Life of Buddha

In this superbly illustrated book, Patricia Herbert draws on manuscript sources from Burma—one of the most strongly Buddhist countries in the world today— to tell the Buddha’s life story as it has evolved over the centuries, incorporating legends, miracles, and local variations. As the narrative unfolds, episodes are shown in full-page color illustrations reproduced from two magnificent Burmese manuscripts once owned by nineteenth-century British diplomat and Orientalist Henry Burney, British Resident of the Court of Ava from 1830 to 1837, and now among the most prized items in the British Library’s collections. The book includes a general introduction to Buddhism and Buddhist art, an appendix with notes about each illustration, and a glossary of terms.

Patricia Herbert, former curator of the South East Asia Collections of the British Library’s Oriental and India Office Collections, coedited South-East Asian Languages and Literatures: A Select Guide (Kiscadale Publications, 1989); compiled Burma (vol. 132 of the World Bibliographical Series, Clio Press, 1991); and has written widely about Burmese manuscript art, education, and history. Herbert is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, a council member of the BritainBurma Society, and vice-chairman of Prospect Burma, a nonprofit organization supporting higher education for Burmese students worldwide.