificent Mirrored Hall at the centre of the great fort in Lahore. In a sombre and public ceremony, the frightened but dignified child was compelled to hand over vast swathes of the richest country in India in a formal Act of Submission to a private corporation, the East India Company. But this wasn't all; he was also forced to surrender a symbol of immeasurable value to the British monarch, Queen Victoria: the fabled Koh-i-Noor diamond, also known as the \"Mountain of Light\".\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe British later commissioned a history of the Koh-i-Noor, though it was a narrative stitched together from the gossip and rumours of Delhi bazaars. Despite its dubious origins, this version of events became the accepted history of the diamond. It’s only now, through the diligent research by Anand and Dalrymple, that this tale is being meticulously disentangled from the myths and legends that have long obscured its truth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eKoh-i-Noor\u003c\/i\u003e expertly navigates through an intricate tapestry of greed, murder, torture, colonialism, and appropriation, charting the diamond's journey through an impressive span of South and Central Asian history. The story unfolds to reveal the darker chapters associated with the gem, depicting a more complex and often harrowing saga than commonly known.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe narrative crescendos with the diamond in its current, controversial setting: adorning the crown of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. The authors shed light not only on the jewel itself but also on the significant political and historical implications of its journey.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMasterly, powerful, and erudite, \u003ci\u003eKoh-i-Noor\u003c\/i\u003e is history at its most compelling and invigorating. This book challenges long-held narratives, presenting a deeply researched account that frees the renowned diamond from its shroud of mythology, offering readers an intricate and engaging historical investigation into one of the world’s most famous treasures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45706519281900,"sku":"9781408888827","price":21.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781408888827.jpg?v=1725888810"},{"product_id":"the-patient-assassin-by-anita-anand-9781471174247","title":"The Patient Assassin","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWINNER OF THE PEN HESSELL-TILTMAN PRIZE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Reads like something from a thriller… colourful, detailed and meticulously researched' \u003cem\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘Gripping from start to finish' Peter Frankopan, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Silk Roads\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHundreds of peaceful civilians were slaughtered in the Amritsar Massacre of 13 April 1919, after British troops opened fire without warning. According to legend, Udham Singh was among the injured that day, and he vowed to take revenge. More than twenty years later, in a Westminster hall, he fulfilled that promise when he gunned down in cold blood the man ultimately responsible, Sir Michael O'Dwyer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut what happened in the intervening years? In this sweeping narrative that takes the reader across four continents, Anita Anand separates reality from myth to reveal Singh's astonishing story. She brilliantly pieces together his movements, discovering surprising new links that take us from Jazz Age New York to the shady world of international spy rings. \u003cem\u003eThe Patient Assassin\u003c\/em\u003e shines a devastating light on one of the Raj's most horrific events, but reads like a taut thriller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46850348744940,"sku":"9781471174247","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/21965783482711.jpg?v=1759083882"},{"product_id":"sophia-by-anita-anand-9781408835470","title":"Sophia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBy the presenter of the hit podcast EMPIRE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe subject of a major exhibition at Kensington Palace throughout 2026 - \u003cem\u003eThe Last Princesses of the Punjab\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSophia\u003c\/em\u003e is the sort of remarkable, almost unbelievable untold true story that every writer dreams of chancing upon. A wonderful debut, written with real spirit and gusto. Anita Anand has produced a winner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWilliam Dalrymple\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA fascinating and elegantly written life of one of the unknown giants of women's suffrage\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKatie Hickman, author of \u003cem\u003eDaughters of Britannia\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe enthralling story of an extraordinary woman and her part in the defining moments of recent British Indian history\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWinner of the Eastern Eye Alchemy Festival Award for Literature\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn 1876, \u003cem\u003eSophia\u003c\/em\u003e Duleep Singh was born into royalty. Her father, Maharajah Duleep Singh, was heir to the Kingdom of the Sikhs, a realm that stretched from the lush Kashmir Valley to the craggy foothills of the Khyber Pass and included the mighty cities of Lahore and Peshawar. It was a territory irresistible to the British, who plundered everything, including the fabled Koh-I-Noor diamond.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExiled to England, the dispossessed Maharajah transformed his estate at Elveden in Suffolk into a Moghul palace, its grounds stocked with leopards, monkeys and exotic birds. Sophia, god-daughter of Queen Victoria, was raised a genteel aristocratic Englishwoman: presented at court, afforded grace-and-favour lodgings at Hampton Court Palace and photographed wearing the latest fashions for the society pages. But when, in secret defiance of the British government, she travelled to India, she returned a revolutionary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSophia transcended her heritage to devote herself to battling injustice and inequality, a far cry from the life to which she was born. Her causes were the struggle for Indian independence, the fate of the Lascars, the welfare of Indian soldiers in the First World War – and, above all, the fight for female suffrage. She was bold and fearless, attacking politicians, putting herself in the front line and swapping her silks for a nurse's uniform to tend wounded soldiers evacuated from the battlefields.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMeticulously researched and passionately written, this enthralling story of the rise of women and the fall of empire introduces an extraordinary individual and her part in the defining moments of recent British and Indian history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47603155763436,"sku":"9781408835470","price":28.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781408835470-sophia.jpg?v=1778056382"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/anita-anand.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}