A Cultural History of Tibet (Paperback)

~ Hugh Richardson (Author), David Snellgrove (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Divided into three major sections, this comprehensive history covers the early kings, the middle ages, and the Yellow Hats, through to the 20th century. Ample b&w illustrations. A reprint of a revised edition published in 1980 by Prajna Press. (First edition published in 1968 by George Weidenfeld a

Product Details

• Paperback: 309 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (June 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570621020
• ISBN-13: 978-1570621024
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,484,062 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well-balanced History of Tibet, October 13, 1997

By A Customer

This is the best book I have read on the history of Tibet, especially as it pertains to religion. It fairly treats the BON as well as all four Sects of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism equally. Unlike other histories or recent art books on Tibet written by western converts, this work does not reflect a personal political agenda.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars May complement Samuel's "Civilized Shamans" , September 2, 2006

By	calmly - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Cultural History of Tibet (Paperback)

This earlier work seems mostly trumped by Geoffry's Samuel's more recent and comprehensive (and apparently more accurate) "Civilized Shamans". I'm just a lay reader so my assessment could be wrong, but Samuels provides evidence of a much richer non-clerical influence than Snellgrove and Richardson do.

Both books acknowledge the role of the Bon religion, but Samuels is more inclined to be skeptical of Bon claims to pre-date Buddhism. Samuels also seems more inclined to acknowledge at times limitations in our knowledge of Tibetan history.

Whereas Snellgrove and Richardson make only mention once of Dzogchen, Samuels refers to it in a number of passages, including one that ties it to Bon. To be fair to a "Cultural History of Tibet", it is less than half the length of Samuel's book.

What I don't know is how much has been learned since "A Cultural History of Tibet" was written around 1968 that might conflict with it. My impression is that most of it would withstand the test of time except the big challenge that Samuels presents in "Civilized Shamans" by digging into Tibetan history and uncovering a stronger non-clerical influence than Richardson and Snellgrove present.

Again, I am only a layman and I'm trusting that Samuels' presentation is based on the high level of scholarship it seems to reflect. There may be no "either/or choice" here: "A Cultural History of Tibet" is organized well and packed with facts and assessments.