Isaline Blew Horner

Isaline Blew Horner OBE (30 March 1896 – 25 April 1981), usually cited as I. B. Horner, was an English Indologist, a leading scholar of Pāli literature and late president of the Pali Text Society (1959–1981).

Life On 30 March 1896 Horner was born in Walthamstow in Essex, England. Horner was a first cousin once removed of the British Theravāda monk Ajahn Amaro.

Cambridge years In 1917, at the University of Cambridge's women's college Newnham College, Horner was awarded the title of a B.A. in moral sciences.

After her undergraduate studies, Horner remained at Newnham College, becoming in 1918 an assistant librarian and then, in 1920, acting librarian. In 1921, Horner traveled to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India and Burma where she was first introduced to Buddhism, its literature and related languages. In 1923, Horner returned to England, where she accepted a Fellowship at Newnham College and became its librarian. In 1928, she became the first Sarah Smithson Research Fellow in Pāli Studies. In 1930, she published her first book, Women Under Primitive Buddhism. In 1933, she edited her first volume of Pāli text, the third volume of the Papañcasūdanī (Majjhima Nikāya commentary). In 1934, Horner was awarded the title of an M.A. from Cambridge. From 1939 to 1949, she served on Cambridge's Governing Body.

From 1926 to 1959, Horner lived and traveled with her companion "Elsie," Eliza Marian Butler (18851959).

PTS years In 1936, due to Butler's accepting a position at Manchester University, and Honorary Treasurer.

Honors In 1964, in recognition of her contributions to Pāli literature, Horner was awarded an honorary Ph.D by Ceylon University. Early Buddhism And The Taking Of Life (1945/1967) Madhuratthavilāsinī nāma Buddhavaṃsaṭṭhakathā of Bhadantâcariya Buddhadatta Mahāthera (1946/1978), ed. by I.B. Horner. Living Thoughts of Gotama the Buddha (1948/2001), by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and I.B. Horner Collection of the Middle Length Sayings (1954) Ten Jātaka Stories (1957) Women In Early Buddhist Literature (1961) Early Buddhist Poetry (1963) Milinda's Questions (1963), translated by I. B. Horner Buddhist Texts through the Ages (1964/1990), translated and edited by Edward Conze in collaboration with I.B. Horner, David Snellgrove, Arthur Waley Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon (vol. 4): Vimanavatthu and Petavatthu (1974), translated by I. B. Horner Noble Quest: Ariyapariyesana Sutta (1974) Minor Anthologies of the Pali Canon (vol. 3): Buddhavamsa and Cariyapitaka (1975), translated by I. B. Horner Apocryphal Birth Stories (Paññāsa Jātaka) (1985), translated by I.B. Horner and Padmanabh S. Jaini The Blessed One's City Of Dhamma: From the Milindapañha (1993), translated by I.B. Horner and N.K.G. Mendis (Buddhist Publication Society, Bodhi Leaves No. 130)