Which is a good book to read about history of Buddhism?

Question

I'd like to read about the history of Buddhism. Which book or books would you recommend?

Answer 1

• Buddhism: Its History and Literature, by T.W. Rhys Davids
• Buddhist India, by T.W. Rhys Davids
• Early Buddhist Monachism (600 B.C. - 100 B.C.), by Sukumar Dutt
• History of Buddhism in Ceylon: The Anurādhapura Period, 3rd Century BC – 10th Century AC, by Walpola Rahula
• History of Indian Buddhism: From the Origins to the Śaka Era, by Étienne Lamotte
• The Buddhist Religion: A Historical Introduction, by Richard H. Robinson
• The History of Buddhist Thought, by Edward J. Thomas
• Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benares to Modern Colombo: (Second Edition), by Richard F. Gombrich
• Indian Buddhism (A.K Warder),
• History of Indian Buddhism (Hirakawa Akira),
• How Buddhism Began (Gombrich).
• The Birth of Insight (Erik Braun).
• The Origin of Buddhist Meditation (Alexander Wynne),
• Buddha and Buddhist Synods in India and Abroad (Amarnath Thakur).
• Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks: Collected Papers on the Archaeology, Epigraphy, and Texts of Monastic Buddhism in India (Gregory Schopen).

There is a more of such books at http://www.ahandfulofleaves.org/