More Books

AROUND THE WORLD 2009 - CLASSIC
More Books

1,000 Places to See Before You Die • Patricia Schultz TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2011 • PAPER • 1200 PAGES What an excellent idea, adding 500 color photographs to the hardworking (not to mention talented and charming) Patricia Schultz's already tantalizing roundup of 1,000 great places -- world famous monuments, fine restaurants, essential hotels and extraordinary travel experiences -- complete with a convenient checklist. With 200 new entries, 28 new countries and 200 more pages, each monument, museum, town, trek, or park is nicely described in a few paragraphs, including travel details. Not just for explorers and adventurers, the selections are skewed toward North America and Europe; mortals can imagine actually visiting many of the places. It seems to us that, apart from anything else, this book would make a great parlor game. (TVL23, $19.95)
The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations • John Haywood • Simon Hall HISTORY • 2005 • PAPER • 144 PAGES A slim, informative history of ancient civilizations tracing the development of cultures in Mesopotamia and the Near East, China and India, Egypt and Africa, Greece and Rome, Peru and Mexico through excellent color maps. With color photographs, illustrations and succinct accompanying text. (WLD71, $20.00)
Aboriginal Art • Wally Caruana ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2003 • PAPER • 239 PAGES This well illustrated survey of Aboriginal art, ancient and modern, focuses on the spiritual and geographic sources of art and ritual traditions in Australia. It covers the range of art from all parts of the continent, including a chapter on the Wandjina rock art of the Kimberley region. The concise text is augmented by 187 well produced black-and-white and color illustrations. (AUS14, $19.95)
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)
The Penguin Encyclopedia of Ancient Civilizations • Arthur Cotterell REFERENCE • 1980 • PAPER • 367 PAGES An illustrated roundup of the world's ancient civilizations, ranging from the Egyptians to Etruscans, Aztecs to the Shang people, Minoans to Aryans. Written by leading academics, it features additional chapters such as "Prehistory" by Richard Leakey, the "Evolution of the Alphabet," and "Chinese Art." (GEN90, $23.00)
African Wildlife • James Kavanaugh FIELD GUIDE • 1999 • PLASTIC CARD A laminated foldout guide illustrating almost 150 species of African animals. This pocket guide is designed for quick reference in the field. (AFR109, $5.95)
Angkor and the Khmer Civilization • Michael Coe CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2005 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A concise, illustrated survey of the society, culture and monuments of the Khmer civilization. An interesting footnote to Coe's many investigations and books on the Maya. With 130 well-integrated engravings, maps, tables, site plans and photographs, 22 in color. (CBD39, $24.95)
The Art of Ancient Egypt • Gay Robins ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2008 • PAPER • 272 PAGES A beautifully illustrated survey of 3,000 years of history as told through sculpture, reliefs and other artifacts of the ancient Egyptians. Organized chronologically, the book features 300 illustrations in color and black and white of wall paintings, sculpture, coffins, funeral papyri and amulets. (EGY52, $30.50)
Vanishing Histories, 100 Endangered Sites from the World Monuments Fund • Colin Amery ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2001 • HARD COVER • 207 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A stunning portrait of 100 threatened archaeological and cultural monuments around the world from Angkor, Pompeii, and Mesa Verde to lesser known buildings and sites, all listed by the World Monuments Fund. Organized geographically, each building or site gets at least a full page, usually two. Founded in 1996, the New York-based organization is dedicated to publicizing, preserving and protecting endangered examples of historic art and architecture around the world. (GEN219, $60.00)
Art of the Andes, from Chavin to Inca • Rebecca Stone-Miller ARCHAEOLOGY • 2002 • PAPER • 224 PAGES This authoritative and concise illustrated survey of Andean art and architecture covers not only Machu Picchu and additional Inca monuments, but also Chan Chan, Nasca and other archaeological sites and cultures. With 183 illustrations, maps and site diagrams. Revised edition. (PRU05, $19.95)
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)
Australia, A Traveler's Literary Companion • Robert Ross ANTHOLOGY • 1998 • PAPER • 256 PAGES Arranged geographically, this collection of mostly local writers is an excellent overview of the cultures, geography and mindset of Australia. It includes stories by Patrick White, Peter Carey and other luminaries, as well as transcriptions of several aboriginal myths. (AUS38, $13.95)
