'The Perfection of Wisdom' is an outstanding achievement. Craig Jamieson offers the modern reader the very core of Buddhist teaching by means of carefully selected extracts from this classic Sanskrit scripture which are set against illustrations, every one of which is appropriate to the text in question. These manuscript images are about one thousand years old and are reproduced marvellously in the book. The translation is a feat : the ancient Sanskrit is rendered in modern day English and introduced by means of short commentaries, which enable the reader to connect with the extracts in an immediate way, nothing is overdone. There is an excellent glossary at the back together with a brief bibliography. The book can be read in an evening and returned to again at one's leisure. Craig Jamieson has written a book that may, possibly, become a classic. His deep scholarship is not shown off at all, but has been put to good effect in producing a spiritual gem. The Foreward by H.H. The Dalai Lama is wholly merited.