Over a three year period, veteran journalist Thomas Laird conducted 18 candid interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India, in which the Dalai Lama shared the history of Tibet in conversation, something not done since the 1600s. These conversations comprise a new book, 'The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama'. Thomas Laird has over 25 years of experience as a journalist in Asia. He is also a photographer and the author of 'Into Tibet: The CIA's First Atomic Spy and His Secret Expedition to Lhasa'. He has lived over half of his adult life in Asia, based for a number of years in Kathmandu, Nepal. Only recently has he resettled in the States, in New Orleans. An excerpt from the Introduction to 'The Story of Tibet": He [The Dalai Lama] looked at me quizzically."There are excellent academic histories of Tibet," I explained,but what is lacking is a popular history of Tibet-aimed at modern Westerners and Chinese-that is accurate, concise, and easy to read. You told me two years ago, in our first meeting, that Tibetan history is complex. You sounded despondent, as if it was impossible to explain Tibet's history to the average person. The way you said that haunted me, and since then I found myself reading everything available about Tibetan history. It is not impossible. I want to strip away the complexity and reveal the heart of the matter. I think that by focusing on your viewpoint of Tibetan history, this could be achieved. Most people will not read an academic history about Tibet, and they don't care what I think about Tibetan history, but they do want to know what you think about this history." He continued to look at me, waiting."Would you work with me so I can write a popular history of Tibet?" I asked."You know that no Dalai Lama has written a history of Tibet since the 1600s." THE STORY OF TIBET ? 2006 by THOMAS LAIRD, and reprinted with the permission of the publisher, GROVE PRESS

Over a three year period, veteran journalist Thomas Laird conducted 18 candid interviews with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in India, in which the Dalai Lama shared the history of Tibet in conversation, something not done since the 1600s. These conversations comprise a new book, 'The Story of Tibet: Conversations with the Dalai Lama'. Thomas Laird has over 25 years of experience as a journalist in Asia. He is also a photographer and the author of 'Into Tibet: The CIA's First Atomic Spy and His Secret Expedition to Lhasa'. He has lived over half of his adult life in Asia, based for a number of years in Kathmandu, Nepal. Only recently has he resettled in the States, in New Orleans. An excerpt from the Introduction to 'The Story of Tibet": He [The Dalai Lama] looked at me quizzically."There are excellent academic histories of Tibet," I explained,but what is lacking is a popular history of Tibet-aimed at modern Westerners and Chinese-that is accurate, concise, and easy to read. You told me two years ago, in our first meeting, that Tibetan history is complex. You sounded despondent, as if it was impossible to explain Tibet's history to the average person. The way you said that haunted me, and since then I found myself reading everything available about Tibetan history. It is not impossible. I want to strip away the complexity and reveal the heart of the matter. I think that by focusing on your viewpoint of Tibetan history, this could be achieved. Most people will not read an academic history about Tibet, and they don't care what I think about Tibetan history, but they do want to know what you think about this history." He continued to look at me, waiting."Would you work with me so I can write a popular history of Tibet?" I asked."You know that no Dalai Lama has written a history of Tibet since the 1600s." THE STORY OF TIBET ? 2006 by THOMAS LAIRD, and reprinted with the permission of the publisher, GROVE PRESS