King, a reader in religious studies at the University of Stirling, introduces the main schools of Hindu and Buddhist thought, emphasizing the living history of interaction and debate between the various traditions. He outlines the broad spectrum of Indian philosophical schools and questions prevailing assumptions about the "mythical," ahistorical, and "theological" nature of Indian thought. Early chapters discuss the nature of philosophy in general, and later material is presented thematically rather than in separate chapters on various schools. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)