Beyond the Sky and the Earth • Jamie Zeppa TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1999 • PAPER • 303 PAGES Tales of travel and discovery in a remote Himalayan kingdom, Zeppa's memoir of her two years as a teacher in a remote village details her growing love and commitment to the Bhutanese culture and people. She records her transformation from wide-eyed neophyte to falling in love with a Bhutanese man (with whom she has a child). (BHU08, $16.00)
Archaeological Map of Machu Picchu • Wright Water Engineers 2008 • MAP A foldout site plan of Machu Picchu showing the location of buildings and monuments, topographic relief, and other physical features. The reverse is a simplified diagram of the site with full color photographs of not-to-be-missed attractions. With suggested routes, this is a handy pocket guide to plan your visit to Machu Picchu. (PRU23, $6.95)
Conquest of the Incas • John Hemming HISTORY • 1970 • PAPER • 641 PAGES A masterful, prize-winning history of the Inca struggle against the Spanish invasion. This classic account, by one of the best writers on South America, brings together wide-ranging scholarly material in the interests of telling a good story. With a chronology, family tree, bibliography, notes and references. (AND04, $25.00)
Birds of India • Richard Grimmett • Carol Inskipp • Tim Inskipp FIELD GUIDE • 2012 • PAPER • 384 PAGES A field edition of the masterful five-pound handbook to birds of the region (FG31), featuring the same stunning color plates, up-to-date range maps and condensed descriptive information. The book covers 1,300 bird species of the Indian Subcontinent from Nepal and Bhutan to Sri Lanka. With 153 color plates. Descriptions, range maps and illustrations are integrated on the same page for easy reference. Designed and built for use in the field with a sturdy binding and water-resistant cover. (FG43, $39.50)
The Birth and Death of Miracle Man • Albert Wendt LITERATURE • 1999 • PAPER • 176 PAGES A collection of 12 short stories by the Samoan-born writer, rich in the atmosphere and particularity of island life. (PAC106, $16.95)
The Blessings of Bhutan • Russ and Blyth Carpenter CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2002 • PAPER • 192 PAGES • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE Not a travelogue, this is instead an introduction to Bhutan -- its people, customs, religion and history -- as interpreted by a husband-and-wife team who has made Bhutan their second home. (BHU16, $26.99)
The Songlines • Bruce Chatwin CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1988 • PAPER • 294 PAGES • FAVORITE This celebrated travelogue is as much about its gifted author -- and the meaning of travel -- as about the Aboriginal people and their ways of life. In this unusual book, Chatwin combines straightforward reporting, history, dream-time stories, and a heady mix of quotations from his notebooks. Along the way, he transforms a journey through the outback into an exhilarating, semi-fictional meditation on our place in the world. (AUS01, $16.00)
Blue Latitudes • Tony Horwitz • David Gerroll TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2002 • AUDIO CD An abridged audio version of Horwitz's vivid tale of modern adventures, history and fun in the wake of Captain Cook. Horwitz paints a broad picture of Cook and his time, capturing the places and personalities Cook encountered in his daring voyages around the world. Since he doesn't like the cold, the author (who sailed on a replica of the Endeavor as a crewman) skipped the Antarctic. Narrated by British actor Daniel Gerroll. (PAC151, $34.95)
Ancient Angkor • Claude Jacques • Michael Freeman GUIDEBOOK • 2008 • PAPER • 239 PAGES • COMING IN MAY An expert overview of the monuments, architecture, culture, religion and history of Angkor, written by the leading authority on the temple complex and featuring 350 color photographs by Michael Freeman. Organized geographically, each temple description includes photographs, site plan, highlights, and visitor suggestions. Temples are ranked according to interest. With maps and suggested itineraries. (CBD15, $25.00)
Blue Nile, Ethiopia's River of Magic and Mystery • Virginia Morell EXPLORATION • 2001 • PAPER • 324 PAGES • COMING IN A spirited account of a National Geographic rafting expedition on the Blue Nile from its source in Ethiopia to the Sudan. Morell, who taught school in Ethiopia and has written two books on the Leakey family, interweaves the tale of her own adventures with her a history of exploration of the Nile. She's also an insightful guide to contemporary Ethiopian culture and politics. With a few color photographs and maps. (ETP27, $14.00)
Bradt Guide Mali • Ross Velton GUIDEBOOK • 2009 • PAPER • 304 PAGES This third edition covers the history, culture and attractions of Mali, including its music and festivals. (WAF16, $27.99)
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, $43.75)
