"I am going to tell you the story of the life of a very great man. He was not great as the world usually regards greatness, being neither a conqueror nor a hero in any worldly sense—in fact, for many years of his life, he was a beggar. Buddha is, the name by which he is generally known; but before I begin my story I must tell you something of the lands where he lived and taught—in the great mysterious East, which is so different in every way from the part of the world we live in..."

- The Story of The Buddha

The Story of The Buddha by Edith Holland expounds on the extraordinary life of Siddhattha, founder of the Buddhist faith. Born in the 5th century B.C. as a prince, Siddhattha renounced his grand palace life to become a simple being and attain enlightenment. Siddhattha's father attempted to protect him from sights of human misery and suffering, but Siddhattha eventually escaped the palace life to embark on a spiritual quest. Siddhattha abjured wealth and turned into a monk to contemplate the meaning of life. After becoming enlightened, Siddhattha toured entire India disseminating his doctrines and establishing monasteries.