I first reviewed this book in December 2018. I don’t normally revise my reviews after publication but in this case I’ve done so because I don’t think I brought out its importance sufficiently clearly the first time.
This is a scholarly but still readable examination of early Buddhism that presents a pretty radical but well-substantiated revision of how Buddhism originated. It also argues that the Greek philosopher Pyrrho, who founded the school known as Pyrrhonism, was influenced by early Buddhism. I think the book is important reading for anyone with a serious interest in Buddhism.