Spring 2018 - Exhibitions International

Spring 2018

River Books was founded 30 years ago to publish books on Southeast Asian art, history and culture.We are committed to recording and preserving unique and vanishing cultures, as well as celebrating

the most beautiful art and architecture in mainland Southeast Asia. In Spring 2016, River Books wasfounded Bangkok Edge – Bangkok’s first ideas festival, which will run from January 20-21, 2018.

Our Thai language books cover aspects of Thai history, while on the dictionary front, our UnabridgedEnglish-Thai dictionary continues to be reprinted with many electronic versions

licensed throughout the world. A major new project in preparation is the Thai-Englishdictionary. Electronic versions and an app will also be available.

Working with acknowledged experts, River Books titles combine excellent photography, design and production values. Significant books published in 2017 were Letters from St. Petersburg - A Siamese Prince at the Court of the Last Tsar and Siam and World War I. The first title

in the Discover Asian Art series, Bencharong – Chinese Porcelain for Siam is now available, as is thebeautiful Catching the Light – A Journey through Burma. As part of our Textile histories, we are

delighted to have published the fascinating history of an Indian textile family in House of Maskati,while Cham art is celebrated in Vibrancy in Stone – Masterpieces from the Danang Museum and

fragile wall paintings in Mural Art – Studies on Painting in Asia.

A new geographical departure for River Books is the fascinating account of life among an endangeredAfrican tribe, The Barabaig – Life, Love and Death on the Tanzanian Plains . Nearer to home, the

best archaeological sites of Southeast Asia are revealed in the comprehensive and extensively illustratedAncient Sites of Southeast Asia.

Our fiction list continues to grow, with an exciting thriller by Gee Svasti, A Dangerous Recipe, andan historical novel, The Stairway Guide’s Daughter by John Burgess.

Follow us on Facebook for all the latest news and information about events, new books and reprints,or email [email protected] to receive our regular newsletter.

Full details available in this catalogue and on our website: www.riverbooksbk.com

Cat.1-15 (Spring 2018)_NR_Layout 1 9/28/17 7:35 PM Page 1

Khmer Art & Culture 18 Bayon – New perspectives

Buddhist Painting in CambodiaPreah Bot – Buddhist painted scrolls in CambodiaTemple in the Clouds – Faith and Conflict at Preah Vihear

19 Ancient AngkorBanteay Chhmar - Garrison-temple of the Khmer EmpireStories in Stone – The Sdok Kok Thom Inscription

Archaeology of Southeast Asia20 Early Thailand – From Prehistory to Sukhothai

Early Mainland Southeast Asia – From First Humansto AngkorEarly Landscapes of MyanmarBefore Siam – Essays in Art and Archaeolog

21 Buddhist Art – An Historical and Cultural JourneyThe Evolution of Thai money - From its evolution in Ancient KingdomsU Thong – City of GoldCaves of Northern Thailand

Thai Art & Culture22 In the Shadow of Rama – Mural Paintings in Mainland

Southeast AsiaThe Roots of Thai ArtAyutthaya – Venice of the East

23 The Grand Palace and Old BangkokPast Lives of The Buddha –Wat Si Chum: Art, Architectureand InscriptionsThai Mother-of-Pearl Inlay

Ceramics24 Ceramics of Seduction – Glazed Wears from Southeast Asia

The Ming Gap and Shipwreck Ceramics in Southeast Asia - Towards a Chronology of Thai Trade WareKhmer Ceramics – Beauty and Meaning

CONTENTS

New Titles4 House of Maskati – One Indian family’s Siamese

textile legacy5 Barabaig – Life, Love and Death on Tanzania’s

Hanang Plains6 Letters from St. Petersburg – A Siamese Prince at the

Court of the Last TsarKatya and the Prince of Siam

7 Siam and World War I – An International History8 Mural Art – Studies on Paintings in Asia9 Vibrancy in Stone – Masterpieces of the

Đà Nẵng Museum of Cham Sculpture10 Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia – A Traveler’s Guide

throught History, Ruins and Landscapes11 Bencharong - Chinese Porcelain for Siam12 Daim Zainuddin – Malaysia’s Revolutionary and

TroubleshooterA Dangerous Recipe

13 Very Bangkok – In the City of the SensesYaowaraj - Bangkok’s Chinatown

Photograph14 Siam - Through the Lens of John Thomson 1865-66

Unseen Siam – Early Photography 1860-191015 Tea Horse Road – China‘s ancient trade road to Tibet

China – Through The Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872The House of the Raja – Splendour and Desolation

Popular Culture and Performance16 Very Thai – Everyday Popular Culture

Thai Taxi Talismans – Bangkok from the passenger seatBangkok Found – Reflections on the City Thai Folk Wisdom – Contemporary Takes on Traditional Proverbs

17 Silence Speaks - Masks, Shadows and Puppets from AsiaCambodian Dance - Celebration of the Gods


VIETNAM & LAOS25 Royal Hue – Heritage of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam

Ancient Luang Prabang and Laos

Burma26 Yangon Echoes – Inside Heritage Homes

The Trouser People – Burma in the Shadows of the Empire27 Tai Magic – Art of the Supernatural in the Shan States and

Lan NaThe Moon Princess – Memories of the Shan StatesBurma’s Spring – Portraits of a Changing Nation

28 Catching the Light - A Journey across MyanmarBackstage MandalaySacred Sites of Burma – Myth and Folklore in an Evolving Spiritual Realm

Cookery29 The Burma Cookbook – Recipes from the Land of a Million

PagodasRiverside Recipes – Thai Cooking at Chakrabongse VillasRawfully Good – ‘Living’ Flavours of Southeast Asia

Thai History 30 Thailand’s Political History – From the 13th Century to

Modern TimesSiam and the League of Nations – Modernisation, Sovereignty and Multilateral Diplomacy, 1920-1940

On Track – Henry Gittins: Railway Pioneer in Siam & Canada

Textiles31 Tribal Textiles from Southwest China - Threads from

Misty LandsPictorial Cambodian Textiles

32 Mantles of Merit – Chin Textiles from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh

The Shan – Culture, Art and CraftsSilken Threads, Lacquer Thrones – Lan Na Court Textiles

33 Fit For a Queen – Her Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creationsby Balmain

Fiction34 After the Wave

Curtain of RainA Woman of Angkor

35 Siamese Tears - The kingdom’s struggle against the colonial superpowers

The Stairway Guide’s Daughter

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4

New TITLES

Sarah Rooney

204 pp, 300 x 230 mmHardback, 281 photographs, 4 maps and plansISBN 978 616 7339 93 1£50/$75

HOUSE OF MASKATIONE INDIAN FAMILY’S SIAMESE TEXTILE LEGACY

House of Maskati chronicles a unique textilelegacy, weaving together pan-Asian culturalthreads and shifting patterns of trade over fivegenerations and 160 years.

The story begins in 1856, when Abdul TyebMaskati started a small business exporting block-printed cloth from India to Siam (as Thailand wasthen known). Before long, the cloth was beingmade to order, with Indian block-makers carvingintricate designs especially for the Siamese market.Known as saudagiri in India and pha lai in Siam,this unique art form blends South Asian andSoutheast Asian artistry and design. As one of itsfirst and biggest producers, the Maskati firm ex-panded from Siam to Singapore, Cambodia, andBurma, and the name ‘Maskati’ became synony-mous in Southeast Asia with this type of block-printed cloth.

After consolidating his initial legacy, the de-scendants of Abdul Tyeb Maskati responded to di-minishing opportunities in the pha lai market bydiversifying their trade networks, products, andexpertise. Under the leadership of his grandson,Abdultyeb Maskati (pictured on the cover), thefamily firm was transformed and extended itsreach as far afield as Japan. Later still, after years of prudence under challenging political

circumstances across the region, the business wastransformed once more. Today, it continues withhis great-great-grandsons at the helm and is run astwo separate entities in India and Thailand – a geographical legacy of his initial idea to ship textiles from India to Siam 160 years ago.


5

New TITLES

Charles Lane

264 pp, 280 x 240 mmHardback, 156 illustrations with 3 mapsISBN 978 616 7339 85 6£40/$55

BARABAIGLIFE, LOVE AND DEATH ON TANZANIA’SHANANG PLAINS

The Barabaig are a group of nomadic cattleherders in north central Tanzania. In the 1980s,Charles Lane had the privilege of living as one ofthem. Despite being known as killers by their enemies, he found them to be generous and caringcompanions, giving him his own cattle and sharingall aspects of their lives. However, their reputationfor stealing cattle and killing their foes has ledthem to be widely feared and disliked by adminis-trators and neighbours, thereby contributing tothe seizure of much of their lands and abuse oftheir rights.

