New book on Sri Lanka’s history to be launched next week

Saturday, 18 February 2012 01:10 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

‘A complete illustrated history of Sri Lanka’ a unique new book by Doctor Anton Sebastian is to be launched next week at the Matara International Book Fair on 22 February, in New Delhi on February 25 at the Foreign Correspondents Club and also at the Sri Lanka stall at the World Book Fair.

The author is a historian of international repute on the history of medicine and science. Sri Lanka being his motherland, he has applied nearly twenty years of his research experience to bring out a new perspective on the history of the country.

The book harnesses the evidence found across the world from Chinese, Roman, Hebrew, Indian, Arabian, Greek, European and other sources to present a global history of our island. Events in all parts of the world throughout history have been compared to Lanka on a chronological basis since prehistoric times. The ethnicity of the island is traced from the original geological formation and the Stone Age man to the historic period.

The origins of the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim races have been skilfully dealt with to promote a better understanding and to bring about harmony between all races, groups and religions. Inscriptions and chronicles have been analysed and portrayed with academic skill but presented in a popular form for easier reading.

Consisting of 696 pages printed on 150 gsm art paper with 487 photos and illustrations in a large coffee table style hardback format, the book weighs over 4 kilos in weight. The book not only serves as valuable storehouse of historic information, but is also a pleasing book to read. It is published by Vijitha Yapa Publications and would be available at Vijitha Yapa bookshops and other leading book stores.