Tribes, races and cultures of India and neighboring countries : Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Nepal and Tibet

Old is gold. This is particularly true about masterpieces written by great writers of the past. We recently acquired a monumental work in seven volumes entitled Peoples of All Nations-Their Life Today and the Story of Their Past written by some of the foremost writers of Travel, Geography, Anthropology and History with a scholarly Introduction by Sir Arthur Keith and edited by J.A. Hammer ton. Encyclopaedic in dimension and at once competent in treatment it is an unparalled narrative of the family of nations inhabiting our planet.

Instead of reproducing the entire set of seven volumes we deemed it prudent to collate and compile all the material contained therein which exclusively deals with India and the neighbouring countries viz. Afghanis tan, Burma, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Nepal and Tibet. The present volume in this series incorporates all such material relating to India and these countries. These are learned and thought provoking articles contributed by such eminent writers as Sir Valentine Chirol (India), Sir Thomas Holdich and R.W. Frazer (Afghanistan and Bhutan), G.E. Mitton and A.D. Innes (Ceylon), Sir George Scott and Prof. E.K. Parker (Burma), Percy Brown (Nepal) and Sir Francis Young husband and Sir E. Denison Ross (Tibet).

We trust the fraternity of booklovers/ research scholars will appreciate and welcome reproduction of the old volumes in the format in which the present volume has been designed and planned.

The writers, all of them foremost in the fields of their area of study have made matchless contributions to describe the phases of human existence as found by them from the lowest to the highest stages of culture. From their prolific pens have come a fascinating story of a bewildering variety of races-some most ferocious, some most wild and some most enlightened and all these are lying in magic preservation in the pages of this volume. Those who do not move from their homes will find this strategic region of Asia discribed in a moving language which covers the racial origins, geographical distribution, physical types and social customs of the people living in these countries. They will discover that what they know is only as small as a handful of sand, while what they know not is as formidable as a mountain.

A veritable mine of information, this unique volume which is the first of its kind to appear in India should be a must for all libraries-public, private and academic and all the bookshelves of book-lovers not only in India, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Nepal and Tibet but throughout the world.