This beautifully illustrated book, photographedby Charles Lane, shows the Barabaig’s artistry in

many facets of their lives, and provides both a fascinating anthropological record and a visualfeast. It also recounts how Charles joined with the Barabaig in an ultimately unsuccessful legalchallenge for the loss of their lands. This rich andhitherto sustainable culture is now under threat,ensuring that this book will become an invaluablerecord.

With a Preface from Survival International Director, Stephen Corry, and Foreword by authorand activist, George Monbiot.


6

New TITLES

Over 280 letters written between King Chula-longkorn and his son, Prince Chakrabongse, from1896 until the King’s death in 1910, cover a tur-bulent period in Siamese and Russian history.

Studying in Tsarist Russia under the patronageof Tsar Nicholas II, his letters home provide a fascinating insight into the Corps des Pages, wherehe studied, the Tsar and the Imperial family andthe role that Siam occupied in Russia’s desire togain a foothold in the East.

As Tsarevich, Nicholas had visited Bangkok in1891, as part of his Eastern Tour which culmi-nated in the opening of the Eastern end of theTrans-Siberian railway in Vladivostok. Lavishlyentertained by King Chulalongkorn, an enduringfriendship began, and the Siamese King credited

LETTERS FROM ST. PETERSBURGA SIAMESE PRINCE AT THE COURT OF THE LAST TSAR

Translated and commentary by Narisa Chakrabongse

452 pp, 240 x 170 mmHardback, 400 photographsISBN 978 616 7339 58 0£25/$40

268 pp, 210 x 142 mm, Paperback,186 b/w photographsISBN 978 616 7339 33 7ISBN 978 616 7339 46 7 (Russian)£9.95/$15.95

Katya & the Prince of Siam is the story of a daring love affair and marriage between a beautiful young Russian girl from Kiev and a Siamese prince,Prince Chakrabongse, one of King Chulalongkorn’s favourite sons. It tells oftheir meeting in St. Petersburg in 1904 where the prince had an honorarycommission in the Hussars as a protogé of the Tsar, of their elopement tomarry in Constantinople and their journey and arrival in Siam. At first anoutcast in Thai society, Ekaterina Ivanovna Desnitsky, or Mom Katerin as shebecame known, gradually gained love and respect. In 1908, they had a son,Prince Chula, and for the next 10 years enjoyed a happy life in Bangkok soci-ety as well as making various trips abroad and throughout Siam.

Making use of much unpublished archive material, the book is a fascinat-ing insight into life in both pre-revolutionary Russia and the Siamese court.

KATYA AND THE PRINCE OF SIAM

Eileen Hunter and Narisa Chakrabongse

the Tsar with helping prevent further French incursions.

Meanwhile, the King’s frank letters to his sonreveal his thoughts on politics, his family, his healthand his plans for the future.Telegrams reacting toimportant events, such as the revolution of 1905,give further insights. A few letters between PrinceChakrabongse and his future wife, EkaterinaDesnitsky, before they eloped to Constantinople,are also included. Read in conjunction with the formal letters to his father, they shed light on hisstate of mind at that time.

The hitherto unpublished letters are beautifullyilllustrated with 400 photographs, extensive explanatory footnotes, a summary of the letters and a detailed index.


7

New TITLES

“I cannot help thinking that it would enhanceSiam’s entry into the War if she were to take some active part or make a bit of a show.” (Prince Charoon, Siamese Minister in Paris, in 1917,when suggesting that Siam bolster its declarationof war by sending troops to Europe.)

Indeed, being a Siamese myself I cannot helpfeeling elated that we have been able to intern Europeans which has undoubtedly increased our prestige a great deal, in the eyes not only of our ownpeople but in those of other Asiatic races residing inour country. (King Rama VI in 1917 on theSiamese internment camps for German enemyaliens.)

It was the proudest day of my life when I learntthat my troops had advanced into enemy territory.(King Rama VI in 1918 when Siamese troops entered Germany.)

Siam and the First World War by Stefan Hell tellsthe story of how the elite of a kingdom in Southeast Asia shrewdly decided to enter into the Great War of 1914-18. While the war brought anunprecedented death toll and suffering to nearlythe entire European continent, by declaring waron Germany Siam became not only the first

SIAM AND WORLD WAR IAN INTERNATIONAL HISTORY

Stefan Hell

256 pp, 236 x 185 mm. Paperback,Illustrations 350 photographsFlexibinding ISBN 978 616 7339 92 4 £25/$40

Southeast Asian state to declare war on a Western power and thereby managed to reap great political gain internationally and solidify their rule domestically. As well as detailing the politicalbackground that led to the sending of an expeditionary source to France, the author tells fascinating personal stories: of one Thai being among the few survivors of a boatsunk by a German torpedo, of Thai students interned in a German Schloss, and of the Germansand Austrians interned in Bangkok.


8

New TITLES

MURAL ARTSTUDIES ON PAINTINGS IN ASIA

Cristophe Munier-Gallard

320 pp, 305 x 235 mmHardback, 460 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 96 2£45/$70 April 2018 (UK & USA)

Mural Art – Studies on mural paintings in Asia is aseries of 10 articles by the best scholars on muralsin Afghanistan, Xinjiang (China), Tibet, Burma,Thailand and Mongolia – from the 5th to the18th century.

With issues such as preservation, digital recon-struction of lost murals, redating through thestudy of regional influences, iconography, style,translation and edition of captioned murals, thisimportant book provides new information with challenging perspectives based on the latest findings.

It also reveals murals never published (Burma,Thailand, Mongolia), recently rediscovered andendangered (Tibet) or destroyed and vandalized(Afghanistan, Xinjiang).

This unique publication on murals in Asiacounts as a precious testimony of a fragile and inspiring heritage.


Võ Văn Thắng & Peter D Sharrock

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New TITLES

296 pp, 300 x 230 mmHardback, 300 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 99 3 £40/$65 March 2018 (UK & USA)

VIBRANCY IN STONE: MASTERPIECES OF

THE �à NẵNg MUSEUM OF CHAM SCULPTURE

This catalogue assembles sumptuous photographsof the world’s leading collection of Cham sculp-ture, along with the most recent insights of Viet-namese and international scholars. The Champaculture thrived in magnificent temples, sculpture,dance and music along the central and southerncoast of today’s Vietnam from the 5th to the 15thcenturies. A focused exploration here uncovers thisbrilliant yet almost lost culture to newcomers aswell as experts. To mark its centenary, the Đà

Nẵng Museum of Cham Sculpture has been expanded and refurbished to appropriately housethe world’s leading collection of Cham art. Themuseum staff, supported by the Southeast Asia artprogramme of the School of Oriental and AfricanStudies (SOAS), London University, funded bythe Alphawood Foundation, worked in concertwith researchers from around the world to presentthese masterpieces


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312 pp, 232 x 170 mmPaperback, 425 colour illustrations, 76 map and plansISBN 978 616 7339 91 7£20/$29.95

October 2017

New TITLES

Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia is the first compre-hensive guide to the ancient sites and archaeologi-cal ruins of Southeast Asia. Designed to assist the adventurous visitor to the region, the book isalso an armchair traveler’s introduction to manyof the most historic and visually engaging monu-ments across seven nations: Indonesia, Vietnam,Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar (Burma),and Malaysia. In addition to background on anddescriptions of individual sites, the guide providesessential tips for travelers and an extensive readinglist and glossary. The result of over twenty years of research and site visits by the author, archaeolo-gist, and architectural conservator William Chap-man, Ancient Sites of Southeast Asia provides asuccinct overview of the region’s many historicruins and related sites.

Over 450 illustrations and 150 maps bring thesemany sites to life.

ANCIENT SITES OFSOUTHEAST ASIAA TRAVELER’S GUIDE THROUGHT HISTORY, RUINS AND LANDSCAPES

William Chapman


11

New TITLES

Discover Asian Art

BENCHARONG - CHINESE PORCELAIN FOR SIAM

Dawn F Rooney

224 pp, 222 x 175 mmHardback, 302 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 68 9£16.95/$25 October 2017

style and aesthetics. A wealth of lavish illustrations,many never before published, are visual revelationsof Bencharong’s splendour.

The author traces the history of Bencharongfrom the renowned kilns of Jingdezhen to enamelling centres at coastal ports in southernChina and its final destination – Ayutthaya andBangkok.

Dawn F Rooney, a long-term Thai resident andan art historian specialising in Southeast Asia, is theauthor of nine books, of which four are on the ceramics of the region.