Easter Island, Mystery of the Stone Giants • Catherine Orliac • Paul Bahn ARCHAEOLOGY • 1995 • PAPER • 143 PAGES • COMING IN A pocket-size encyclopedia of archaeology and culture. This slim volume features color photographs and illustrations, excerpts from key works and a good synopsis of the archaeological history. Part of the acclaimed "Discoveries" series, it is a concise overview of the magnificent archaeological finds at Easter Island. (EIL01, $12.95)
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, $19.95)
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, $19.95)
Cambodia • Michael Freeman CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2004 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A political and cultural history of Cambodia by writer, photographer and keen observer Michael Freeman. (CBD40, $27.00)
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. Two Sides. 26x36 inches. (CBD17, $18.95)
The Civilization of Angkor • Charles Higham HISTORY • 2004 • PAPER • 207 PAGES • COMING IN 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, $24.95)
Cambodia's New Deal • William Shawcross HISTORY • 1994 • PAPER • 106 PAGES A scholarly survey of Cambodia's political and economic climate. (CBD14, $9.95)
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, $35.00)
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)
Captain James Cook • Richard Hough BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1997 • PAPER • 398 PAGES A vividly written narrative of the life and three great voyages of Captain Cook. This fine book includes a gripping account of his discoveries throughout the Pacific -- and his demise in the Sandwich Islands. (PAC24, $18.95)
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)
Collected Short Stories, Volume 4 • W. Somerset Maugham LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 464 PAGES Maugham can evoke turn-of-the-century colonial Asia like no other. This collection of stories features many set in Malaysia and other southeast Asian locales, including the well-known tale "The Letter." (SEA01, $18.00)
A Dragon Apparent, Travels in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam • Norman Lewis TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2003 • PAPER • 358 PAGES • FAVORITE • HARD TO FIND ELSEWHERE A classic account of travels and adventure during the last years of French Indochina, strong on atmosphere and including wonderfully detailed descriptions of local cultures and archaeological treasures. Originally published in 1951, this was the first title by John Hatt and the estimable Eland books. (SEA40, $33.95)
Earth From Above, 365 Days • Yann Arthus-Bertrand NATURAL HISTORY • 2009 • HARD COVER • 792 PAGES A terrific, thought-provoking portrait of Planet Earth -- as documented in nearly spectacular and often witty color photographs. Sponsored by UNESCO, the French aerial photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand journeyed across the continents by helicopter and airplane to produce this handsome collection. He includes striking landscapes, wildlife, geography and people from both far above and nearly on the ground. (GEN159, $32.50)
The Egyptians • Cyril Aldred HISTORY • 1998 • PAPER • 224 PAGES A volume in the "Ancient Peoples and Places" series, this classic book is an outstanding account of the history and culture of ancient Egypt for the curious traveler. With hundreds of illustrations and maps. (EGY26, $18.95)
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)
The Enigmas of Easter Island • John Flenley • Paul Bahn ARCHAEOLOGY • 2003 • HARD COVER • 256 PAGES • COMING IN For this revised and updated edition of Bahn and Flenley's highly regarded 1992 book, the authors offer an excellent, scholarly portrait of the island, its art, culture and collapse. They incorporate recent archaeological evidence and research, including what has been learned from the Rongorongo script. With chapters on settlement, quarrying and moving of rock for the giant statues, and the European discovery. (EIL02, $43.50)
Ethiopia, the Unknown Land: A Cultural and Historical Guide • Stuart Munro-Hay CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2002 • HARD COVER • 384 PAGES • COMING IN A richly illustrated, authoritative guide to the history, culture, and art of Ethiopia by a leading scholar. Munro-Hay pays particular attention to archaeological sites and the role of the church. He has also written a book on Aksum, the Iron Age site in northern Ethiopia. (ETP29, $42.00)
Everyday Life in the Muslim Middle East • Donna Lee Bowen • Evelyn A. Early CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2001 • PAPER • 411 PAGES The second edition of a diverse collection of articles on life in the modern Muslim countries by Middle Eastern and Western scholars, revised and updated. It includes scholarly and popular essays, short stories, and traditional songs. The anthology is organized thematically into sections on life passages, relations between the sexes, home, religion, performance and entertainment. With good suggestions for further reading, glossary and notes. (MDE34, $23.95)
