Adventures and Encounters, Europeans in Southeast Asia  •  J.M. Gullick ANTHOLOGY •  1996 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES This anthology offers a diverse selection of European accounts of Southeast Asia. The writers range from 16th century explorers and mariners to 19th century naturalists and modern literary travelers. Complemented by engravings and archival photographs. (INS20, $60.00)
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)
Brother Number One, A Political Biography of Pol Pot  •  David Chandler BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 264 PAGES The definitive history of the Pol Pot era by the author of the History of Cambodia. (CBD23, $32.00)
Buddhist Art and Architecture  •  Robert Fisher ART & ARCHITECTURE •  1993 •  PAPER  • 216 PAGES A wide-ranging, illustrated survey of Buddhist art, architecture and iconography in the excellent World of Art series. It includes examples from throughout Asia. (ASA30, $18.95)
The Buddhist Handbook  •  John Snelling RELIGION •  1992 •  PAPER  • 345 PAGES Subtitled, "The Complete Guide to Buddhist Schools, Teaching, Practice and History, " this even-handed book is a concise primer covering the history, philosophical foundation and practice of Buddhism. It gives a basic overview of the teachings and practice of Buddhism, including a who's who of contemporary teachers and list of useful addresses around the world. (ASA08, $16.95)
Cambodia and Laos Map  •  ITMB 2003 •  MAP A full color map of Laos and Cambodia for the traveler at a scale of 1:800,000. With an index, and small inset maps of central Phnom Penh and Vientiane. (LAO07, $11.95)
Cambodia Map  •  Gecko Maps 2005 •  MAP A full color map of Cambodia for the traveler at a scale of 1:750,000. With useful inset city and area maps of Phnom Penh, Angkor, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville with restaurants, hotels and attractions. (CBD17, $15.95)
Cambodia's New Deal  •  William Shawcross HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 106 PAGES (CBD14, $9.95)
Cambodia, A Shattered Society  •  Mark W. Mcleod  •  Marie Martin HISTORY •  1994 •  HARD COVER  • 383 PAGES A political and cultural history of post-Pol Pot Cambodia for a scholarly audience. (CBD22, $65.00)
Cambodian Culture Since 1975  •  May Ebihara HISTORY •  1994 •  PAPER  • 194 PAGES A scholary collection of articles on Cambodian culture since the violence of Pol Pot's regime in the 1970s. (CBD21, $22.95)
Children of Cambodia's Killing Fields: Memoirs by Survivors  •  Dith Pran  •  Ben Kiernan  •  Kim DePaul BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1999 •  PAPER  • 224 PAGES A series of eyewitness testimonies of the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s. Dith Pran, the photojournalist whose story was told in the film The Killing Fields, compiled 29 accounts, all told by people who were children during Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. (CBD33, $19.50)
The Civilization of Angkor  •  Charles Higham HISTORY •  2004 •  PAPER  • 207 PAGES A concise history of the origins, development and rise of the kingdom of Angkor by a leading Southeast Asia archaeologist. It's an up-to-date, accessible overview of the civilization from prehistory through the fall of Angkor in 1431. With 28 black-and-white photographs and a series of 9 maps showing development in the region. (CBD26, $21.95)
The Ends of the Earth, A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy  •  Robert D. Kaplan TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1997 •  PAPER  • 476 PAGES Kaplan, a veteran foreign correspondent and wonderful writer, journeys though much of the third world in this far-ranging, insightful report on sociopolitics, the future and other big topics. Organized geographically, he hops from West Africa to the Nile, Balkans, Central Asia, China and Southeast Asia. Two large sections are devoted to Iran and the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. (WLD26, $16.00)
Footprint Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos  •  Jack O'Tailan  •  Claire Boobbyer  •  John Colet  •  Andrew Spooner GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 560 PAGES A detailed, practical guide to Bangkok, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, filled with maps, background on attractions, practical information on transportation, food, activities and lodgings, and a handful of well selected photographs. About half the book focuses on Vietnam, but there is an extended chapter on Angkor and about 100 pages on Laos. (SEA52, $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)
A History of Cambodia  •  David Chandler HISTORY •  2007 •  PAPER  • 312 PAGES An excellent, scholarly history from early civilization through the rise of Angkor, shift to Phnom Penh, French colonial period, Vietnamization of Cambodia, the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge and Coup de Force of 1997. In a third, expanded edition, Chandler is frank in his criticism of political regimes since WWII. He has also written "Brother Number One, A Political Biography of Pol Pot." (CBD27, $35.00)
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)