Bencharong, a unique class of Chinese exportware, was made exclusively for Thai royalty andthe ruling elite in the late 18th and 19th centuries.Enamelled porcelain containers and dishes for thetable and boudoir are resplendent in kaleidoscopiccolours inspired by verdant, tropical vegetation.Lai Nam Thong (‘gold-washed’), a variant, takesthe opulence of this ware to a pinnacle by adding gold as an embellishment. Although Bencharongbelongs both in place and time to the broader tradition of Chinese export art for the Europeanand American markets, it is distinctively Thai in


12

New TITLES

DAIM ZAINUDDINMALAYSIA’S REVOLUTIONARY AND TROUBLESHOOTER

Michael Backman

244 pp, 232 x 170 mmPaperback, 16 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 95 5 £12.95/$16.99 March 2018

Daim Zainuddin is one of Asia’s cleverest politi-cians and policy makers, as well as one of its most controversial. Twice, rescuing the Malaysian econ-omy from near collapse, he has also been instru-mental in restructuring the Malaysian economy –in particular in breaking the link between race andwealth. However, he has received insufficientrecognition for his efforts – perhaps because he is

very wealthy himself, causing him to be the targetof innuendo and envy. He was self-made and richbefore he went into politics – the reverse of whattoo often is the case in Asia. Through numerousinterviews with Daim himself and the peoplearound him, Michael Backman reveals the truthbehind one of Asia’s most able, private and contentious politicians.

G. Svasti

312 pp, 196 x 128 mmPaperback, 1 mapISBN 978 616 7339 82 5£7.99/$12 (UK & USA)

A DANGEROUS RECIPE

Celebrity chef Corran Brook scours the globe forthe world’s best recipes and foods, for his ambitious compendium, ‘The Story of Food’. But when travelling through Asia and chancing ona rare and extraordinary meal he cannot decipher,his struggle to unravel its secrets draws him deeperinto a mystery of corruption and intrigue, it provesdifficult to extricate himself from.

A Dangerous Recipe is a salutary story of greed,infatuation and obsession. But more than a huntfor perfection and the sublime, the book is also aninsight into western attitudes to world culture;

whether a bug, monument, fossil or dish, there’s acompulsive need to control, curate and make itone’s own.

G. Svasti, half English and Thai, has known manylives. After a career in television and productiondesign, he started several businesses, was a com-pany director with Pearson PLC, co developed theSoho Theatre and more recently co-founded theinternational media company, Contagious Ltd.Recently he has returned to writing. A DangerousRecipe is his first novel.


13

New TITLES

Bangkok arrests the visitor with its bewildering juxtaposition of old and new, hi-tech and impromptu, sacred and profane. While modernizing at great paceunder myriad outside influences, the Thai capital draws equal vigour from itshistoric communities, cultural diversity and contemporary urban tribes. Theauthor of Very Thai and Time Out Bangkok, Philip Cornwel-Smith takes an al-ternative look at the subcultures of his adopted town in this practical thematichandbook. With the aid of maps, listings and references, the visitor can engagewith Bangkok’s contradictory character according to their mood or interest.

Explore the city’s contrasting environments, architectural fabric, ethnicpatchwork and intertwined beliefs. Encounter distinct social scenes, whether hip or hi-so, local or bohemian and see how traditional roots infuse the currentThai flowering in arts and entertainments, fashion and food lifestyle and spas.Photography by Dow Wasiksiri – selected for the prestigious 9 Days in the Kingdom project – enhances this insider’s guide to a city like no other.

360 pages, 236 x 185 mm Hardback, 300 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 50 3

VERY BANGKOK – IN THE CITY OF THE SENSES

Philip Cornwel-Smith

Chinatown is one of the last islands of authenticity in a city frequentlyravaged by the developers’ wrecking ball. It is place where the visitorcan still connect with the past, where the aroma of history, sometimesalmost literally, permeates the atmosphere, the buildings, the light.

Yaowaraj is a photographer’s journey to the heart and soul of Chinatown, the result of long meanderings, often at night, over a period of ten years. Seeking to evoke Chinatown as much as to describeit, well as recording some of the classic sites, the book will ask theviewer to consider the area’s unconventional beauty: its writhing metallic mounds of spare parts, its chaoatic and crumbling interiors, the gruesomeness of its raw meat markets, its musty moodiness and themysterious appeal of its sombre alleys and courtyards.

Yvan Cohen is a politics graduatefrom London’s School of Oriental andAfrican studies (SOAS), who firstmoved to Thailand in 1991. Since thenhe has pursued a career in journalismand photography that has included coverage for wide range of internationalpublications including Time, New YorkTimes, AsiaWeek and many others.

160 pages, 230 x 250 mm Hardback, 120 colour illustrationsISBN 978 616 4510 00 5

YAOWARAJ – BANGKOK’S CHINATOWN

Yvan Cohen


14

PHOTOGRAPHY

Unseen Siam – Early Photography 1860-1910features many previously unpublished images andis the first extensive English-language overview ofearly photography in Siam (Thailand).

The book features 15 early photographersworking in Siam – Abbé Larnaudie, Fedor Jagor,Pierre Rossier, Carl Bismark, Francis Chit, JohnThomson, Henry Schüren, Gustave Richard Lam-bert, Max Martin, William Kennett Loftus, FritzSchumann, Joaquim António, Robert Lenz, Emil

UNSEEN SIAMEarly Photography 1860-1910

Joachim K. Bautze 364 pp, 280 x 280 mm, Hardback,704 b/w photographsISBN 978 616 7339 66 5 £40/$69.95

Groote and Kaishu Isonaga. Each photograph isfully catalogued, and some well-known images areattributed for the first time.

The book is an invaluable insight into Siamwhen it was opening up to the outside world, withphotographs of every aspect of Siamese life, frominside the royal palace to vernacular architectureand riverine views; from kings and queens to ordinary people and village life.

Art historian Dr. Joachim K. Bautze has taughtat the universities of Heidelberg, Tokyo andBerlin. He has guest-curated exhibitions of Indianart in Europe and the U.S.A. and written or editedbooks, catalogues and articles on South- as well as Southeast Asian art and photography.

Paisarn Piemmettawat Translated: Narisa Chakrabongse

“John Thomson. brought to 19th century photography a true artist’seye, great technical ability and, above all, a deep humanity andrespect for his subjects... A BOOK TO BUY AND TO TREASURE”

Arts of Asia Review, June 2015

SIAM – Through The Lens of John Thomson 1865-66 including Angkor and Coastal China

portable darkroom tent. Despite the limitations ofthe process, Thomson was able to make photo-graphs of great beauty and sensitivity, capturingthe individuality and humanity of the diverse people of Asia, whether royalty or street vendor.

The photographs of his trip to Siam in 1864-65 are published as a group for the firsttime. Thomson received unparalleled access toKing Rama IV of Thailand, and his images of theking, royal ceremonies, temples and landscapesform a unique archive of images.

Legendary Scottish photographer and travel writerJohn Thomson (1837-1921) set off for the East in1862, and over the next ten years undertook numerous journeys to various countries, includingSiam, Cambodia and China, becoming the firstperson to photograph Angkor Wat, Cambodia.These photographs are one of the most extensiverecords of any region taken in the 19th century.

At that time, cameras were large and heavy,with images having to be exposed onto a glass negative in complete darkness, on location, in a

148 pp, 280 x 280 mmHardback, 180 b/w photographsISBN 978 616 7339 51 1 £19.50/$40


15

PHOTOGRAPHY

TEA HORSE ROADChina’s ancient trade road to Tibet

264 pp, 228 x 228 mmPaperbackม 250 photographsISBN 978 616 7339 53 5£25.00/$40

Michael FreemanSelena Ahmed

One of the longest and most dramatic trade routes of the ancientworld, the Tea Horse Road carried a crucial exchange for 13 centuriesbetween China and Tibet. China needed war horses to protect itsnorthern frontier and Tibet could supply them. When the Tibetansdiscovered tea in the 7th century, it became a diet staple, but its origins are in southwest China, and they had to trade for it.

Re-tracing the many branches of the Road, photographer andwriter Michael Freeman spent two years compiling this remarkablevisual record, from the tea mountains of southern Yunnan andSichuan to Tibet and beyond. Collaborating on this fascinating account, ethno-ecologist Selena Ahmed describes tea and bio-cuturaldiversity in the region.

CHINA – Through The Lens of John Thomson1868-1872

Betty Yao

168 pp, 280 x 280 mmHardback, with 157 b/w photographsISBN 978 616 7339 65 8 £25/$40

[John Thomson’s images] offer an inspiring glimpse into a lost worldthat continues to intrigue. An important record but also a joy to behold,this book is both history and high art.

Traveller Magazine (Autumn 2010 issue)

150 stunning black-and-white photographs from late 19th century China portray Chinese landscapes, architecture and cityscenes, intimate portraits of Manchu brides and Mandarin officials. Betty Yao curated the exhibition that inspired this bookand works closely with the Wellcome Institute which owns theoriginal negatives. The photographs have been exhibited all overthe world.

