Edward Joseph Thomas (1869-1958) was a librarian in India and author of several books on the history of Buddhism

History of Buddhism

The History of Buddhism spans the 6th century BCE to the present, starting with the birth of Buddha Siddhartha Gautama on the Indian subcontinent, in what is now Lumbini, Nepal. This makes it one of the oldest religions practiced today. The religion evolved as it spread from the northeastern region...

. His works, mainly concerned with Theravada Buddhism and reflecting Western scholarship, nonetheless remain widely cited for their clarity and accuracy. The Life of Buddha as Legend and History is inevitably cited in Buddhist research. Thomas's ability as a Pali

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scholar and translator was noted in his time.

Works

• The Life of Buddha: As Legend and History (1927, 3rd. ed. 1952)
• The Perfection of Wisdom, The Career of the Predestined Buddhas, A Selection of Mahayana Scriptures translated from the Sanskrit (London, J. Murray, 1952; rpr. Wisdom of the East Series, Rutland, Charles E. Tuttle, 1992)
• The History of Buddhist Thought second edition (1951)
• Early Buddhist Scriptures (1935)
• The Song of the Lord: Bhagavadgita (1931)
• Vedic Hymns (1923)