Sir Edwin Arnold 
The Light of Asia 

The Light of Asia was published in 1879. The book is renowned as a classic and has been published in various editions and different languages. In this poetic masterpiece, Sir Edwin Arnold tells the life and lessons of Buddha. The man who was to become known as Buddha to the world was born Prince Gautama of India. However, he rejected the wealthy and lavish lifestyle and abandoned all the powers he had gotten when he began his journey to find the importance of life. This poem uncovers Buddha's life according to the Buddhist point of view, so you don't need to be a Buddhist to see the value in this wonderful work. As soon as you read about Buddha, you will start discovering your own life. Not just the philosophical part, but because of its poetic form, the story of the dramatic incidents in Buddha's life is delightful to read.