232 pp, 290 x 290 mmHardback, 86 b/w photographs ISBN 978 616 7339 17 7 £40.00

THE HOUSE OF THE RAJA

Splendour and Desolation in Thailand’s Deep South

Xavier Comas

Forgotten in Thailand’s troubled Deep South, stood a dilapidatedwooden palace once home to a Malay ruler, the last of his dynasty.Known as the “House of the Raja”, it is suffused with loss andsolitude. Comas’ evocative black-and-white photographs take usto a realm of hauntings, mystic powers and fading memories,while his account enthralls with vivid descriptions in which thereal and the magical entwine.


16

POPULAR CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE

320 pages, 240 x 170 mm Hardback, 590 colour illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 37 5 £20.00

VERY THAI – Everyday Popular Culture

Philip Cornwel-SmithPhotography John Goss & Philip Cornwel-Smith

NEW 2nd Edition – expanded & fully updated with 209 new photos, 64 additional pages, 4 extra chapters• The best-selling guide to Thai pop and streetlife• Totally revised to reflect Thailand’s dramatic changes

‘A thrilling, trail-blazing book… A work of astounding breadth and erudition... Has few, if any, English-language equals.’ Bangkok Post‘It is truly so much better than any other guide.’ The Nation ‘Requiredreading’, Asian Wall Street Journal

THAI TAXI TALISMANSBangkok from the Passenger seat

Delight in these colourful and crammed taxi interiors, with myriadadornments from beads and amulets to statuettes of the Buddha, garlands and incantations to monster figures and cartoons. Stuck in traffic? Take the chance to explore Thai culture and popular design as curated by Bangkok taxi drivers in their travelling galleries.

Dale Alan Konstanz

160 pp, 250 x 230 mmPaperback,261 colour illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 08 5£20.00

BANGKOK FOUNDReflections on the City

Alex Kerr

Also available on

316 pp, 210 x 142 mm, Pb 79 b/w ills and 2 mapsISBN 978 974 9863 92 3 £12.99

Evocative, witty and incisive, Bangkok Found looks deep within traditional culture to explain where the mysterious appeal of Bangkok really lies.

This is a journey via the essential and the quirky, thefactual and the mythical to the heart of Bangkok.

THAI FOLK WISDOMContemporary Takes on Traditional Proverbs

120 pp, 240 x 220 mmPb, 100 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 78 7£14.95

This dual-language book features 50 proverbs and sayings from Thailand,each interpreted with a work of art from some of Thailand’s leading contemporary artists such as Manit Sriwanichpoom, Pinaree Sanpitak andJakkai Siributr. A fun and fascinating book, it has proved useful to bothThai language learners and Thai children born in Europe and America,giving them a link to their Thai culture.

Tulaya Pornpiriyakulchai & Jane Vejjajiva


POPULAR CULTURE AND PERFORMANCE

CAMBODIAN DANCECelebration of the Gods

Denise Heywood 144 pp, 230 x 250 mmHardback 300 ills, 208 in colourISBN 978 974 9863 40 4 £19.95

In Cambodia, dance is central to the country’s identity. Religious in origin, its traditions date back more than a thousand years to thegreat Khmer empire. Dancers performed in temples at Angkor echoing the celestial dancers carved on the temple walls.

The history of Cambodian dance, the relationship with Siam,the role of the French in bringing the dancers to the West, and thestories of dancers who survived the dark period in Cambodian history to revive classical dance today are related in this fascinatingand beautifully illustrated book.

This isn’t simply a book for everyone interested in South Asiandance..... This is a book for everyoneinterested in dance.

Bill Harper, Dancing Times

SILENCE SPEAKSMasks, Shadows and Puppets from Asia

Francisco Capelo

Silence Speaks – Masks, Shadows and Puppets fromAsia is a journey through the performances and ritual traditions in twelve regions and countries ofAsia: the Himalayas, (Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal),India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia,Indonesia (Java, Bali), Vietnam and Japan.

These fragile objects of great beauty were notused as disguise or as forms of entertainment, butsignal the wearer’s readiness to receive a spiritualvisitation, while the performance is often a cere-mony for unseen audiences of unearthly spirits.

These traditions are framed by ancient and

sacred narratives that had been received since thefirst Millennium C.E., via land and sea from India. Together with the accompanying dancesand gestures, such narratives were graduallyadapted by the ancestors of the populations nowliving in the countries that this book visits.

Silence Speaks – Masks, Shadows and Puppetsfrom Asia illustrates 270 objects from the Francisco Capelo Collection, assembled over thepast twenty years and now part of the permanentcollection of the Museu da Marioneta in Lisbon.

296 pp, 284 x 236 mmPaperbackISBN 978 616 7339 62 7£40/$69.95

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18

KHMER ART

BAYONNew Perspectives

Edited by Joyce ClarkContributors: A. Choulean, O. Cunin, C. Jacques, TS Maxwell, V. Roveda, A-V. Schweyer, P. D. Sharrock, M. Vickery and H. Woodward

Nine researchers probe the mysteries of this extraordinary monument andits giant face towers, built by King Jayavarman VII in the early 13th century, with insights challenging many of the earlier interpretations of theBayon's art, architecture and inscriptions.

416 pp, 240 x 170 mm, Hb242 photographs, 87 diagrams and 3 maps ISBN 978 974 9863 47 3 £50.00

This lavishly-illustrated book documents the rich Buddhist heritage ofCambodia, illustrating the most important mural paintings, as well as thethe temples in which they are housed, painting techniques and narrativesystems. Illustrated with 630 previously unpublished colour photographs.

BUDDHIST PAINTING in Cambodia328 pp, 280 x 215 mmHardback, 630 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 52 7

Vittorio Roveda andSothorn Yem £40.00

Unfairly ignored by art historians and museums, the beautifully painted Buddhist scrolls known as preah bot have been produced since the 19th century as a manifestation of the faith of pious Cambodian lay people, and are an important part of the country's rich Buddhist cultural heritage.

PREAH BOTBuddhist painted scrolls in Cambodia

Vittorio Roveda & Sothon Yem

152 pages, 240 x 170 mmPb, 172 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 99 2£16.95

TEMPLE IN THE CLOUDSFaith and Conflict at Preah Vihear

232 pp, 210 x 142 mm Pb, 50 b/w illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 54 2£9.95

Preah Vihear ranks among the world’s holiest sites but modern times have tragically transformed it into a battlefield prize. Cambodian factions fought for control during the country’s long civil war, and in recent years the land around the temple has been the focus of a border dispute with Thailand.

Former Washington Post correspondent, John Burgess, recounts the monument’s history, ancient and modern, revealing previously unknown legal strategies and diplomatic manoeuvres behind a contentiousWorld Court case of 1959-1962 that awarded the temple to Cambodia.

Also available on


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BANTEAY CHHMAR Garrison-temple of the Khmer Empire

Peter D. SharrockPhotography Paisarn Piemmettawat

208 pp, 232 x 170 mmPb, 300 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 20 7£19.95

The secrets of the great temple and city of Banteay Chmar have beenburied in the forest for 800 years. Now, finally being restored, it emerges asthe twin-hub of the Khmer Empire under its greatest king, Jayavarman VII(1181-1219). As well as providing a detailed tour of the monument, thebook includes a new translation of the temple’s main inscription, discussesthe unique series of Avalokiteshvara reliefs, as well as Bantaey Chhmar’s rolein providing herbs for the chain of 102 hospitals built by Jayavarman VII.

240 pp, 240 x 170 mm, paperback, 360 colour ills, 47 temple plans, 5 mapsISBN 978 974 9863 81 7 (English) £16.95

ANCIENT ANGKOR

Claude Jacques andMichael Freeman

Ancient Angkor is the best-selling and the only essential guide to Angkor.Sadly, it has been pirated many times. Please buy the original.

Temples are grouped into easy-to-visit itineraries and include helpfulplans. With its scholarly yet readable text and superlative photography, Ancient Angkor is both an invaluable guide and a stand-alone book.

STORIES IN STONEThe Sdok Kok Thom Inscription

John Burgess

Also available on

The Sdok Kok Thom Inscription, one of the world’s most important ancient testaments, is a 340-line chronicle that unlocks the early history of the Khmer Empire.

In this highly readable account, former Washington Post correspondent,John Burgess, traces the impact of the great inscription, carved onto asandstone monolith around 1052 AD.

