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“On 05 May Faber is publishing the new book from Oliver Balch, India Rising: Tales from a Changing Nation. I’m attaching information but in brief, Balch has traveled India in search of the human stories behind the country’s huge expansion and booming economy. “ — E-mailed press release, March 21

A veritable flood of nonfiction books have been written about India in recent years by a diverse crowd of Indian businessmen, foreign correspondents, returning nonresident Indians and scholars. Some of them try to define and explain modern India, some are personal tales of discovery, and others crunch decades of history.

These books have become so numerous that their titles now fall into neat categories. Here’s a short primer for the nonfiction scribe searching for a name for their India tome.

“India,” followed by an action verb or adjective, with a sweeping subhead

“India Rising” (as above, and in a 2005 title of the same name, the latter followed by “Emergence of a New World Power”).

“India Becoming: A Portrait of Life in Modern India,” by Akash Kapur, former Letter From India scribe for the International Herald Tribune, a “rare insider’s look at the process of development.”

“India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of the Nation’s Remaking,” by our former colleague Anand Giridharadas, which was released in 2011.

“India Unbound: From Independence to the Global Information Age.” Gurcharan Das’s 2000 book spawned many other India books. Now has its own Wikipedia page.

Something with “Elephant” in the title

“The Elephant, the Tiger and the Cell Phone: Reflections on India, the Emerging 21st Century Power,” Shashi Tharoor’s 2008 book of “precious insights into this complex, multifaceted land.”

“The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What it Means for All of Us.” Also from 2008, Robyn Meredith’s primer on how “India and China are vastly different nations.”

“India,” followed by a colon and a noun (note, should be at least 400 pages)

“India: A Portrait,” Patrick French’s “monumental biography of the subcontinent” (402 pages).

“India: A History,” by John Keay “spans five millennia in a sweeping narrative” (640 pages).

“India: The Cookbook,” Pushpesh Pant’s 1,000-recipe “comprehensive guide” to Indian cooking (960 pages).

Something kicky, fun and a bit random (particularly good if you’re foreign and female)

“The Adventures of Bindi Girl: Diving Deep into the Heart of India,” by Erin Reese, a “spiritual traveler’s sassy tale.”

“Wanderlust and Lipstick: For Women Traveling to India,” by Beth Whitman, “the definitive guide to help any WanderGal embrace this captivating country.”

Beguiling or provocative phrase, followed by colon and description of what it will tell you about India (only if you are a literary writer, please)

“The Beautiful and the Damned: A Portrait of the New India,” by Siddhartha Deb, “the one book you need on the new India.”

“Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, death and hope in a Mumbai under city,” by Katherine Boo. New York Times former executive editor Joseph Lelyveld proclaimed it “the best piece of reporting to come out of India in a half-century.”

“Nine Lives: In search of the sacred in modern India,” by William Dalrymple. “A modern Indian Canterbury Tales.”