This work is an expanded version of the author's PhD thesis. As a long-term resident of Rangoon he has close contacts with the craftsmen who make these beautiful marionettes, the puppeteers who perform with them and their modern brothers on stage as well as the audiences who watch the shows. This comprehensive work describes Burmese puppetry's glorious past as well as its more recent practice. Once the most dramatic art form, sponsored by the kings, it nearly fell into oblivion in the 20th century due to competition from rival performing arts.