When Ippolito Desideri's Historical Notices of Tibet (Notizie Istoriche del Tibet) first appeared in an abridged English translation in 1932, it was soon recognized as a classic for its richly detailed descriptions of Tibetan social, cultural, and religious life. The Italian missionary was most notably the first Westerner to learn about Buddhism directly with Tibetan scholars and from a profound study of its primary texts. He was also an eyewitness to some of the most tumultuous events in Tibet's history, of which he left us a vivid and dramatic account. Unfortunately the earlier translation omitted, truncated, or paraphrased much of Desideri's text, especially his comprehensive treatment of Tibetan religion and key Buddhist concepts such as emptiness and rebirth together with their philosophical and ethical implications. The present unabridged and engrossing English translation redresses those omissions. Richly annotated, it also includes an introduction situating the work in the context of Desideri's life and his intellectual and religious milieu.