A Fine Balance • Rohinton Mistry LITERATURE • 1997 • PAPER • 624 PAGES • FAVORITE The secret to life, according to a recurring character in this sprawling tale, is "to maintain a fine balance between hope and despair." Set in 1975 in an unnamed Indian "city by the sea," which seems to bear a striking resemblance to Bombay, this tender novel follows the intermingled fortunes of a Parsi widow, a college student who is her boarder, and two Hindu tailors trying to make their way in the city. Each character is meticulously drawn, and the often harrowing background stories (including some murderous caste violence in the tailors' family) are interweaved through the main narrative, which finds the four thrown briefly, and eventually very happily, together in a tiny flat. All this is set against the background of Indira Gandhi's "emergency Raj," in which civil liberties were essentially suspended. It's all profoundly moving, a rare window into the cultural and religious maelstrom of India. One of the best things we've read on India, and a fine piece of literature. A Booker Prize finalist. (IDA92, $17.00)
First They Killed My Father, A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers • Loung Ung BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2001 • PAPER • 240 PAGES By the age of eight, Loung Ung had survived the deaths of both her parents and two sisters at the hands of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. Loung Ung and her brother were eventually rescued by humanitarian workers and brought to the U.S., and here she retells the harrowing story of those brutal years spent in Cambodia as a young girl. Written in the present tense, it's an eye-opening eyewitness account of the atrocities suffered by millions of Cambodians from the perspective of a survivor. (CBD13, $14.99)
Footprint Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos • Jack O'Tailan • Claire Boobbyer • John Colet • Andrew Spooner GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • PAPER • 576 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, $25.95)
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, $16.00)
From Stonehenge to Samarkand, An Anthology of Archaeological Travel Writing • Brian M. Fagan ARCHAEOLOGY • 2006 • HARD COVER • 291 PAGES Herodotus, the original traveler, Twain on the Grand Tour, tourists on the Nile, visitors to Palmyra, Petra and Persepolis, John Lloyd Stephen's Maya discoveries, Sir Aurel Stein on the Silk Road, Byron in Oxiana, Paul Theroux and Tom Bissell are all represented in this wide-ranging anthology. (WLD75, $37.95)
The Future of the Past • Alexander Stille HISTORY • 2003 • PAPER • 339 PAGES A survey of conservation, preservation and threats to cultures and monuments around the world. The author is a frequent contributor to the New Yorker (where you may have read portions of this book). In these interconnected essays, Stille argues that the rapid rate of change and explosion in information makes it increasingly difficult to understand -- and protect -- our cultural legacy. Organized geographically, he enlivens the discussion with anecdotes and travels to places as distant (and disparate) as Sicily, China, Egypt, India, Madagascar, Somalia, Washington and Rome. A journalist by training and temperament, Stilles lets the people he meets around the world speak for themselves on the implications of their work. Each place and researcher gets its own chapter. Stimulating. (CON23, $19.00)
The Gate • Francois Bizot BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2004 • PAPER • 304 PAGES In this chilling account Bizot, a French ethnologist married to a Khmer woman, tells of his remarkable, terrifying years during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Bizot is the only Westerner imprisoned by the Khmer Rouge to have been released alive. (SEA48, $14.00)
The Gods Drink Whiskey • Stephen T. Asma TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 288 PAGES Asma, a university professor and a Buddhist, writes with verve and humor of his stint teaching at the Buddhist Institute in Phnom Penh. The book is both an introduction to Theravada Buddhism and a portrait of contemporary Cambodia. He confesses in his preface quite pointedly that it is his mission to take "California" out of Buddhism and his earthy account of his (mis)adventures is refreshingly free of cant and high-minded prattle. He is also acutely aware of his position as a western scholar in a Buddhist country (albeit one where Buddhism was outlawed by the repugnant Khmer Rouge). (CBD46, $14.99)
Gods, Graves and Scholars, The Story of Archaeology • C.W. Ceram ARCHAEOLOGY • 1986 • PAPER • 515 PAGES In this entertaining popular history of archaeology, Cream tells of the glory days of discovery -- an excellent, very readable account. (EGY28, $17.00)
