Oh, this book is a beautiful little gem. I've yet to find anything of such a quality as this, other than The Goodly Spellbook.Contrary to what another reviewer said, you do not have to know the first thing about Hinduism to understand this book. It may not even help - this is about Shiva, not the entire whole buffet of Hinduism. Just get yourself a pretty basic understanding of the symbols of pagan myth and you should be good to go. I've studied the mythologies of many different pre-Christian cultures, and if you do some of that, the complex myth of Shiva will make more sense to you (if you're having trouble at all!). You'll see the sheer, fascinating beauty of this and just how much this God encompasses.My copy of this book was an Indian import, and even had the little price sticker on it. The cover is one of those neat little flatap jobs, which just adds to its charm and makes it look like it's got a dust jacket. I really love this book, and wish I'd had it sooner. I love it so much.There's everything you could want to know about Shiva in here, from a Shaivite perspective. If you're looking for a conservative, racist, do-it-my-way-you-need-to-become-Indian-screw-your-culture book, this is not for you. If you're looking for something that just... speaks Shiva, dripping off every page... this book is for you. There's no rules in coming to Shiva. There's no rules in this book. You do the math.