I started to collect Thai paintings long before I picked up a copy of the Ten Lives of the Buddha in 1982. As a serious collector, I try to find whatever available information there is about the subject and this book has provided me with invaluable background in understanding this particular art. The masterpieces reproduced in this book represent the best of this rich and unique artistic heritage. The ten lives of the Buddha are recounted in a lively narrative style that recreates the realms of myth and legend forming a vital part of the culture of the entire Buddhist world. Jataka paintings are not only works of art in their own right but also sermons in line and color. ()