Great Barrier Reef • David Doubilet NATURAL HISTORY • 2002 • HARD COVER • 186 PAGES • COMING IN Underwater master of color and light Doubilet captures the beauty and diversity of the 1,250-mile-long Great Barrier Reef in 125 stunning photographs. (AUS118, $40.00)
Serengeti, The Eternal Beginning • Boyd Norton NATURAL HISTORY • 2011 • HARD COVER • 288 PAGES Two-hundred-and-fifty color photographs and Norton's firsthand accounts from Serengeti National Park, Kenya's Masai Mara, and Ngorongoro Crater, as well as memorable stories about encounters with people and wildlife will transport you to East Africa. Chosen as one of the "40 Most Influential Nature Photographers" in 2010, the roving, Colorado-based Norton has worked in the Rocky Mountains, Lake Baikal and Alaska. He is founder and director of Serengeti Watch with Longitude friend and colleague Dave Blanton. (EAF378, $35.00)
Hindu Art • T. Richard Blurton ART & ARCHITECTURE • 1993 • PAPER • 239 PAGES A beautifully illustrated large paperback of excellent quality, this book is a good introduction to the complexities of Indian painting, sculpture and sacred architecture. The author is a curator at the British Museum. (IDA35, $35.00)
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, $38.00)
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abyssinia • Samuel Johnson • J.P. Hardy LITERATURE • 2009 • PAPER • 157 PAGES Johnson drew upon the journals of a Jesuit priest to weave this ironic tale of earthly paradise in the "happy valley of Abyssinia," originally published in 1759. While hardly a guidebook to the real nation of Ethiopia, the tale captures the European fascination with this ancient land. It's Dr. Johnson's answer to the tradition of Eastern story books -- a thought-provoking meditation on the big questions of happiness, love, solitude and what it means to be great. (ETP12, $12.95)
The Ice Maiden • Johan Reinhard ARCHAEOLOGY • 2006 • PAPER • 384 PAGES Archaeologist Johan Reinhard brings together tales of this own adventures and plenty of Inca history in this account of his discovery of Juanita, a 500-year-old mummy found in the Peruvian Andes. Published by National Geographic. (AND52, $14.95)
The Idea of India • Sunil Khilnani CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 1999 • PAPER • 263 PAGES A provocative survey of India since independence, presented as four essays: Democracy, Economics, Cities, and Who is an Indian. Khilnani confronts the complexities, paradoxes and challenges of the nation in this short, elegant book. He teaches politics at Birkbeck College at the University of London. (IDA160, $17.00)
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, $34.00)
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)
Islam, The Straight Path • John L. Esposito RELIGION • 2010 • PAPER • 304 PAGES A well-written survey of the faith, practice and beliefs of Islam. It's a balanced tone intended for an undergraduate audience, yet it also functions as an excellent overview for the general reader. (MDE22, $49.95)
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)
The Khmer Empire, Cities and Sanctuaries from the 5th to the 13th Century • Claude Jacques CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2007 • HARD COVER This sumptuously presented illustrated overview of the monuments and sites of the Khmer civilization features an authoritative history by French archaeologist Claude Jacques. It includes not just Angkor but a range of sites in Cambodia and Laos. (CBD53, $80.00)
The Killing Fields • Roland Joffe 1984 • DVD Haing S. Ngor won an Oscar for his role as Dith Pran, the Cambodian assistant to a New York Times reporter who experiences the horrors of the Khmer Rouge. Based on a true story, it's a harrowing portrait of Cambodia in the early 1970s, where political unrest and the specter of the Vietnam War ultimately led to genocide . (CBD42, $19.98)
Krakatoa, The Day the World Exploded: August 27, 1883 • Simon Winchester NATURAL HISTORY • 2005 • PAPER • 416 PAGES With this marvelous book, his 16th, Winchester returns to his original calling of roots in geology, masterfully combining his own observations of Krakatoa with a vivid retelling of the eruption itself, and a crystal-clear overview of plate tectonics and volcanology. The ecological concept of succession has rarely had such an excellent spokesman. (INS93, $13.99)
Laos and Cambodia Map • ITMB 2006 • MAP A full color map of Laos and Cambodia for the traveler at a scale of 1:1, 200,000. With an index, and small inset maps of central Phnom Penh and Vientiane. Two Sides. 26x39 inches. (LAO07, $12.95)
Lonely Planet Cambodia • Lonely Planet GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 376 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, $23.99)
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, $12.00)
