Walter Yeeling Evans-Wentz (1878–1965) was an American anthropologist and writer who played a pioneering role in the study and transmission of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western world. Active during the first half of the twentieth century, his scholarship and publications served as a primary conduit for Eastern spiritual philosophies entering Western mainstream consciousness.
He is most widely recognized for publishing an early English translation of The Tibetan Book of the Dead in 1927. This seminal work was followed by three other major translations from the Tibetan language: Tibet's Great Yogi Milarepa in 1928, Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines in 1935, and The Tibetan Book of the Great Liberation in 1954. Together, these four volumes formed a comprehensive corpus that introduced Tibetan religious practices and philosophies to English-speaking readers.
Beyond his primary translations, Evans-Wentz also engaged with other prominent spiritual figures of his time. He authored the preface to Paramahansa Yogananda's celebrated 1946 book, Autobiography of a Yogi. Through his dedicated anthropological efforts and editorial contributions, Evans-Wentz left a lasting legacy on the comparative study of religion and the Western reception of Buddhist thought.
