Bücher veröffentlicht von Orchid Press Publishing Limited

Essays on the origins of ink, paper and printing in Asia, tracing the early development of these technologies in China, Korea and Japan, and their later migration westward through South and Central Asia to Europe and America. The author, Berhold Laufer, a brilliant sinologist and linguist, quite correctly states that, without these developments, "there would have been no adequate record of the past, no progress, no science; it marks the dawn of civilization, it sets off civilization from savagery." Laufer draws on primary sources and linguistic clues to reconstruct not only the timeframes and evolution of these technological developments, but also the materials and methods which the ancients used, the folklore that developed around ink and printing, and how these technologies eventually reached the West, many centuries after their origin. Along the way we learn how Chinese and other east Asians recorded information prior to the invention of printing, how the Buddhist sangha were the first users of early printing, how ink was employed as an tribute to rulers and the gods, that ink was used for both medicinal and punitive purposes and much more. A must read for all with interest in Asian culture and its contributions to human progress.

This account of plant-hunter and explorer Frank Kingdon-Ward's 1933 expedition to the southeastern corner of Tibet was as significant for his geographic revelations as it was for the wealth of plant species with which he returned. On this journey Kingdon-Ward reached as far as the Salween River, a particularly remote area of Tibet not previously known or mapped in the West.His lively descriptions of the grand mountain ranges he traversed, the hardships overcome and the plants, fauna and people he encountered are complemented by spectacular photographs. The recollection of such adventures as his sojourn in a remote Buddhist gompa, the frontier justice meted out to a suspected murderer and many other tales enroute make this a gripping and informative read for the Tibetologist, botanist and armchair explorer alike.

'The civilization of the Tibetan people is disappearing before our very eyes, and apart from a few gentle protests here and there, the rest of the world lets it go without comment and without regret. Many civilizations have declined and disintegrated in the past, but it is rare that one has the opportunity of being an informed witness of such events.' - The Cultural History of TibetThis revised edition of the classic work on the rapidly vanishing civilization of Tibet traces the evolution of Tibetan culture from its origins to Tibet's fall to the Chinese Communists in 1959 and the subsequent relocation of Tibetan culture and many Tibetan people. The authors illuminate the many facets of Tibetan culture, including the geography of Tibet, religion, artistic and literary development, and contemporary Tibetan politics. In discussing the history of this rich Central Asian civilization, they draw parallels with developments in historical Western Europe, as well as detail the assimilation of cultural influences from India and China. The text is illustrated with many rare photographs depicting the art, architecture, secular and sacred objects of Tibet. David Snellgrove, Ph.D., D.Litt., was Professor of Tibetan Studies at the University of London. He is a fellow of the British Academy and author of numerous books and articles on Himalayan and Southeast Asian civilizations. Since 1995 he has divided his time between homes in northern Italy and Cambodia. Hugh Richardson was in the civil and foreign services in India and was the last British/Indian Representative in Tibet (until 1950). He taught Tibetan history and language in the US and Europe, and was the author of Tibet and its History. His recent passing is eloquently eulogized in the preface of this edition.'This welcome volume richly deserves a prominent place on the bookshelf of every serious student of Tibetan studies and interested general reader alike.' - T. V. Wylie,Journal of Asian Studies