The Mekong, Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future • Milton Osborne HISTORY • 2001 • PAPER • 320 PAGES A cultural history of the great river from prehistory to European exploration, colonial tensions and modern challenges. It's an engaging introduction to the history of Southeast Asia. Osborne has also written an account of the 19th-century search for the source of the Mekong (SEA29). (SEA28, $16.00)
National Geographic Atlas of the World • National Geographic REFERENCE • 2010 • PAPER • 432 PAGES $50 off the $175 cover price. A classic, ever-popular world atlas, the product of Allen Carroll and his team of cartographers at the National Geographic Society. The maps, densely printed with place names and features, are instantly familiar, adapted from the country, regional and thematic maps included with the magazine. This ninth edition includes new maps covering volatile regions such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. World thematic spreads reveal freshwater scarcity, global warming, world economies, energy resources and consumption, and other critical trends. Dramatic ocean floor maps show more features and detail than any other atlas. Sturdily bound (with 416 jumbo 19 x 13-inch pages), the atlas weighs in at 10 pounds. (GEN05, $125.00)
National Geographic India • Louise Nicholson GUIDEBOOK • 2010 • PAPER • 400 PAGES Veteran guidebook author Louise Nicholson teamed up with National Geographic photographers for this profusely illustrated travel guide, which also features maps, good overviews of culture, nature, and history, and practical travel information. (IDA208, $27.95)
Outposts, Journeys to the Surviving Relics of the British Empire • Simon Winchester TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2004 • PAPER • 362 PAGES A new edition of Winchester's globe-trotting account of scattered, mostly oceanic, outposts of the British Empire: Hong Kong (no longer), Diego Garcia, Tristan de Cunha, St. Helena, Ascension, Pitcairn, Antarctica (arguably) and the Falkland Islands. Winchester shows his usual flair for anecdote and telling detail, interweaving his own prodigious travels with a history of the British Empire. (GBR569, $13.99)
Palace Walk • Naguib Mahfouz LITERATURE • 2011 • PAPER • 504 PAGES Palace Walk is the Nobel Prize-winning first volume of Mahfouz's monumental Cairo Trilogy. Originally published in 1956-57, the novel is a family saga that takes place in Cairo during the period after WWI (including the 1919 revolution against the British). The Egyptian author has written 40 widely read novels, many now available in translation. Often compared to Balzac, his novels provide insight into life in Egypt. The Swedish Academy called his work rich in nuance, evocative and realistic. (EGY04, $16.00)
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)
The River at the Center of the World • Simon Winchester EXPLORATION • 2004 • PAPER • 410 PAGES • FAVORITE In this wide-ranging journalistic overview of the Yangtze (it's a great river of a book itself) veteran journalist Simon Winchester travels upstream into the heartland of China. He and his guide log 4,000 miles over many months, interviewing peasants and politicians throughout the region. It's a remarkable, wonderfully written portrait: an excellent introduction to the great river that is at the symbolic and literal heart of China. Long based in Hong Kong and a frequent commentator on things Asian, Winchester writes about the character of the river itself, and the people and places along its banks, with an easy grace. First published in 1996. (CHN31, $16.00)
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, $16.95)
The River's Tale, A Year on the Mekong • Edward Gargan TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2003 • PAPER • 352 PAGES A personal, probing chronicle of a 3,000 mile journey on the river from its source in China through Tibet, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia to the Mekong delta in Vietnam. Gargan, a veteran correspondent and bureau chief for the New York Times, spent a year traveling the river. (SEA33, $15.95)
Rough Guide Cambodia • Beverley Palmer GUIDEBOOK • 2011 • 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, $21.99)
Sahara Unveiled, A Journey across the Desert • William Langewiesche TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1997 • PAPER • 302 PAGES Traveling across the Sahara from Algiers to Dakar, Langeweische has written an uncommonly good memoir of the desert, with meditations on its history, inhabitants and allure. (NAF05, $16.00)
Seeing Lhasa, British Depictions of the Tibetan Capital, 1936-1947 • Clare Harris • Tsering Shakya CULTURAL PORTRAIT • 2003 • PAPER • 176 PAGES Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, this book presents a trove of photographs, albums and film by Harry Staunton, Evan Nepean, Hugh Richardson and other British visitors to Tibet. With excellent accompanying essays that place the visual record (including portraits of Tibetan notables) in context. It's an extraordinary document of the country prior to the Chinese takeover, its people, palaces and monasteries. (TBT71, $39.95)
