'The holy grail for a historian'

'The holy grail for a historian is having three things come together. First is new material, second is a good story with a tight narrative and great characters, and third is something that has global and contemporary appeal.　I was lucky enough to have all three...

What I try to do is write what I enjoy most in history books as a reader: that it conforms to the shape of a novel, has a small, tight narrative with a limited group of characters - all of whom are interesting - and the action takes place in a limited area or concentrated period of time.'　

William Dalrymple, author of White Mughals and Return of a King, in the Bookseller