It's Easier Than You Think, The Buddhist Way to Happiness  •  Sylvia Boorstein RELIGION •  1997 •  PAPER  • 145 PAGES Boorstein -- a practitioner of Buddhist meditation, psychotherapist and Jewish grandmother to boot -- here relates the basic tenets of Buddhism in her warmly engaging, anecdotal style. It's a good introduction to Buddhist teachings by a self-deprecating master. (GEN264, $13.00)
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)
Lonely Planet Cambodia  •  Daniel Robinson  •  Tony Wheeler  •  Chris Taylor GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 374 PAGES A comprehensive practical guide to Cambodia in the hallmark Lonely Planet style featuring maps, a good overview of culture, history and nature and much nuts-and-bolts information on excursions, accommodations and sightseeing. With a section of color photographs and excellent travel information. Geared for the independent traveler. (CBD04, $21.99)
The Lover  •  Marguerite Duras LITERATURE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 117 PAGES A haunting tale of coming-of-age in Indochina during the 1930s, beautifully evoking the period and place and the complex emotions of a young girl, her family, and her wealthy Chinese lover. (CBD09, $11.00)
Moon Handbook Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos  •  Michael Buckley GUIDEBOOK •  2006 •  PAPER  • 730 PAGES A great resource for the independent traveler, this guidebook, mostly focused on Vietnam, features a thorough introduction to the land, history and culture, as well as astonishing practical detail on getting around, where to go and where to stay. It has a few unobtrusive color plates, as well as a small fold-out map on the inside back cover. (SEA09, $21.95)
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)
River Road to China, The Search for the Source of the Mekong, 1866-73  •  Milton Osborne EXPLORATION •  1999 •  PAPER  • 247 PAGES An excellent modern account of a 19th-century French expedition 4,000 miles from Vietnam and Cambodia into unknown regions of China in search of the source of the Mekong. With a selection of 19th-century engravings and color illustrations from the expedition. Originally published in 1975. (SEA29, $16.00)
Rough Guide Cambodia  •  Beverley Palmer GUIDEBOOK •  2008 •  PAPER  • 376 PAGES A practical, comprehensive travel guide to Cambodia in the British series. Features a detailed look at Phnom Penh and Angkor, tips for traveling to the rural villages, an overview of the country after the fall of the Khmer Rouge and 24 maps. (CBD34, $29.99)
Sanctuary, The Temples of Angkor  •  Steve McCurry ARCHAEOLOGY •  2005 •  PAPER  • 144 PAGES A selection of 100 stunning color photographs of the monks and the monuments of Angkor, the extraordinary carvings, and the forest surrounding the temples by a popular Magnum photographer. John Guy provides an introduction. (CBD28, $29.95)
Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness  •  Milton Osborne BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  1994 •  PAPER  • 304 PAGES Osborne follows, with a critical eye, the roller-coaster career of this important Asian leader -- from king to exile to king again -- and shows him as an energetic and determined, but also self-absorbed, individual. (CBD20, $17.95)
The Sorrow of War, A Novel of North Vietnam  •  Bao Ninh LITERATURE •  1996 •  PAPER  • 213 PAGES A powerful novel by a former North Vietnamese soldier, now translated and available in the United States. This short book captures the appalling conditions of war, alternating vivid scenes from the front lines with flashbacks from the protagonist's rural youth. An unusual and compelling view from the "other side" of the war. (VNM07, $14.00)
Soul of the Tiger, Searching for Nature's Answers in Southeast Asia  •  Jeffrey A. McNeely  •  Paul Spencer Sochaczewski NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 432 PAGES A wide-ranging meditation on the role of animals and nature in the complex human societies of Southeast Asia, originally published in 1988. The authors wax philosophical -- and sometimes blackly humorous -- about conservation issues throughout the region. They argue for effective community-based conservation building on traditional relationships between people and the environment (SEA02, $18.95)
Southeast Asia in the New International Era  •  Clark Neher HISTORY •  2002 •  PAPER  • 288 PAGES A good general history of the entire region and its place in the world. Written by a seasoned scholar, the book is now in its third edition. (SEA17, $38.00)
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)
When Broken Glass Floats, Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge  •  Chanrithy Him BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR •  2001 •  PAPER  • 330 PAGES Chanrithy Him, who as a girl lost her parents and five siblings to the Khmer Rouge, explains that she wrote this moving account in an effort to "be worthy of the suffering" that she and her family endured. (CBD32, $14.95)
The Wisdom of the Buddha  •  Jean Boisselier RELIGION •  1994 •  PAPER  • 191 PAGES A pocket-size primer of Buddhism, this book is an illustrated history of the sixth-century Indian prince and his quest for enlightenment. With 207 illustrations, 160 in full color. (IDA55, $12.95)
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)