Sheikh Muhammad Ikram better known as S. M. Ikram, was a Pakistani historian, biographer, and litterateur. He was member of the Indian Civil Service which he joined in 1931. In 1947, when Pakistan emerged from British India, Ikram opted for Pakistan and served in the Civil Service of Pakistan. On July 1, 1966, he was appointed as Director, Institute of Islamic Culture, Lahore, a position he occupied until his death in 1973, at the age of sixty-four.
It's the first book that I've read on the medieval India, but I'm impressed by the approach of the author. Although, he belongs to the category of the historians who believe in the indo-muslim nationalism, he tried to deal with the facts in a better way than that of Pakistani nationalist historians i.e. I. H. Qureshi etc. I'm comparing him with Qureshi because I have read some parts of "a short of history" but couldn't finish it that time. And I didn't finish his approach appealing. I think S. M. Ikram is a good start if you want to read the history of medieval India. After it, you can go for those historians who have an authority over this period. Some of them are Romila Thapar, R. C. Majumdar, Irfan Habib, and R. S. Sharma.
a very comprehensive and unbiased book. The author has a command on writing and evaluating historical events. Although he is a Muslim , yet his faith has not, as expected from a genuine Muslim academic, not hindered him to write with honesty and integrity.