The History of Bhutan

In recent years, the remote Kingdom of Bhutan has increasingly attracted the attention of the world. In 2008, Bhutan emerged as the youngest democracy and in the same year it crowned the world's youngest monarch. Today, it continues to enchant the rest of the world with its policy of Gross National Happiness and has become a popular destination for travel. But despite its growing popularity and the rising scholarly interest in the country, Bhutan remains one of the most poorly studied places on earth. Karma Phuntsho's The History of Bhutan is the first-ever attempt to cover the entire history of Bhutan in English, combining both traditional perspectives and modern academic analysis. Written by a leading expert on the country, the book tells the story of Bhutan in a narrative style interspersed with some analytical and topical discussion, and numerous citations and translations from earlier writings. It is primarily a historical account, but it also includes substantive discussions of Bhutan's geography, culture and society to give readers an incisive introduction to the country.