Kleine Schriften.

• Author: Jamison, Stephanie W.
• Position: Brief Reviews - Book Review

Kleine Schriften. By LUDWIG ALSDORF, edited by Albrecht Wezler. 2nd ed. Glasenapp-Stiftung, vol. 10. Stuttgart: FRANZ STEINER VERLAG, 2001. Pp. xxx + 749. [euro]86.

Kleine Schriften: Nachtragsband. By LUDWIG ALSDORF, edited by Albrecht Wezler. Glasenapp-Stiftung, vol. 35. Stuttgart: FRANZ STEINER VERLAG, 1998. Pp. viii + 763-935. DM/FS 68.

The first edition of the Kleine Schriften of the prolific and multi-talented L. Alsdorf (1904-1978) appeared in 1974 and has been out of print for some time. Its recent reissue is very welcome, following a few years after the appearance of the supplementary volume. The first volume contains nearly fifty articles and selected reviews originally published between 1929 and 1973; the Nachtragsband some six articles on various aspects of Buddhist and Jaina Middle Indic literature and language that appeared after the publication of the first volume (from 1974 to the posthumous appearing "Ardha-Magadhi" of 1980), as well as an earlier work, "Beitrage zur Geschichte von Vegetarismus und Rinderverehrung in Indien," first published in the proceedings of the Mainz Akademie in 1964 and therefore somewhat difficult of access.

Although Alsdorf made important contributions to Vedic studies, he is best known for his work on Middle Indic, especially on Jaina, but also on Buddhist materials. Reading around in these very rich volumes reminds us of the crucial lesson...