Karen Armstrong is a best-selling author She has a high media profile and is one of the world's greatest authorities on religious affairs BUDDHA was on the NEW YORK TIMES bestseller list for five weeks Karen Armstrong is the author of the worldwide best-seller, A HISTORY OF GOD, which has now appeared in more than thirty languages 'This concise but admirably comprehensive study...Armstrong picks her way through this metaphysical minefield with commendable clarity. She makes an impressive job of marshalling her resources' LITERARY REVIEW 'A fascinating book...It is hard to imagine a clearer, more concise or more authoritative introduction to one of the world's most influential (yet shadowy) spiritual figures' THE TIMES