Deschutes Public Library

Use our online catalog (OPAC) to search for books about your topic.  To search the OPAC type in the key words of your topic in the "Search our catalog" box of our library Web Page (http://www.dpls.us/).  If you're researching a person, type in the person's name. If you have a broad topic like "India," try adding another keyword (like "Ancient" or "Hinduism") to narrow your topic. You may also look under the keyword "Indic” rather than “Indian.”  This separates your topic from information about American Indians and other indigenous peoples.

Many books on Ancient India are in the Call Number 934.  You may also find books that include Ancient India information related to topics like Ancient Civilizations (930), Mythology and Religion (290s), Indic Fairy Tales (398.20954) and Art (700's). 

If the books you want are checked out or at another library, you can place a hold on them and they will be delivered to your library as soon as they are available.  Please ask if you need help placing a hold—that’s what we're here for.
 

JR291.13 Goddesses    Goddesses Heroes and Shamans
Includes a description of Hinduism and a dictionary of important Hindu terms.
(Available in the Juvenile Reference section. Library use only).

JR291.13 Wilkinson      The Illustrated Dictionary of Mythology
Includes a section of Indic Mythology.
(Available in the Juvenile Reference section. Library use only).

JNF294.3 Wilkinson      Buddhism
Discusses the origins and practices of Buddhism.

JNF294.5 Teece            Hinduism
Discusses the origins and practices of Hinduism, the oldest religion in the world.

JNF302.2 Woods         Ancient Communication
Covers such diverse topics as Indian grammar and Indian road signs.

JR302.222 Bruce-Mitford    The Illustrated Book of Signs & Symbols
Includes sections on Hinduism and Buddhism.

(Available in the Juvenile Reference section. Library use only).

JNF509.34 Stewart       Science in Ancient India

709.54 Indian Art          Indian Art    (adult nonfiction)

JNF746.0954 Askari     Uncut Cloth: Saris Shawls and Sashes  (adult nonfiction)
Explores the history, use and cultural significance of cloth in South Asia.

JR910.9 Grolier      The Grolier Student Library of Explorers and Exploration
Volume 1 of this encyclopedia set is devoted to the earliest Explorers, and does cover some Silk Road explorers (Available in the Juvenile Reference section. Library use only).

930 Time-Life       Feats and Wisdom of the Ancients    (adult nonfiction)

930 Vanished        Vanished Civilizations    (adult nonfiction)
Explores a wide range of topics and includes extensive photographs and illustrations.

JNF930.03  Visual    The Visual Dictionary of Ancient Civilizations

934 Ancient In     Ancient India: Land of Mystery     (adult nonfiction)

934 Feuerstein     In Search of the Cradle of Civilization        (adult nonfiction)

JNF934  Richardson   Life in the Ancient Indus River Valley

JNF954 Swan    India

JNF954.1 Cumming   The Ganges
Explores the course of the river and discusses its history.
 

Daily Life in Ancient India
http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Indialife.html
What did the ancient Indians wear? What did they eat? Did kids play with toys? Did they go to school? This site shares daily life in three major time periods of ancient India history.

 
The Ancient Indus Valley
http://www.harappa.com/har/har0.html
1,142 illustrated pages by leading scholars of ancient India and Pakistan.
 

Fairy Tales from India
 

JNF398.20954 Jacobs     Indian Fairy Tales
A collection of 29 tales from India, including some of the oldest recorded tales known.

JNF398.20954 Ness         The Ocean of Story: Fairy Tales from India
A collection of 19 stories. Includes information about each story at the end of the book.

JNF398.20954 Thornhill    The Rumor: A Jataka Tale from India
An ancient “sky is falling” tale from India.
 

The Wheel of King Asoka by Ashok Davar
Relates how the powerful ruler of India, King Asoka, came to give up the ways of war and to rule his empire peacefully.

The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming: A Novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
As twelve-year-old Anand continues his studies to become a full-fledged member of The Brotherhood of the Conch, he journeys back to Moghul times, where he encounters powerful sorcerers, spoiled princes, noble warriors, and evil jinns.

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Selected stories from Kipling's two "Jungle Books" chronicle the adventures of Mowgli, the boy reared by a pack of wolves in an Indian jungle. Also includes "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi."

Life of Pi by Yann Martel
16-year-old Pi Patel is raised in Pondicherry, India, where he tries on various faiths for size, attracting "religions the way a dog attracts fleas." After a harrowing shipwreck, Pi finds himself adrift in the Pacific Ocean, trapped on a lifeboat with a wounded zebra, a spotted hyena, a seasick orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins
Secretly in love with her best friend and business partner Steve, fifteen-year-old Jazz must spend the summer away from him when her family goes to India during that country's rainy season to help set up a clinic.

Nine Animals and the Well by James Rumford
A fable about a group of animals which strives to bring the perfect present to the Indian raja-king's birthday party. Discusses how the numerals we use originated in India.

Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet by Kashmira Sheth
Growing up with her family in Mumbai, India, sixteen-year-old Jeeta disagrees with much of her mother's traditional advice about how to live her life and tries to be more modern and independent.