This two-volume set is the first complete English translation in over a century of the ten great birth stories that form the Mahanipata of the Jatakatthavannana. These stories narrate the Bodhisatta's ten final lives in the human realm before his final life and enlightenment as the Buddha. Replete with adventure, subterfuge, magic, and intrigue, the tales also showcase Buddhist philosophy and morality as they chronicle the multi-life quest of the Bodhisatta to achieve the Ten Perfections--virtues that must be refined before he can reach his final goal of awakening.

These vivid, entertaining, and definitive translations are a tremendous step forward in re-establishing these tales as ancient literary treasures of South Asia. Careful notes and introductions supplement the translations with important background information and analysis. A general introduction situates the stories in their wider textual tradition, addresses key themes, and explores the role of the stories in Buddhist art and practice. Each volume features a gallery of colour images showing the stories' central position in the Buddhist visual landscape and imagination of Southeast Asia.

Eminently authoritative and readable, these new translations will delight general readers and specialists alike with captivating plots and penetrating philosophical insights that reveal the stories' deep, nuanced roots in the religious and cultural world of the Buddha.
Ten Great Birth Stories of the Buddha, Naomi Appleton and Sarah Shaw (translators), Silkworm Books, Paperback (2-volume set), 698 pp., $65.00.