Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan is a 2013 history book about the First Anglo-Afghan War written by Scottish historian William Dalrymple and published by Bloomsbury.

The author spent time in both Afghanistan and Pakistan during its research and elaborates on the obvious parallels with the current situation,"[7] Barnaby Rogerson in The Independent says "Return of a King is not just an animated and highly literate retelling of a chapter of early 19th-century British military history, but also a determined attempt to reach out and influence the politicians and policy-makers of our modern world.

"[8] Rupert Edis in The Sunday Telegraph said: "As well as going deep into dangerous parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan to research his book, Dalrymple has recovered some remarkable new Afghan and Indian sources.

"[9] Max Hastings in The Sunday Times described the book as "Dazzling... Dalrymple is a master storyteller, whose special gift lies in the use of indigenous sources, so often neglected by imperial chroniclers...

[11] However, Pakistani-British historian Farrukh Husain, writing in The Frontier Post, criticized the book for having an orientalist perspective and for not properly sourcing its claims.