"The bold claims of this beautifully produced book are laid out in the very first sentence: 'this is a different kind of book about Buddhism.' There is much to appreciate about the innovative approach. . . . Hyecho’s Journey: The World of Buddhism is noteworthy in its joint authorship and interdisciplinary outlook. The clear and lively prose in which the book was composed will undoubtedly facilitate its appeal to a broad readership, as will its highly original approach to writing about Buddhism and Buddhist material culture."

Reading Religion

"A unique and invaluable contribution to the growing library of Buddhist History. . .a work of extraordinary and seminal scholarship. . .Impressively informative, exceptionally well written, organized and presented. . .especially and unreservedly recommended for both community and academic library Buddhist Studies collections."

Midwest Book Review

“Scholars of material religion and art history will especially welcome the expert synthesis of textual with visual sources and Buddhism scholars the detailed introduction to Hyecho’s life and fragmentary travel journal. Casual readers will enjoy retracing Hyecho’s steps with Lopez’s erudite yet engaging narrative as guide. . . . Recommended.”

CHOICE

"This book is a praiseworthy undertaking, since it manages to be enjoyably educative and esthetically stimulating at the same time. It is recommended to all readers fascinated by the history and art of Buddhism, East and South Asia."

Religious Studies Review

"With his co-authors, Donald Lopez has written a book that envisions Buddhism around the 8th century –and beyond– in quite a different way than the standard historical narratives: by using a combination of the record of the rather unknown Sino-Korean Buddhist traveller Hyecho and selected pieces of Buddhist art the authors explore the dimensions of space and materiality of Buddhism rather than exclusively focusing on event history. The result is a fascinating kaleidoscope of the Buddhist world stretching from the Eastern regions of the Near East to the Far East."

Max Deeg, Cardiff University