In-8vo (23x14.5 cm), pp. XVIII, (2), 598, (2 with Standard Works on Afghanistan); with hundreds of illustrations, 6 plates hors texts, editorial illustrated cloth, some restauration to spine. Complete with the 2 inserted pages about books on exploration of Himalaya.  First edition. L. Austine Waddell, one of the pioneers in chronicling and elucidating Tibetan Buddhism to Western audiences, derives his insights from extensive firsthand experiences gained through his travels in Tibet. With a wealth of illustrations accompanying his text, Waddell offers a captivating and visually engaging exploration of this intricate and profound subject. Believed to be the first to have identified Buddha's birthplace, Lt.Col. Waddell was a Scottish explorer, military surgeon, professor of Tibetan, Chemistry and Pathology, greatly attracted by archelogy. "... This is a book which considerably extends the domain of human knowledge. Every page contains new materials; many of his chapters are entirely new, and the whole forms an enduring memorial of laborious original research. He is the first European who, equipped with the resources of modern scholarship, has penetrated the esoteric Buddhism of Tibet." (from 'The Times' review of Feb. 22, 1895)