Doctor from Lhasa

London: Corgi Books / Transworld Publishers. Very Good- with no dust jacket. (1960). First Thus. Softcover. No signatures. Spine faded. Edges of spine rubbed. 1/2" tear at tail of spine. ; First Corgi Book edition. Paperback. Page dimensions: 162 x 107mm. The Lobsang Rampa books are now generally regarded to have been written by the English gentleman Cyril Hoskin (1910-1981), who was born in Devon, England. In the Lobsanga Rampa books he assumed the identity of being a Tibetan born in Lhasa. "Rampa was tracked by the British press to Howth, Ireland and confronted with these allegations. He did not deny that he had been born as Cyril Hoskin, but claimed that his body was now occupied by the spirit of Lobsang Rampa. According to the account given in his third book, The Rampa Story, he had fallen out of a fir tree in his garden in Thames Ditton, Surrey while attempting to photograph an owl. He was concussed and on regaining his senses had seen a Buddhist monk in saffron robes walking towards him. The monk spoke to him about Rampa taking over his body and Hoskin agreed, saying that he was dissatisfied with his current life. When Rampa's original body became too worn out to continue, he took over Hoskin's body in a process of transmigration of the soul." - from the Wikipedia entry on T. Lobsang Rampa, 23 May 2011. "Whether it be truth, as some believe, or myth as others claim, Doctor from Lhasa is as exotic and controversial a book as its widely discussed predecessor." - from blurb on rear wrapper. ; 16mo .