In Modern Nepal (Volume I) he has covered that era when Nepal as a state emerged in its present form around the late eighteenth century, when the small hill kingdom of Gorkha, some eighty miles west of Kathmandu, brought much of the Himalayan foothills and an adjoining stip of the North Indian plain under its control. Various small states were then merged into a nation and a different ruling dynasty took over power. The Shah dynasty began to rule and Malla dynasty rule came to an end. In describing this exciting period in Nepal’s history, the author has written an account not to be missed by students and scholars of history. Modern Nepal (Volume II) describes how Gurkha armies for the first time seized territories far beyond the present-day Nepal; Nepal's entry into treaty relations with Great Britain; and how Gurkha expansion into North India led to a border war. The author has also effectively captured the struggle for power among the Nepalese nobility which culminated in the rise to political dominance of the Rana family. A true account of what went on before Nepal became a nation from an authoritative historian; this is a book which cannot be missed.