In this book, the author respect we feel for her. It seeks neither to sell religion to fashion or to convert. The goal here is to explain what Buddhism is, its essence and how it evolved over time and throughout its geographic expansion. The book is well constructed. The approach is progressive. The origins of Buddhism and concepts are well explained. The different "streams" or "schools" are described just enough not to get away from the subject. Some notes: The concept of soul is not discussed, not even when it comes to impersonality and emptiness (?). Not a word either about the Dalai Lama (it's still one of the clichés of Buddhism with Tibet and Zen, right?). The bibliography is deliberately brief but as it is a little dated delivered cited are not always available.