Segu • Maryse Conde • Barbara Bray LITERATURE • 1996 • PAPER • 493 PAGES An epic novel set in the West African kingdom of Bambara (old Mali) in 1797, exhaustive in its detail and thoroughly addictive. Conde transforms actual historical events into a full-blooded, lively tale. Translated from French. (WAF17, $17.00)
The Serengeti Lion, A Study of Predator-Prey Relations • George Schaller NATURAL HISTORY • 2009 • PAPER • 494 PAGES A classic study in field biology and winner of the National Book Award, this book is the result of Schaller's long-term study of the ecology of the Serengeti lion. Well worth browsing for its excellent general information on the habitats and animals of the Serengeti, you may find yourself drawn to the many charts, tables and maps. It's an elegant study, marvelously written. This book is part of a series of monographs on African mammals published by the University of Chicago Press. (EAF13, $30.00)
The Seventy Wonders of the Ancient World • Chris Scarre ARCHAEOLOGY • 1999 • HARD COVER • 304 PAGES A comprehensive, illustrated overview of the great monuments of the ancient world, much expanded from the original seven wonders to include other significant structures. With a dual focus on the monuments themselves and how they were built, the book includes among others: Petra, the Giza plateau, the Parthenon, Abu Simbel, Nazca, Easter Island, and the Great Wall. With maps, "fact files," diagrams, and photographs. (GEN92, $40.00)
The Sign and the Seal, The Quest for the Lost Arc of the Covenant • Graham Hancock MYSTERY • 1993 • PAPER • 600 PAGES In 1983 Hancock visited Axum and learned of Ethiopia's proud claim to the Ark of the Covenant -- and of the nation's ancient Judeo-Christian roots. This mystery would become a ten-year-long obsession, the genesis of this page-turning yarn of adventure, amazing persistence, and scholarship. Regardless of what you think of Hancock's conclusions, this marvelous book is an excellent introduction to Ethiopia, its traditions and legends. (AFR23, $17.99)
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 Snows of Kilimanjaro • Ernest Hemingway LITERATURE • 1995 • PAPER • 156 PAGES A collection of 10 excellent Hemingway stories set in Africa, including The Snows of Kilimanjaro and The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber (which begin and end the collection, respectively). The latter is a chilling masterpiece concerning an American couple on a big-game safari. Originally published in 1936, the book draws from stories written over the previous nine years, when Hemingway's prose was at it's best; a classic not to be missed. (EAF26, $14.00)
So Close to Heaven, The Vanishing Buddhist Kingdoms of the Himalayas • Barbara Crossette TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 1996 • PAPER • 297 PAGES • FAVORITE A "New York Times" Asia correspondent writes of Bhutan and neighboring kingdoms of Ladakh and Sikkim in the Himalayas, strongholds of Tantric Buddhism in an increasingly homogenized world. It's part travelogue and part history -- a personal portrait of the region. (NPL04, $16.00)
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, this short book captures the appalling conditions of war, alternating vivid scenes from the front lines with flashbacks from the protagonist's rural youth. (VNM07, $15.00)
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, $18.99)
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, $39.00)
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)
Splendid Isolation, Art of Easter Island • Eric Kjellgren ART & ARCHITECTURE • 2001 • PAPER • 64 PAGES A survey of the art and culture of the Rapa Nui, published in conjunction with an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It features reproductions of 50 stunning works of art dating from the 13th to the late 19th centuries, which include a massive stone moai, wooden sculpture, birdman and other figurines and carved wooden tablets with rare script. With 70 black-and-white and 15 color illustrations. (EIL12, $19.95)
Stay Alive, My Son • Pin Yathay BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 2000 • PAPER • 256 PAGES A harrowing account of life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and particularly the evacuations of Phnom Penh, written by an engineer for the Ministry of Public Works. (CBD44, $24.95)
Sun After Dark, Flights into the Foreign • Pico Iyer TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2005 • PAPER • 240 PAGES A splendid collection of reports from the field, ranging from Bolivia to Cambodia, Tibet and Oman, by the engaging Pico Iyer. The fluid essays engage issues of culture and history, a theme for Iyer. He's an inveterate traveler and talker, pulling in people and encounters in settings that range from the Altiplano to the Arabian desert and Easter Island. (TVL33, $15.00)
