author
Lionel D. (Lionel David) Barnett
1871–1960
A leading British orientalist, he helped open South Asian literature, religion, and history to English-language readers through scholarship, translation, and museum work. His books range from clear introductions to Indian civilization to careful studies of Sanskrit and Prakrit texts.
1 Audiobook
Hindu gods and heroes : studies in the history of the religion of India
by Lionel D. (Lionel David) Barnett
About the author
Born in Liverpool on October 21, 1871, Lionel David Barnett studied at University College, Liverpool, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he first excelled in classics before turning to Sanskrit and Indian studies. He went on to build a long career at the British Museum, joining the Department of Oriental Printed Books and Manuscripts in 1899 and later serving as its Keeper from 1908 until 1936.
Barnett was also Professor of Sanskrit at University College London from 1906 to 1917 and became known as one of the major British scholars of Indian languages and literature of his generation. Alongside detailed cataloguing and manuscript work, he wrote and translated books that introduced broad audiences to Indian religion, philosophy, and cultural history.
He was recognized with major academic honors, including election as a Fellow of the British Academy. Barnett died on January 28, 1960, leaving behind a body of work valued both for its depth and for the way it made complex traditions more approachable to general readers.