I consider Indian to be one of the finest cuisines in the world. I have been cooking Indian for the past 20 years with great success and I have collected lots of wonderful recipes mainly from books. After reading Laxmi Hiremath's "The Dance of Spices", I can assure you that it covers EVERYTHING you will ever need to know about Indian cooking. Personally, I consider Laxmi's book a "bible" for those interested in creating authentic Indian mouthwatering dishes. The book covers everything: spices, powders, sauces, chutneys, pickles, breads, curries, desserts and much more. The recipes are well written and the instructions are offered in full detail. The abundance of information provided in the book is overwhelming. There are no photos in the book, but let's be realistic...a great book is always a great book...with or without photos!