- List of Charts
- List of Tables
- List of maps
- Transliterations
- Introduction
- 1 Afghan Sultanates, 1260–1732
- 2 Nadir Shah and the Afghans, 1732–47
- 3 Ahmad Shah and the Durrani Empire, 1747–72
- 1772–1824
- 5 Afghanistan and the Indus Frontier, 1824–39
- 6 The Death of the ‘Great Experiment’, 1839–43
- 7 The Pursuit of ‘Scientific Frontiers’, 1843–79
- 8 ‘Reducing the Disorderly People’, 1879–1901
- 9 Reform and Repression, 1901–19
- 10 Dreams Melted into Air, 1919–29
- 11 Backs to the Future, 1929–33
- 12 A House Divided, 1933–73
- 1973–94 13 Republicanism, Revolution and Resistance,
- 14 ‘Between the Dragon and his Wrath’, 1994–2017
- Conclusion
- genealogical charts
- glossary
- A Note on Sources
- Select Bibliography
- Photo Acknowledgements