198 pp, 210 x 142 mmPb, 68 b/w illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 01 6 £12.95

KHMER ART


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ARCHAEOLOGY

240 pp, 240 x 170 mm,Hardback, 256 colour ills, 61 maps and plans

BEFORE SIAM – Essays in Art and Archaeology

Edited by Nicolas Revire & Stephen A. Murphy

The birth of Siam is traditionally seen as corresponding with the founding ofthe city-states of Sukhothai and Ayutthaya, civilisations which grew out of arich milieu of cultures and traditions present from prehistoric times. Whetherthe Mon Buddhism of the so-called Dvaravati period, the Khmer heritage or theBrahmanical and Mahayana stimuli of the Malay Peninsula, these varied influences came together to shape early Siam and later modern Thailand.

This peer-reviewed publication with contributions by renowned expertspresents new research and discoveries to reconstruct the cultures, religious persuasions and artistic traditions in pre-modern Thailand and its neighbours.

288 pp, 232 x 170 mm, Paperback, 500 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 91 6 £16.95

EARLY THAILAND – From Prehistory to Sukhothai

Recent discoveries give new perspectives on Thailand’s past. Drawing on PrehistoricThailand, this updated book covers the first human settlement to the earliest civili-sations, reappraising the early huntergatherers and rice farmers. A new chronologyshows social change in the Bronze Age and the rapid foundation of early states, before the wealth of Iron Age chiefs led to the Angkorean and Dvaravati kingdoms.

Charles Higham &Rachanee Thosarat

456 pp, 232 x 170 mmPaperback, 524 colour ills,75 maps and plans

EARLY MAINLAND SOUTHEAST ASIAFrom First Humans to Angkor

Charles Higham

This synthesis of the latest archaeological discoveries in Southeast Asia beginswith the early hunter gatherers and concludes with the early states, in particularAngkor. New ideas abound: rice farming is found in the Yangzi Valley, while thedevelopment of copper and bronze casting is reexamined. Higham also reviewsthe Iron Age transition into early states.This is the only up-to-date account ofsuch early cultures and a vital compendium for those studying the region.

Newly publisheddiscoveries makethis essentialreading for thoseinterested in theearly history ofMyanmar andmainland South-east Asia. DonaldStadtner, JSS

EARLY LANDSCAPES OF MYANMAR

272 pp, 240 x 170 mm , Paperback, over400 colour and 60 b/w ills, 44 maps andplans ISBN 974 9863 31 3 £16.95

Elizabeth H. Moore

The authoritative text, describing the emergence of theBuddhist landscapes of Myanmar, is framed by the arte-facts, sites and ecology of Upper and Lower Myanmar,with coverage of the Paleolithic, Neolithic, Bronze-ironchiefdoms that preceded Hindu-Buddhist walled politiesof the first millennium AD. Includes many previously un-published sites from Letpanchibaw to Thaton and Dawei.

ISBN 978 616 7339 44 3 £19.95

ISBN 978 616 7339 41 2 £30.00


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ARCHAEOLOGY

400 pp, 310 x 240 mm, Hb 680 colour ills, 22 maps & 78 plansISBN 978 974 9863 87 9 £45.00

Gilles Béguin

BUDDHIST ARTAn Historical and Cultural Journey

Buddhism and its art are the unifying factor of the Asian continent, and a fundamental part of our shared world heritage. Painting a unique portrait ofthis art in one volume is a formidable task, but one in which Gilles Béguin excels. Expert in Buddhist art, he undertakes an historical and cultural journeyacross the vastness of Asia from India, Sri Lanka and Gandhara to Thailand,Cambodia and Burma in Southeast Asia, then up to the Himalayan kingdomsof Nepal and Tibet before arriving at China, Korea and Japan.

More caves occur in the eight northern provincesof Thailand – Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai,Lamphun, Lampang, Chiang Rai, Phayao, Nanand Phrae – than in any other region. The 106featured here include the most spectacular: wildcaves, temple caves and archaeological sites. All aspects of caves are covered: their geology, environment, archaeology, temples and folklore.

Pindar Sidisunthorn,Simon Gardner &Dean Smart

392 pp, 240 x 170 mmHb, over 900 colour ills, 106 caves ISBN 974 9863 13 5 £25.00

..an extremely well-researched,carefully constructed publica-tion that is a credit to both theauthors and the publisher. Anunusual, and truly impressivework. ‘Descent’ Journal of Speleology, Dec. 2006

CAVES OF NORTHERN THAILAND

THE EVOLUTION OF THAI MONEYFROM ITS ORIGINS IN ANCIENT KINGDOMS

Ronachai Krisadaolarn

This companion volume to the award-winning Siamese Coins – From Funan tothe Fifth Reign, includes 100s of new coins – pressed silver, metallic ingots(toks), silver bars, bent ingots, tokens and pot duang (bullet money). The author examined and photographed thousands of specimens, conducted hundreds of assays, and includes images from museums, dealers and private collectors. Born in Brooklyn, Ronachai gained law degrees in the USA beforecoming to Thailand as an American Air Force Judge Advocate, pursuing a legalcareer, and becoming a Thai citizen in 1998. A leading coin expert, he has authored or consulted on many major coin books and exhibitions.

270 pp, 280 x 215 mm, Hbwith slipcase and reproduction coin, 245 colour photographsISBN 978 6167339 73 3

Anna Bennett

U THONG – CITY OF GOLD 168 pp, 270 x 210 mm, Pb400 illustrations with 2 mapsISBN 978 616 7339 81 £25/$40

U Thong, 100 or so km north of Bangkok, has been an important site for over2,000 years, as witnessed by the discovery of a 3rd century Roman coin. Connected to the Chin river, the city gained access to international trade routes.

The inhabitants of the early centres of Classic Southeast Asian civilisationhad so much gold that central and western mainland Southeast Asia includingthe U Thong area was known in Sanskrit as Suvarnabhumi, the Golden Land.

This book brings a new perspective to the highly significant corpus of earlygold artefacts found in and around the moated city of U Thong, as the author isa trained research metallurgy scientist.

£50/$80


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THAI ART & CULTURE

Composed over two thousand years ago, the Ramayana was transmittedto Southeast Asia in the first centuries CE. Over the years, it was adaptedto suit local customs and traditions. The story of Rama’s exile with hiswife Sita, her abduction by the ogre king Ravanna, her rescue and Rama’striumphant return to Ayodhaya, captured the imagination of the kingsof Siam, Cambodia and Indonesia. This triumph of good over evil wasthen visualised in stone carvings, drama, shadow puppets and muralpaintings. Among the latter, Thailand and Cambodia have the finest examples.

In the Shadow of Rama reveals some of the most beautiful paintings in Southeast Asia. From Siam, come the famous murals of the GrandPalace, Bangkok, and the intracacies of the shadow puppets, Nang Yai. From Cambodia, the delicate and expressive murals of Wat Bo, SiemReap, and the Silver Pagoda, Phnom Penh, linking the sources for the images to the Thai Ramakien and the Khmer Reamker. Finally, represen-tations of Rama’s story in Laos and Burma are also discussed.

This magnificent book is the culmination of 20 years of research andprovides a visual feast for all those fascinated by the art of Southeast Asia.

IN THE SHADOW OF RAMAMurals of the Ramayana in Mainland Southeast Asia

256 pp, 305 x 235 mmHardback, 212 colour photographswith 25 plans and 8 maps illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 30 6£40/$64.95

Vittorio Roveda

THE ROOTS OF THAI ART

416 pp, 280 x 215 mmHardback, 540 colour ills, 32 mapsand plansISBN 978 616 7339 11 5£35.00

Piriya KrairikshTranslated by NarisaChakrabongse

The genius of the Mon and Khmer peoples, who inhabited what ispresent day Thailand from the 4th to the 13th centuries, manifested itself in the absorption of influences from India and China into a distinctive local sacred art with quite exceptional aesthetic qualities.Thailand’s pre-eminent art historian Piriya Krairiksh retraces thesemultiple interactions in the early and medieval period so as to revealthe roots of the unique cultural identity we know as Thai.

AYUTTHAYAVenice of the East

Derick Garnier

200 pp, 253 x 182 mmHb, 99 colour illustrationsISBN 974 8225 60 7£16.95

Between 1351 and 1767 AD, Ayutthaya,capital of Siam, was one of the most important trading centres in Southeast Asia,renowned throughout the world for itswealth and beauty.

Derick Garnier traces the history of thecity and the Chao Phraya river which was so essential to its trade, in a text which isscholarly and entertaining.


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THAI ART & CULTURE

Wat Si Chum is unique among Sukhothai temples. Inside, the ceilingof a dark and narrow staircase leading to the open roof, has 86 inscribed stone reliefs depicting jatakas, the former lives of Gotama Buddha. Their unique character and arrangement have long puzzledscholars. In this original volume, a team of experts presents the latestevidence and new solutions.