Their Heads Are Green and Their Hands Are Blue: Scenes from the Non-Christian World • Paul Bowles • Edmund White TRAVEL NARRATIVE • 2006 • PAPER • 192 PAGES Bowles' classic collection of eight travel essays, originally published in the 1950s, mostly about people and life in North Africa. The globe-skipping essays also include a chapter on tea plantations in Sri Lanka ("Fish Traps and Private Business"), a riff on South American parrots ("All Parrots Speak"), his travels in India ("Notes Mailed at Nagercoil") and thoughts on traveling to Istanbul with a Moroccan ("A Man Must Not Be Very Moslem"). Most of the articles were originally published in Holiday -- and the essays are much brighter and more affectionate than Bowles' fiction. The title is from a poem by Edward Lear: "Far and few, far and few, Are the lands where the Jumblies live; Their heads are green and their hands are blue, And they went to sea in a Sieve." (MRC60, $13.99)
Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War and Revolution since 1945 • David Chandler HISTORY • 1993 • PAPER • 408 PAGES A scholarly history of Cambodian politics and society from World War II to the late 1970s, covering the Vietnam War and the rise of the Khmer Rouge. The author, a professor and noted historian, draws from his own experiences as a foreign service officer in Phnom Penh. (CBD45, $28.00)
A Traveller's History of North Africa • Barnaby Rogerson HISTORY • 2000 • PAPER • 408 PAGES Wide-ranging, accessible and effectively condensed, this brief history marches confidently through the centuries, covering key events and personalities in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria to 1999. (NAF01, $15.95)
A Traveller's History of Southeast Asia • J.M. Barwise • Nicholas J. White HISTORY • 2012 • PAPER • 352 PAGES • COMING IN JUNE A compact history of the region, including the Khmer and other ancient kingdoms that produced Borobudur, Angkor and other architectural marvels. The authors include the history of diverse nations from Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia, to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. (SEA36, $14.95)
The Treasures of Angkor • Marilia Albanese GUIDEBOOK • 2006 • FLEXI-BOUND • 288 PAGES A compact, illustrated guide to the history, art and architecture of Angkor. With suggested itineraries, site plans and notes on visiting individual temples. (CBD48, $24.95)
Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Map • Nelles 2010 • MAP A convenient, double-sided map of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam at a scale of 1:1,500,000, with city maps of Hanoi, Vientiane, Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang, and Phnom Penh. Includes the eastern portion of Thailand and Bangkok. (SEA75, $13.95)
We, the Navigators, The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific • David Lewis EXPLORATION • 1994 • PAPER • 464 PAGES A classic, this engaging book examines how Stone Age Polynesians may have navigated the Pacific. The scholarly volume, now in its second edition, will appeal to seafarers and modern Pacific travelers. More than just a history, it provides enough information that a reader could practically build a canoe and navigate the oceans using the stars as a guide. It includes a glossary of Polynesian terms, latitude and longitude of main island groups and a fairly mathematical essay on variation of star position with latitude. (PAC35, $31.99)
West African Folktales • Jack Berry • Richard Spears ANTHOLOGY • 1991 • PAPER • 229 PAGES A collection of 123 unembellished tales, well chosen and simply translated. It's a good introduction to the spirit of traditional cultures throughout West Africa. (WAF13, $21.00)
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, $15.95)
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)
World Religions: Eastern Traditions • Willard G. Oxtoby RELIGION • 2010 • PAPER • 515 PAGES A clear and insightful introduction to Eastern religions by a team of scholars. It's a handsomely produced concise overview of Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Buddhist, and East Asian traditions, as rewarding for the general reader as the student. This second edition features additional suggested reading, photographs, glossary and thought-provoking review questions. (ASA07, $84.95)
The Worlds of a Maasai Warrior • Ole Saitoti BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR • 1988 • PAPER • 144 PAGES Wonderfully evocative of life in Maasailand. Raised in a traditional Kraal, on the open plains of Africa's Rift Valley in the 1950s, Saitoti became the first in his family to leave the family compound and attend bush school. He went on to become one of the first safari guides, featured in a National Geographic film and later educated in Munich and New York. Here he looks back on his life as a Maasai and spokesperson for his people, bridging several worlds with tremendous grace. (EAF29, $27.95)

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