William Dalrymple's name is synonymous with the very best writing on India; his books are all bestsellers that have astounded the critics and won numerous awards An exciting new direction that will appeal beyond Dalrymple's usual market; Dalrymple writes regularly for the national papers and is an extremely high-profile travel writer and historian Published as a lead summer paperback, publication will be marked with advertising to appeal to all fans of Dalrymple and those who have yet to discover his writing

'His most ambitious yet, taking the reader into lurid, scarcely imaginable worlds of mysticism ... Dalrymple has an inimitable way of conjuring the Indian landscape' Financial Times 'This is travel writing at its best. I hope it sparks a revival' Observer 'Beautifully written, ridiculously erudite, warm and open-hearted ... A towering talent' The Times 'A blend of travelogue, ethnography, oral history and reportage, Nine Lives is compelling and poignant' Guardian

William Dalrymple was born in Scotland and brought up on the shores of the Firth of Forth. He wrote the highly acclaimed bestseller In Xanadu when he was twenty-two. City of Djinns won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award and the Sunday Times Young British Writer of the Year Award. The Age of Kali won the French Prix D'Astrolabe and White Mughals won the Wolfson Prize for History 2003 and the Scottish Book of the Year Prize. His most recent book, The Last Mughal, was longlisted for the Samuel Johnson Prize and won the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. Hi lives with his wife and three children on a farm outside Dehli.