296 pp, 230 x 250 mm Hardback, 390 colour ills, 30 plans and mapsISBN 978 974 9863 45 9 £35.00

PAST LIVES OF THE BUDDHAWat Si Chum – Art, Architecture and Inscriptions

Peter Skilling, M. L. Pattaratorn Chirapravati,Pierre Pichard, Prapod Assavavirulhakarn, &Santi Pakdeekham

The magnificent complex of throne halls, museums and religious architecture, including the exquisiteEmerald Buddha Temple, are often referred to as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Bangkok. Built and embellished over the nine reigns of the Chakri dynasty (1782 onwards), the Grand Palace is a storehouseof Thai architecture and art over the last 230 years.

As well as the Grand Palace, the book also illustrates and explains 42 key sites in its vicinity includingWat Pho, the Ministry of Defence, the City Pillar Shrine, Sanam Luang, the National Gallery, the recently-opened Museum Siam, many other significant temples, over 20 pages on the National Museum.

356 pp, 232 x 170 mmPb, 854 colour illustrationswith 4 maps and 17 plansISBN 978 974 9863 41 1 £16.95

THE GRAND PALACEAND OLD BANGKOK

Naengnoi Suksri, Narisa Chakrabongse & Thanit LimpabandhuPhotography Paisarn Piemmettawat

For over 500 years, Thai mother-of-pearl inlay has developeda distinctive and beautiful style. Used for a wide variety ofdecorative purposes – doors and windows for temples, palacethrones and precious objects such as monks' alm bowls orboxes – the book illustrates the best examples of mother-of-pearl inlay from the Ayutthaya period onwards, combininghistory with superlative photography.

THAI MOTHER-OF-PEARL INLAY

Julathusana Byachrananda

184 pp, 210 x 240 mmHardback, over 300 colour ills. ISBN 974 8225 63 1 £22.50


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CERAMICS

Ceramics of Seduction – Glazed wares from Southeast Asia provides anopportunity to see and learn about the broad range of wares, mainlyglazed produced in kilns located in five countries of presentdaySoutheast Asia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), Thailandand Laos.

The book illustrates some 280 pieces from the Francisco Capelocollection and has an insightful essay by Dawn F Rooney, an eminentart historian of Southeast Asian art and author of many books.

Roxanna Maude Brown

Shipwrecks in Southeast Asia and their precious cargoes provide invaluableinformation for the study of international trade networks. Here, the late Dr. Roxanna M. Brown analyses over 120 wrecks to trace the developmentsand fluctuations of the international ceramic trade between China andSoutheast Asia, in particular during the 14th-15th centuries, a periodknown as the ‘Ming Gap’ when the export of Chinese ceramics was bannedby the Ming Dynasty. As a result, for over a century, Southeast Asian ceramics became the dominant trade ware throughout the region.

208 pp, 240 x 170 mmHb, 295 colour imagesISBN 978 974 9863 77 0 £30.00

THE MING GAP AND SHIPWRECKCERAMICS IN SOUTHEAST ASIATowards a Chronology of Thai Trade Ware

KHMER CERAMICS – Beauty and Meaning

Dawn F Rooney, Krisda Pinsri & Pariwat ThammapreechakornPhotography by Robert McLeod

262 pp, 300 x 245 mmHardback, 300 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 88 6 £40.00

This magnificent book explores the meaning of Khmer ceramicsboth in terms of their function and their aesthetics, drawing on the160 superlative pieces in the Yothin Tharahirunchot collection.

Renowned ceramics expert, Dawn F Rooney, provides an authoritative discussion of each piece, while the two Thai scholars,Krisda Pinsri and Pariwat Thammapreechakorn discuss hitherto understudied areas of Khmer ceramics. Renowned photographer,Robert McLeod, provides wonderfully evocative images.

CERAMICS OF SEDUCTIONGlazed Wares from Southeast Asia

Dawn F Rooney 344 pp, 285 x 230 mmPaperback, 311 colour photographs,18 plans and maps ISBN 978 616 7339 39 9 £40.00


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VIETNAM & LAOS

272 pp, 232 x 170 mmPaperback, 551 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 95 4£19.95

ROYAL HUEHeritage of the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam

Vu Hong Lien Photography by Paisarn Piemmettawat

Hue, the ancient, royal capital of Vietnam, is remarkable for beauty andgreatness. Despite many dramatic historical events, much of its classicalarchitecture survives. The exquisite royal lifestyle is still visible in theImperial Citadel, in the Hue Museum of Royal Fine Arts and inNguyen mausoleums in the Valley of the Tombs.

Royal Hue traces the development of this magnificent imperial capital from its humble beginnings in the 14th century and with plansand guides is the perfect guide to this world heritage city.

ANCIENT LUANG PRABANG & LAOS

Denise Heywood

The rich cultural heritage of Laos, with a special emphasis on Luang Prabang, is explored in this lavish and extensive book by author andguide, Denise Heywood.

This essential guide includes over 400 colour illustrations, 27 temple plans, Plain of Jars plans, as well as architectural drawings andsections on the art and culture of Laos, buying tips for silk, silver andother local crafts, a restaurant guide and a brief hotel listing.

Lavishly illustrated, it is the best guide available for the cultural traveller visiting Laos today.

252 pp, 240 x 170 mm, Pb396 colour and 70 b/w illsISBN 978 616 7339 45 0£16.95


26

BURMA

Packed with stunning photographs, this beautiful andhaunting book provides an evocative insight in tosome of Yangon's most atmospheric historic placesand interiors.

Philip Davies, English Heritage

The book is a pleasure to look at and read.Thant Myint U, Yangon Heritage Trust

YANGON ECHOESInside Heritage Homes

Virginia Henderson& Tim Webster

208 pp, 250 x 230 mmPaperback, 116 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 57 3 £19.95/$39.95

Yangon Echoes is a popular history of buildings usedas homes in Burma’s bustling, former capital, charting social space and urban folklore and linkingpast to present via living memories.

Our storytellers speak of joy and tragedy, simplepleasures and aching issues. They share thoughts andfeelings of living through Yangon’s emergence fromdecades of stagnation to engage-ment with a rapidlyspinning world.

Virginia Henderson from New Zealand has beenbased in Southeast Asia since 1990. An oral historianwith a doctorate in heritage management, she writeson culture and art, and organizes exhibitions and festivals. Tim Webster is a documentary photogra-pher specializing in theatre, dance and architecturalheritage photography. Tim and Virginia moved toYangon in January 2013.

THE TROUSER PEOPLEBurma in the Shadows of the Empire

Fully revised and updated edition including an afterword of the author’s eyewitness account of the ‘Saffron Revolution’ of 2007 and its bloody crackdown.

Andrew Marshall

264 pp, 210 x 142 mmPaperback, 30 b/w illsISBN 978 616 7339 18 4£10.95

Inspired by the unpublished diaries of Victorianadventurer, Sir George Scott, Pulitzer-prize winnerAndrew Marshall retraces the explorer’s intrepidfootsteps from the mouldering colonial splendourof Rangoon via Mandalay and to the Shan Statewhere Scott had his greatest adventures.

Also available on


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Susan Conway’s beautiful and fascinating book focuses on graphical devices drawn on paper,cloth or the skin ... The text does agreat job of explaining iconography, symbolism and ritual practice invery clear and clean prose.

Chris Baker. The Bangkok Post

BURMA

310 pp, 240 x 170 mmPb, 162 b/w illsISBN 978 974 9863 37 4£16.95

THE MOON PRINCESSMemories of the Shan States

Sanda Simms

Narrated by the eldest daughter of Sao ShweThaike, Sao Sanda, The Moon Princess is both anautobiography and a memoir of her father who, in 1948, became first President of the Union ofBurma. Growing up in the Shan States, sherecords the changes that occurred during Britishcolonial rule, war and Japanese occupation,

216 pages, 232 x 170 mmHardback, 235 colour photographs ISBN 978 616 7339 15 3 £29.95

Susan ConwayTAI MAGICArts of the Supernatural in theShan States and Lan Na

Tai Magic – Arts of the Supernatural in the Shan States and Lan Na is a superbly illustrated book that features manuscripts, textiles and talismans. Within thecontext of Tai cosmology and numerology, Theravada Buddhism and spirit religion, the book examines how good and bad spirits are represented in figurative illustrations and how mystical diagrams and spells can bring goodluck and protection or cause bad luck. Using field notes and photographsgathered during four years’ fieldwork, Susan Conway provides an insightfulpicture of the people creating magic and explains how mystical remedies andtheir rituals are prescribed. Includes comparative material from museums in theUSA, UK and Thailand.

