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| The Spirit of Asia: Journeys to the Sacred Places of the East | 
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| Creators: Michael Freeman, Alistair Shearer
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Category: Book
List Price: $40.00
Buy New: $29.74
You Save: $10.26 (26%)
Buy New/Used from $11.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  (1 reviews)
Sales Rank: 797664
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3.1
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 10.2 x 1
ISBN: 0500510237
Dewey Decimal Number: 291.3509
EAN: 9780500510230
ASIN: 0500510237
Publication Date: October 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Long-distance travel has opened the eyes of the West to the rich cultural heritage of Asian countries, and to the ability of their great belief systems to regenerate, refresh and renew. These sacred sites are seen as places of central importance, where heavenly and earthly energies are thought to intersect. Through the photographic odyssey undertaken by photographer Michael Freeman, this volume attempts to capture the power of the sacred places of Asia, both natural and man-made. The sites pictured in the book include hills, mountains, temple complexes and shrines.
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| Customer Reviews:
A first-rate "coffee-table" book! August 27, 2001
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is in the style of a coffee-table book, with very large pictures and rather superficial, accessory text. But the text is accurate, and often even interesting and informative. It is heavily influenced by the theories of Mircea Eliade.
Of course the most important feature of this book is the pictures, and they are excellent.
The book covers a wide range of religious sites and varieties: Burmese Nats, Thai Spirits, Hinduism, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism. It features the standard important monuments, such as Angkor Wat and Borobodur, as well as lesser known sites like Sagaing, Burma or Si Satchanalai, Thailand. Altogether 38 sites are covered. Three unfortunate omissions are Mount Tai Shan and the Temple of Heaven in China, and Shikoku island in Japan. Perhaps something from Bhutan would have been nice as well. I find its coverage of ancestor woship and Shinto lacking.
If the book has an obvious, glaring weakness, it is the absence of Islamic sites. Islam has been influential in the East, so even if not considered an Eastern religion it has interesting Eastern manifestations--for instance the Taj Mahal. Its absence is at least as unfortunate as the inadequate coverage of ancestor worship.
I am obviously rather picky, but for the price and the photograph quality, this is a first-rate bargain, and might well spark someone's interest in travel or further reading--the ultimate value of any coffee-table book.
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