The return of a king : the battle for Afghanistan / William Dalrymple.

Abstract: A towering history of the first Afghan War by bestselling historian William Dalrymple In the spring of 1839, the British invaded Afghanistan for the first time. Led by lancers in scarlet cloaks and plumed shakos, nearly 20,000 British and East India Company troops poured through the high mountain passes and re-established on the throne Shah Shuja ul-Mulk. On the way in, the British faced little resistance.

“Includes bibliography”—(p. [537]-551).

Contents: Maps—Dramatis personae—The Sadozais and the Barakzais—Acknowledgements—1. No easy place to rule (p. 1)—2. An unsettled mind (p. 30)—3. The great game begins (p. 74)—4. The mouth of hell (p. 144)—5. The flag of holy war (p. 198)—6. We fail from our ignorance (p. 255)—7. All order is at an end (p. 294)—8. The wail of bugles (p. 355)—9. The death of a king (p. 398)—10. A war for no wise purpose (p. 425)—Author’s note (p. 489)—Notes (p. 503)—Bibliography (p. 537)—Glossary (p. 552)—Index (p. 556).