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Written more than 250 years ago, this record of father Ippolito Desideri’s stay in Tibet extending over a period of fiver years provides the first accurate general description of Tibet in all its particulars the flora, products of the soil the inhabitants and their special customs the constitution of the family, the nuptial and funerary rites the social organization and finally a complete exposition of Lamaism derived from the author’s study of the canonical books and their commentaries and from a daily and familiar intercourse with the doctors of lamiasm and the life of the Lamaseries made possible by his knowledge of the Tibetan Language.

Divided into four books the work describes the author’s journey of three and a half years from Rome to Lhasa and his mission work there the nature character, customs and civil government of Tibet Tibetan religion and its hierarchy and his return by a different route to Europe and of other missions in which he was engaged from some time.