Description: A richly scholarly yet accessible and imaginative account of society in the time of the Buddha.
Brief description: Xinru Liu is Professor Emeritus of History at the College of New Jersey. Her previous books include The Silk Road in World History and Ancient India and Ancient China: Trade and Religious Exchanges, A.D. 1-600.
Review Quotes:
"Liu's beautifully researched and eminently readable book is, by her own telling, an account of the people one encounters most frequently in Buddhist narrations and of the context, nature, and motives of those encounters ... Highly recommended." - CHOICE
"Early Buddhist Society is a well-researched book written in simple and accessible language, and as such it is well placed as a reference text for introductory courses in Buddhist studies and world history ... The field of Buddhist studies is enriched by this book and by Xinru Liu's dedication of her immense skills as a historian to the important topic of the life and times of early Buddhist society." - H-Net Reviews (H-Buddhism)