Anna and the King  •  Andy Tennant 1999 •  DVD This is the fourth adaptation of the diaries of Anna Leonowens, the widowed British governess who came to Siam with her young son in 1860 with the purpose of tutoring the King's formidable clan of children and wives. First there was Margaret Landon's 1944 novel, then a non-musical stage version, followed by the celebrated Rogers & Hammerstein musical "The King and I," and most recently, this 1999 version, starring Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat, which focuses as much on the turbulent political climate of nineteenth-century Siam as it does on the chemistry between Anna and the King. (TLD56, $14.98)
Arts of Southeast Asia  •  Fiona Kerlogue ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2004 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A handsome guide to the art, architecture, textiles and crafts of Southeast Asia, featuring 183 illustrations, 102 in color. Organized thematically, this concise book includes chapters on Hindu, Buddhist and indigenous art. A volume in the World of Art series. (SEA45, $16.95)
Birds of Myanmar  •  Kyaw Nyunt Lwin  •  Khin Ma Ma Thwin  •  Aung Thant FIELD GUIDE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 165 PAGES A slim field guide to 350 birds of Burma, featuring 74 full-color plates, descriptive information, and a comprehensive checklist. The Burmese authors and illustrator are associated with BirdLife International. (BMA42, $35.00)
Eyewitness Guide Thailand  •  Philip Cornwel-Smith  •  Deni Brown GUIDEBOOK •  2004 •  PAPER  • 504 PAGES A compact illustrated guide to Thailand, featuring color photographs, excellent maps and a regional overview of the country's attractions. Handsome, convenient and up-to-date. (TLD26, $25.00)
Fodor's Bangkok's 25 Best  •  Sylvie Franquet  •  Anthony Sattin GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES This slim guide to Bangkok includes an excellent pullout map of the center of the city along with essential information on its highlights, including restaurant recommendations and sightseeing. (TLD40, $11.95)
Fodor's Thailand  •  Fodors GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 569 PAGES A popular, practical guide. (TLD42, $23.95)
Footprint Thailand Handbook  •  Andrew Spooner GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 751 PAGES A practical guide in the popular British series. (TLD67, $24.95)
A Fortune-Teller Told Me, Earthbound Travels in the Far East  •  Tizanio Terzani TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2002 •  PAPER  • 371 PAGES Grounded for a year, the peripatetic journalist (Italian-born, writing in German, and based in India) sets off by any other means to complete his rounds through Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Thailand, Mongolia, China, Japan and other far-flung destinations. The result is this warm, anecdotal account of the character of the region. It's got to be the book most recommended to us on contemporary Asia. (SEA35, $14.95)
Genders and Sexualities in Modern Thailand  •  Peter Jackson  •  Nerida Cook CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2000 •  PAPER  • 289 PAGES A well-edited collection of 15 essays by noted scholars on issues of gender, sexuality and culture in Thailand, covering gender roles, marriage and sexual identity. The authors, who rely variously on interviews, historical research and popular accounts, tackle serious issues of prostitution, AIDS, and class. (TLD44, $27.50)
A Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos  •  Michael Freeman GUIDEBOOK •  1998 •  PAPER  • 320 PAGES • COMING IN A compact guide to Khmer temples throughout the region, both famous and little-visited, featuring color photography, maps, temple plans and diagrams. It includes many remarkable sites near the border with Cambodia that are open to the public for the first time. (TLD20, $19.95)
In Search of Southeast Asia: a Modern History  •  David P. Chandler  •  David J. Steinberg HISTORY •  1988 •  PAPER  • 590 PAGES Written by seven historians of Asia, this scholarly overview of the social, economic and political history of Southeast Asia is an excellent introduction to the region. A popular text for courses on modern Southeast Asian history, the organizing theme of the book is the region's cultural adaptation to change. Parts 2, 4 & 5 are organized by country. (SEA18, $30.00)
Insight Guide Southeast Asia  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2003 •  PAPER  • 302 PAGES • COMING IN A profusely illustrated overview of Thailand, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and the Phillippines, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on history, politics and culture, as well as hundreds of photos and maps and some limited practical information. (SEA51, $22.95)
Insight Pocket Guide Bangkok  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  2001 •  PAPER  • 136 PAGES This convenient, slim volume features color photographs, many maps (including a handy fold-out map of the city), good short descriptions of major points of interest, and other practical information. (TLD03, $13.95)
