Essentials of Modern Literary Tibetan: A Reading Course and Reference Grammar

"Half of the words are read by implication." This Tibetan saying explains the main difficulty Westerners face in learning to read Tibetan fluently. This book will allow beginners to understand the logic of Tibetan grammar and syntax through graded readings and narrative explanations. The large glossary, which is indexed by page, will serve as an invaluable reference grammar for readers of Tibetan at all levels.

The reading course includes a wide range of modern literary styles from literature, history, current affairs, newspapers, and even communist political essays.

Melvyn C. Goldstein is Chairman of Anthropology at Case Western Reserve and Director of the Center for Research on Tibet. His books with California include A History of Modern Tibet 1913-1951 (1989) and English-Tibetan Dictionary of Modern Tibetan (1984). Gelek Rimpoche and Lobsang Phuntshog are Tibetan scholars.