*Selected Stories; Saadat Hasan Manto, Translated by Khalid Hasan (Penguin, 2007, pp 309, Rs 295) The most widely read and the most translated writer in Urdu, Saadat Hasan Manto (1912-55) is also the most controversial.

*Fault Lines of Nationhood; Gyanendra Pandey, Yunas Samad (Lotus/Roli, 2007, pp 138, Rs 250) Though independent states, debates about the basis of Indian and Pakistani nationhood continue to reverberate through the politics of the two countries.

*Neither Night Nor Day— 13 Stories by Women Writers From Pakistan; Edited by Rakhshanda Jalil (HarperCollins, 2007, pp 191, Rs 250) Fantasies, memoirs, near-autobiographical accounts, even a good old-fashioned ghost story— this is a mixed bag, one that will hopefully yield something of interest to readers regardless of gender.

*The Doon Valley— Across the Years; Edited by Ganesh Saili (Rupa and Co, 2007, pp 192, Rs 295) This book takes the reader through fact and fiction, history and legends, myths and folklore of the Doon as it was over the last two centuries and more.

*Driving Holidays in the Himalayas— Bhutan; Koko Singh (Rupa and Co, 2007, pp 318, Rs 595) The author has travelled extensively in the Himalayas for over 25 years and this set of books is an effort to share the beauty and adventures of Himalayan travel.