Insight Pocket Guide Phuket  •  Insight Guides GUIDEBOOK •  1999 •  PAPER  • 112 PAGES This convenient, slim volume features color photographs, many maps (including a handy fold-out map), good short descriptions of major points of interest, and other practical information. (TLD33, $12.95)
Jewelry of Southeast Asia  •  Anne Richter ART & ARCHITECTURE •  2000 •  HARD COVER  • 304 PAGES An in-depth analysis of Southeast Asia's jewelry tradition that spans from the Neolithic and Bronze Age to the present, complemented by 350 full-color illustrations. Richter showcases more than 300 prized pieces and provides insightful commentary. (SEA25, $75.00)
The King and I  •  Walter Lang 1956 •  DVD The classic Rogers & Hammerstein musical adaptation of Margaret Landon's 1944 novel "Anna and the King of Siam," based on the diaries of Anna Leonowens. Deborah Kerr stars as the British schoolteacher who came to Siam (now Thailand) with her son in 1860 to tutor the King's many children and wives. Here is Yul Brynner's unforgettable performance as the stern, unsmiling King of Siam, whose facade can only be melted by a rousing chorus of "Shall We Dance." (TLD55, $19.98)
Lonely Planet Bangkok  •  Joe Cummings GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 290 PAGES This comprehensive, practical guide includes a good overview of history and attractions, dozens of color maps, and even a section on Thai language. (TLD19, $17.99)
Lonely Planet Thailand  •  Joe Cummings GUIDEBOOK •  2007 •  PAPER  • 1032 PAGES An exhaustive guide to traveling in Thailand by Joe Cummings, one of Lonely Planet's best. With maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature, and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. (TLD17, $26.99)
The Naked Tourist, In Search of Adventure and Beauty in the Age of the Airport Mall  •  Lawrence Osborne TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2007 •  PAPER  • 256 PAGES • NEW "It came upon me suddenly," Osborne reports, "like a mental disorder unknown to psychiatry: the desire to stop everything in normal life, to uproot, leave." And so he does, taking off on a six-month journey from Dubai to India, Bangkok, Bali and Papua New Guinea on the "Asian Highway." Osborne is not just interested in travel, but also in the reasons why we travel, layering his own entertaining adventures with ruminations on Shangri-La, The Grand Tour, the exotic and primitive. (SEA50, $14.00)
The Politics of Heroin, CIA Complicity in the Global Drug Trade  •  Alfred McCoy HISTORY •  1991 •  PAPER  • 634 PAGES An expanded version of McCoy's groundbreaking "The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia." This second edition includes the relationship between drug merchants, and intelligence and law enforcement agencies from Southeast Asia, to Central America and Afghanistan. The author is a professor of history at the University of Wisconsin. (LAO09, $32.95)
Rough Guide Thailand  •  Paul Gray  •  Lucy Ridout GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 966 PAGES This sturdy comprehensive travel guide in the British series includes an excellent historical and cultural overview of Thailand along with extensive listings. An excellent choice. (TLD12, $25.99)
Southeast Asia Map  •  Nelles MAP A clear, double-sided map of all of southeast Asia from Burma, Vietnam and Thailand to Hong Kong, the Philippines and Indonesia at a scale of 1:4,500,000. (SEA12, $10.95)
Southeast Asia, A Concise History  •  Mary Somers Heidhues HISTORY •  2001 •  PAPER  • 192 PAGES A lively, illustrated history of Southeast Asia, covering the politics, economics, society and culture of Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines. With 131 black-and-white illustrations and 11 maps. (SEA26, $19.95)
Thai, Start Speaking Today  •  Language/30 LANGUAGE & PHRASEBOOKS •  1993 •  AUDIO CD A 90-minute crash course in Thai with two audio tapes and a phrasebook. Geared for travelers, the course follows the foreign service method -- which focuses on dialogues and useful sentences instead of individual words. In each case, an English phrase is spoken once, and repeated in Thai twice. Topics include introductions, transportation, business and health. (TLD43, $21.95)
Thailand Map  •  Periplus Maps MAP A handsome, up-to-date map of Thailand designed for the traveler with an emphasis on cities and sightseeing areas. Imported from Singapore. (TLD06, $8.95)
A Woman's Asia  •  Marybeth Bond ANTHOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 310 PAGES These thirty-five personal, often hilarious accounts of women's adventures from China to Sri Lanka to Turkey to Bhutan, not only illuminating the everyday, oft-overlooked cultural practices of Asia, but also giving a glimpse into the thoughts and feelings of the female traveller. Featuring selections from Jan Morris, Pamela Logan and Alison Wright. (ASA49, $17.95)