An outstanding presentation of a brilliant civilization uncovered and explained by dedicated explorers. scholars and restoration experts. The photographs draw you right into the scene, even better than what you could experience if you were actually there (and I have spent a couple of days photographing there myself); their crispness and the masterly use of modelling light brings out every nuance and detail (demonstrating the superiority of medium or large format photography on fine-grained film?). One wishes there were a few reproductions of the inscriptions, and little explanation on the languages used and the relations with the source civilization (India) of the Hindu and Buddhist traditions and culture. ( )