James Ricalton's photographic travelogue of imperial India Book

This is considered the best guide to India for someone who has never visited the country before, even though it was written in the early 1970's. Certainly, the descriptions of the different castes and the Indians' attitude to each other through that social system are very informative. Also, I now know why Assam and Kashmir are more remote and insular in attitudes, as well as having learnt a lot more about the Sikh faith and the relationship or lack of it, between Muslim and Hindu.
John Keay's description of the Indian railway sums up the whole country probably - it's crazy, looks completely disorganised, it shouldn't work - but it does.