Bangladesh became an independent state in 1971. But its story - often overshadowed by flood, famine and natural disaster - is one that should make every Bangladeshi proud. David Urch's vivid narrative evokes the people and the place, describing how, after years of outside influence, modern Bangladesh was born.

Urch has spent much of his life living in Islamic countries making this the first comprehensive history of Bangladesh to be written by an Englishman. Recounting what has often been a violent and tragic history, Crescent and Deltaexplores wider issues, such as the cultural and economic interactions between different faiths and the problems which arise when establishing stable systems of government in places that have a complex history of oppression and exploitation.