BURMA’S SPRINGPortraits of a ChangingNation

Rosalind Russell

198 pp, 210 x 142 mmPb, over 80 colour illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 55 9£9.95

Burma’s Spring documents the struggles of ordinary people made extraordinary by circum-stance. Rosalind Russell, who came to live inBurma with her family, witnessed a time of unprecedented change in a secretive country thathad been locked under military dictatorship forhalf a century.

Rosalind Russell is a journalist who worked forReuters and then the Independent. She lived in Burma for two years during this important period and returned to cover the elections of 2015.

the return of the British administration, Burma’s independence and the military takeover in 1962.

In addition, Sanda recounts the story of hermarriage to an Englishman and her journey byLand Rover from London to Rangoon.

Also available on


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BURMA

BACKSTAGE MANDALAY Daniel Ehrlich

122 pp, 290 x 290 mm £19.95Hardback, 290 photographsISBN 978 616 7339 22 1

This glimpse behind the curtain of ancient Burmese performingarts reveals a world populated by animist spirit media (nakadaws),monsters from the Ramayana and Buddhist texts, princesses(minthami) and princes (mintha). We see the performers as theytravel around the towns and countryside using temporary bamboostages constructed for all-night festivals in a photo essay giving aninsider’s view of a fragile and mystical aspect of Burmese culture.

SACRED SITES OF BURMAMyth and Folklore in an Evolving Spiritual realm

Donald M. Stadtner

The sacred sites of Burma are amongst the most beautiful and spectacular in Asia. However, their fame and sacredness rest largelyon their founding myths and legends. The author traces the devel-opment of these intricate myths across a swathe of sacred sites fromYangon and the Mon State in Lower Burma to Pagan, Mandalayand Inle lake.Sacred Sites of Burma is an essential read for anyone interested in

the development of Buddhism in Myanmar and its diverse manifes-tations, whether in art, archaeology, history, ritual or belief.

340 pp, 232 x 170 mmPb, over 400 colour illustrationsISBN 978 974 9863 60 2 £19.95

Birgit Neiser

192 pp, 250 x 230 mmPaperback, 144 b/w illustrationsISBN 978 616 7339 83 2 £22/$35

CATCHING THE LIGHTA Journey across Myanmar

Much has changed in Burma since Birgit Neiser first visited in1981 and much has changed since then. Returning in 2010, atthe cusp of political and social change, Neiser began spendingtwo months each year in Myanmar, documenting ways of life sheknew would soon disappear and to reach areas inaccessible to thecasual visitor, she travelled across the country – on the back oftimber trucks in the mountains of Kachin state, by motorbike innorthern Shan State, and onboard an old fishing vessel in the Andaman Sea. The result is Catching the Light – a dazzling collection of photographs that captures a unique moment inMyanmar’s social, cultural, and political history.Birgit Neiser is a German photographer who has exhibitd inLondon, Munich, Sydney and the National Museum in Yangon.“Although Myanmar is full of colour, I chose black & white imagesbecause they provide a deeper insight into the country’s soul thancolourful travel images of the main tourist attractions.”


2929

COOKERY

Robert Carmack & Morrison Polkinghorne

This lavishly photographed cookbook and historic travelogue traces contemporary and colonial Burmese dishes over the past century, high-lighting the best of present-day Myanmar, including foods of its immi-grant populations. The authors spent some ten years researching the book,while organising and hosting culinary tours to uncover the country's mostpopular dishes. They had privileged access to The Strand Hotel’s collectionof historic menus, pictures and photos, while contemporary photography by Morrison Polkinghorne portrays Myanmar street life.

Robert Carmack is the author of four books and a well-known cookery writer. He and partner Morrison Polkinghorne regularly lead culinary tours to Southeast Asia. Morrison is a well-known textile designerand authority on Southeast Asian weaving.

100 tested and tried recipes plus sections on Myanmar and its history,Tea Houses, Scott Market, and Local Etiquette, and more. Illustrations of in-gredients, with shopping substitutes for international readers.

THE BURMA COOKBOOKRecipes from the Land of a Million Pagodas

392 pp, 232 x 155 mm, Hardback,343 colour illsISBN 978 616 7339 38 2 £19.95

FIRST PRIZE WINNER, BEST

ASIAN COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR

WORLD COOKBOOK

AWARDS 2015

RIVERSIDE RECIPESThai Cooking at Chakrabongse Villas

The exquisite food served on the Chao Phraya riverside at the formerhome of Prince Chakrabongse in Bangkok is one of the many reasons travellers frequent the boutique hotel created there by the prince’s granddaughter, Narisa Chakrabongse.

In this sumptuous book, 68 recipes guide the reader and nascent Thaichef through a wide range of meals, from a typical Thai breakfast, throughlunchtime dishes of somtam, fried rice and noodles to elaborate eveningmeals, featuring the signature dishes by Chef Worawat. Paisarn Piammet-tawat's superlative photography showcases the food so budding and experienced chefs alike can recreate their own delicious Thai dishes.

204 pp, 228 x 228 mm, 68 disheswith glossary and appendices232 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 36 8 (Eng)£19.95

WINNER

GOURMAND

WORLD

COOKERY

AWARD 2014

(ASIA)

284 pp, 245 x 165 mmHardback, 342 colour illustrationsISBN 978 190 4562 12 2£19.95

Owner of the idyllic resort Puri Ganesha in Bali, Diana von Cranach has longbeen a well-known local food explorer and chef. A few years ago, she began a jour-ney into the world of raw food using only locally sourced ingredients. Here, Dianaworks with world-famous chefs at restaurants throughout Southeast Asia to pre-pare healthier and lighter food using their own recipes as a basis. From Bali in Indonesia, Langkawi in Malaysia, Nha Trang in Vietnam, Siem Reap in Cambo-dia, Luang Prabang in Laos, Chiang Mai and Loei Provinces in Thailand and thecities of Bangkok, Singapore and Yangon, Rawfully Good reinvents over 99 well-known regional recipes with excitingly different and invigorating ‘living’ flavours.

RAWFULLY GOOD‘Living’ Flavours of Southeast Asia

Diana von Cranach


30

THAI HISTORY

328 pp, 232 x 170 mmPaperback, 36 illustrations ISBN 978 974 9863 96 1 £16.95

THAILAND’SPOLITICALHISTORY: From the ThirteenthCentury to ModernTimes

B. J. Terwiel

Revised edition

SIAM ANDTHE LEAGUEOF NATIONS1920-1940

Stefan HellForeword Tej Bunnag,former Minister of Foreign Affairs

284 pp, 232 x 170 mm, Paperback, 22 b/w photographs ISBN 978 974 9863 89 3 £16.95

This fully revised edition has a greatly widenedscope, from the evolution of the Siamese state inthe early Sukhothai period through the fall of Ayutthaya, to the large-scale investments in moderninfrastructure and the economic expansion thathave occurred since the 1950s onwards.

A new chapter addresses Thailand’s recent political situation and the divisive polarisation ofThai society. It traces the emergence of the rivalYellow and Red shirt groups and the occupation of Rachaprasong by the UDD and their violent dispesal by the Thai military.

The fight against human trafficking, publichealth, or combating the international drug tradeare pressing problems Thailand and the world facetoday. However, such topics were already high onthe political agenda over 80 years ago during colonial times, when the League of Nations, theUnited Nations’ predecessor, was created.

This first in-depth study of Thai foreign relations in over a decade traces how these andother policy areas brought Siam in contact withthe League of Nations, after the kingdom becamean original member of this first global body.

Paul Gittins

Henry Gittins, born in 1858, went to Canada as a young adventurer where hestarted his career as a railway engineer. In 1885, he joined a survey team in Siamaiming to develop a national railway system. He spent thirty-three years there,progressing to the highest position in the Siamese Railway Department.

Amongst his many achievements was the discovery of Hua Hin and hisheroic construction of the Southern Railway line. During his time in Siam,Henry Gittins kept a series of diaries which not only give a first hand account ofthe difficult and dangerous conditions surrounding the construction of railways at that time but also a fascinating picture of the emergence of Siam intothe modern world.

On Track is an affectionate tribute from the author to the grandfather that he got to know and to appreciate through the diaries that had been left him.

'The diaries provide a rare first-hand account of agreat period in world history and Paul Gittins makesexcellent use of this material to create a highly read-able book.' (Donald Threlford, ex-editor, The Observer)

ON TRACK Henry Gittins, Railway Pioneer in Siam & Canada

SEE STEFAN HELL’S NEW BOOK: SIAM AND

WORLDWAR I ON PAGE 7.

152 pp, 210 x 142 mmPaperback, 33 b/w photographs with 4 mapsISBN 978 616 7339 42 9£9.95

Also available on


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TEXTILES

Gill Green is to be congratulatedon this important contribution toour understanding of Cambodiantextiles . . . . the book provides an extremely satisfying aesthetic experience.

