Ananda Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) was a pioneering scholar in the fields of Indian art, culture, and religion, as well as an expert on the comparative study of world religions. A prolific author who was familiar with 36 languages, he was praised for his "brilliant insight" by Joseph Campbell and was described by Heinrich Zimmer as that "noble scholar upon whose shoulders we are still standing."

This anthology contains excerpts from his articles, letters, and speeches arranged thematically and richly illustrated with historical photographs.