Few themes in history have had as strong a hold on people's imagination. Fewer still have managed to alter the course of civilization.

This is Charles Allen's definitive account of the Aryans, offering a grand sweep of language, mythology, contested histories and conflict. Spanning continents, cultures and societies: from the Russian steppe to the Indus valley, the Iliad to the Mahabharata, Greek to Sanskrit, Putin to Trump, and Müller to Vivekananda, Aryans astonishes with its scope. Allen, true to a style that has endeared him to a legion of admirers, weaves a narrative that is startling and illuminating.

The product of a great investigation and meticulous scholarship, Aryans, Allen's last book, is his crowning achievement and marks the end of an illustrious career.