Milton Osborne, The Asian ArtsSociety of Australia, Vol. 18, no. 1

PICTORIAL CAMBODIAN TEXTILES

Gillian Green

166 pp, 230 x 250 mm Paperback, 278 colour illustrations ISBN 978 974 9863 39 8 £19.95

The pictorial representations of Cambodian silk hangings, pidan,are unique in mainland Southeast Asia. Many of the few surviving antique textiles visualise Buddhist themes – a response in silk to similar images in other media also used in community religiouspractice. This book illuminates many facets of these spectacularcloths, assembling for the first time a comprehensive collection ofpictorial pidan from private and public collections.

Philippe Fatin is a traveller, photographer and collector with a world-class collection of tribal textiles from southern China, featuring exqui-site garments collected from tribes across southern China includingthe Bazhai, Zhouxi, Xijiang and Gedong amongst others. The distinc-tive styles, colours and motifs from each are looked at in turn and theremarkable photographs allow the reader to appreciate the intricacy ofeach piece and the tradition prized by each tribe.

Profusely illustrated with over 320 colour illustrations, the booknot only studies the designs themselves but shows the ceremonies thetextiles are made for, the traditional weaving methods employed aswell other other ornamentations such as headpieces and fastenings.Dyeing techniques and other working methods are also discussed.

262 pp, 300 x 255 mmHardback, 320 colour photographsISBN 978 616 7339 71 9£40/$64.95

TRIBAL TEXTILES FROM SOUTHWEST CHINAThreads from Misty Lands

Catherine Bourzat Photography Thierry Arensma and Philippe Fatin

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TEXTILES

David & Barbara Fraser 288 pp, 280 x 215 mm Hb, 650 colour illsISBN 974 9863 01 1£35.00

The rich textile heritage of the Chin emphasizes blankets and intricate tunics of homespun cotton, flax, hemp and silk, dyed withindigo and lac, and woven on a back-tension loom. Winner of theMillia Davenport Publication Award 2006 for the best book on costume, and the R. L. Shep Book Award 2007 as the best book onethnic textiles.

MANTLES OF MERITChin Textiles from Myanmar, India and Bangladesh

The unique character of the 19th century Lan Na culture of Northern Thailand is seen in its sumptuous textiles and court dressreflecting a diverse cultural heritage. In addition, Susan Conway situates this textile history within the context of the complex maritaland political alliances of the time.

282 pp, 280 x 215 mm, Hb Over 300 colour illsISBN 974 8225 65 8 £35.00

SILKEN THREADS LACQUERTHRONES – Lan Na Court Textiles

Susan Conway

......beautifully producedand written... worth buyingfor the illustrations alone...The book also makes avaluable and fascinatingscholarly contribution to alittle studied part of the Taiworld. Martin Stuart-Fox, JSS,2007 Vol. 95

Susan Conway

THE SHANCulture, Art and Crafts

The culture of the Shan and theirrulers is explored in this fascinatingvolume with rare, previously unpublished photographs of life in thecourts and in the hill regions of theShan dominion.

212 pp, 280 x 215 mm Hb with over 300 colour illsISBN 974 9863 06 2 £35.00


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Melissa Leventon

FIT FOR A QUEENHer Majesty Queen Sirikit’s Creations

by Balmain

232 pp, 285 x 230 mmHardback, 313 colour photographs

with 90 b/w imagesISBN 978 616 7339 63 4

October 2016 (UK & USA)

£35/$55

In 1960, King Bhumibol Adulyadej and QueenSirikit of Thailand embarked on an epoch-makingstate visit to 15 Western nations. The trip, whichrevitalized the image of Thailand internationally,was a coming-of-age for the young monarchs whothus entered upon the world stage. Presenting anengaging image of their homeland, TheirMajesties were received by statesmen, local and international celebrities, and many of the crownedheads of Europe.Her Majesty Queen Sirikit enchanted Euro-

peans and Americans during the tour with her“fairytale” couture wardrobe. Designed primarilyby Pierre Balmain, her regal attire was the result ofa professional collaboration that was to last formore than two decades. The interest and acclaimaccorded the beautiful Queen contributed greatlyto that first tour’s success and established her as aninternational taste-maker and the era’s epitome ofroyal style. Moreover, Her Majesty’s Thai dressfrom the tour evolved into modern Thai nationaldress, and her subsequent work with Balmain significantly influenced its development as well.

Fit for a Queen charts the evolution of HerMajesty’s royal style and her professional relationship with Balmain. The book showcasesmore than 70 of the ensembles he designed forQueen Sirikit in the 1960s and 1970s in photographs by renowned Thai fashion photographer Nat Prakobsantisuk.

TEXTILES


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FICTION

Tew Bunnag

118 pp, 196 x 128 mmPaperbackISBN 978 616 7339 59 7£7.99/$15.95

Tew decided to write this collection of short stories linked to the Tsunami, inspired by his experiences of working in the South of Thailand with those whohad suffered the devastation at first hand and were dealing with the loss of theirfamilies and friends, as well as, in some cases, their livelihoods, stories which touchon universal issues of loss, grief and recovery.

Tew Bunnag was in Bangkok, and studied Chinese and Economics at Cambridge University, before travelling in Europe, North Africa, the MiddleEast and Asia. He is a T’ai Chi and meditation teacher, specialising in bereavement counselling.

AFTER THE WAVE

CURTAIN OF RAIN

Tew Bunnag

224 pp, 196 x 128 mmPaperback, b/w ISBN 978 616 7339 49 8 £8.99

Two lives, fatefully interlinked; two sets of memories, in danger of being lost.Clare Stone’s past has suddenly caught up with her. When a long-suppressedmemory comes vividly alive, she finds herself being pulled back to the place ofits origin: Bangkok. There, she meets Tarrin Wandee, the writer whose book has unsettled her. But have they met before, all those years ago, when she was young,idealistic and dangerously naïve?

All our lives are linked; it’s just a question of how. Moody and atmospheric, Curtain of Rain is a story of politics, power and greed, and the search for meaning and redemption.

A WOMAN OF ANGKOR

John Burgess

264 pp, 210 x 142 mmPaperbackISBN 978 616 7339 25 2£8.95

In a village in 12th century Cambodia, birthplace of the lost Angkor civilisation, behind a towering stone temple, lives a young woman named Sray.Her neighbours liken her to the heroine of a Hindu epic, but her serenity ismarred by a dangerous secret. One rainy season afternoon, she is called to a lifeof prominence in the royal court. There, her faith and loyalties will be tested bythe great king Suryavarman II.

“Burgess has done something that I believe is unique in modern writing: set a credible and seemingly authentic tale in the courts and temples of ancient Angkor tostir the imagination and excite our historical interest.” (John le Carré)

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SIAMESE TEARSThe kingdom’s struggle against the colonial superpowers

Claire Keefe-Fox

Siam 1890 and blue-stocking Julie Gallet, an independent-minded Parisian,has made what her English mother describes as an imprudent match. Follow-ing her husband to the Far East, she comes to stay with Michael Crawfurd, herBritish diplomat cousin and discovers a city of golden spires and colonial intrigue between France and England. Resisting entreaties to return home, Juliesettles in Bangkok, teaches French to the ladies of the Royal Court and be-comes passionately involved in Siamese life and affairs. Her irreverent journalrecounts her growing political awareness along with the awakening of her sensuality. Blending fact and fiction, Siamese Tears is a faithful account of theevents leading to the Paknam incident through the eyes of those who wit-nessed them.

Claire Keefe-Fox was born in Italy of French and American parents and grewup between Europe and the USA. She always felt a special affinity for Asia.She has written three novels in French about Thailand, and divides her time between France and Bangkok.

392 pp, 196 x 128 mmPaperbackISBN 978 6167339 75 7£ 9.95/$14.95

John Burgess 306 pp, 210 x 142 mmPaperback, 10 b/w photographsISBN 978 616 7339 87 0£8.99/$15

THE STAIRWAY GUIDE’S DAUGHTER

In twelfth century Cambodia, a young woman called Jorani earns her livingguiding pilgrims up a two thousand-step stairway to the magnificent cliff-toptemple Preah Vihear. One day, she accidentally witnesses the furtive burning ofsacred palm-leaf documents, and is drawn into a succession struggle at the temple. She is forced to choose between loyalty to family and to the son of theabbot, with whom she forms an unlikely bond. Set in the golden age of Cam-bodia’s Angkor civilization, The Stairway Guide’s Daughter brings to life a tem-ple that is one of humankind’s most remarkable creations of faith and architecture, and is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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FICTION


Spring 2018 - Exhibitions International

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Transcript of Spring 2018 - Exhibitions International