Mission to Tibet: The Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Account of Father Ippolito Desideri, S.J.

Far Eastern Mission to Tibet: The Extraordinary Eighteenth-Century Account of Father Ippolito Desideri, SJ. Translated by Michael J. Sweet. Edited by Leonard Zwilling. (Boston: Wisdom Publications. 2010. Pp. xxvi, 795. $34.95 paperback. ISBN 978-0-861-71676-0.)

Among the small number of Westerners who visited Tibet in the eighteenth century and before, most fascinating was Ippolito Desideri (16841733) This Italian Jesuit lived in Lhasa for about five years and was, by all accounts, the first Westerner to learn Tibetan and understand deeplyTibetan culture and religion. His Historical Notices of Tibet, which he wrote and rewrote (in Italian) but never published in his lifetime, is a full account of his experiences, including his slow and arduous journey to India, Nepal, and finally Tibet; his years in those places; as well as his journey home after prematurely leaving Lhasa due to internal missionary disputes. It is a mix of travelogue, history, cultural anthropology, and political analysis; a monument of missionary scholarship; and an early contribution to the study of religions. As such, this new edition and translation will interest a wide range...