Books on Cambodia
We also have rare and out-of-print books on Southeast-Asia, Central Asia, Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia, and Religion.
A JOURNEY IN CAMBODIA AND COCHIN-CHINA (1864)
by Bastian, Adolf
US$ 25.00
Book order code : E 22 447
A Journey volume 3 of Adolf Bastian's Travels in South-East Asia, contains the travelogue written by Dr Adolf Bastian during his journey from the border of present-day Thailand to present-day Saigon. Bastian was a renowned ethnographer, who founded both Berlin's Museum für Völkerkunde (Ethnological Museum) and the Berlin Anthropological Society, and his work contains valuable observations and interpretations made by one of the pioneers of ethnography. During his travels through Isan and parts of Cambodia then under Siamese rule, as well as in Saigon, the author observes, describes and records almost every aspect of the spiritual life of various groups of people he meets en route. Bastian likes to compare the situation in these regions and among different ethnic groups, frequently using Siamese terms to do so. This thorough and indefatigable German scholar is one of the early visitors to the temple of Angkor Wat, which he calls 93Nakhon Vat94, witnessing its structures largely before they started to be looted. He describes other edifices built by Cambodia92s many ethnic groups, monastery slaves, and the Siamese administration of Cambodian territory under Bangkok. Bastian takes a special interest in the Chain people, presenting valuable information not found elsewhere both on them and on other groups. Life is described here in its manifold expressions and interactions, analyzed by a profound mind that had studied law at the University of Heidelberg and natural science as well as medicine in Berlin, Jena, and Würzburg. Adolf Bastian92s further travels are described with many cross-references to the present work in:
Volume 1. A Journey in Burma (1861-1862),
Volume 2. A Journey in Siam (1863).(Bangkok, 2005) ISBN 974-4800-68-2
196 pp., 150 x 210 mm
CAMBODIAN DIARY VOL. 1
: Tales of a Divided Nation 1983-1986by Bekaert, Jacques
US$ 21.50
Book order code : E 21 949
The diaries cover the turbulent and dramatic recent history of Cambodia (1983-1986). Through the format of a regular diary we see a country emerging from the disaster of the Khmer Rouge era, only to find itself embroiled in a protracted war. This first volume discusses the ups and downs of the resistance, the secretive life of the communist party, the suffering of the people, the emergence of new leaders, like Prince Ranariddh and Hun Sen, and the continuous efforts of Prince Sihanouk to bring peace to his troubled land. The diary moves, week after week, from the Thai-Cambodian border to Hanoi, Beijing, Bangkok, Paris or Washington and of course to Phnom Penh and the Cambodian countryside. From the Khmer Rouge to born-again capitalists, from low intensity conflict to international intrigues, here is a first hand history of contemporary Cambodia.
(Bangkok 1997) ISBN 974-8496-95-3
422 pp., 42 pp. illus., 12 pp. in color, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
CAMBODIAN DIARY Vol. 2
: A Long Road to Peace 1987-1993by Bekaert, Jacques
US$ 24.50
Book order code : E 22 011
Volume 2 describes how first the People's Republic of Kampuchea of Heng Samrin appears and disappears and, then, how Hun Sen's State of Cambodia emerges while abandoning communism. And as a constant feature throughout, there are the people, main actors and front line victims of the drama.
(Bangkok 1998) ISBN 974-8434-16-8
512 pp., 56 pp. illus., 16 pp. in color, 150 x 210 mm,pbk.
THE ANCIENT KHMER EMPIRE
by Briggs, Lawrence Palmer
US$ 29.50
Book order code : E 22 078
This is a source book of early Khmer civilization, covering its art and architecture during the Funan (first century to c. 550), and Chenla (c. 550-802) periods, culminating with the Angkor period (802-1432) when the disastrous sacking of the capital by the Siamese in 1431 effectively brought this culture to a close. This source book is illustrated with numerous photographs, maps, and floor plans as well as dynastic genealogies of this great culture. In this reprint some illustrations from the Garnier Mission and Le Monde Illustré have been added. The back cover shows a gate of the old city, Angkor Thom (from Glimpses of the East, N.Y.K. Official Guide 1929-1930).
(Bangkok 1999; repr. from 1951, 1974)ISBN 974-8434-93-1
307 pp., fully illus., 12 pp. in color, pbk.
A PICTORIAL JOURNEY ON THE OLD MEKONG
: Cambodia, Laos and Yunnanby Delaporte, Louis & Garnier, Francis
US$ 55.50
Book order code : E 21865(Reprinted from 1998 in Larger Format)
In this third part of the Mekong Exploration Commission Report, 1866–1868, published as an over sized volume with numerous splendid color plates and four maps, the journey along the Mekong is retraced using plates not published in the two other volumes on the Mekong Expedition as well as by masterfully drawn color plates of tribal costumes from the regions the Commission passed through. This volume graphically supplements the descriptive reports of the Commission’s work and can be read fruitfully in its own right as a journey along the Old Mekong.
(Bangkok, 2006) Bar Code 978-974-4800-79-4
225 pp., fully illus., 42 pp. in color, 250 x 290 mm, pbk.
THE PRE-ANGKORIAN TEMPLE OF PREAH KO
: A Sourcebook of the History, Construction and Ornamentation of the Preah Ko Styleby Falser, Michael S.
US$ 49.50
Book order code : E 22490
The temple of Preah Ko, built in the 9th century AD, represents a unique transition point between the Pre-Angkorian and the Angkorian periods. It is undoubtedly one of the most important temple structures in Khmer architecture, if not in whole South-East Asia. This temple gave a whole range of 9th century temples their stylistic group name, Preah Ko-Style. Despite its importance, Preah Ko was rarely acknowledged in detail in academic literature.
This work analyses Preah Ko in its historical, archaeological, architectural, stylistic and contemporary social and religious questions. Together with its unique collection of illustrations, it serves as an ideal source book of the Preah Ko-Style.
(Bangkok, 2006) Bar Code 978-974-4800-85-5
261 pp., illus. 48 pp. in color, 210 x 300 mm. pbk.
THAI AND CAMBODIAN SCULTURE
by Felten, Wolfgang and Martin Lerner
US$ 87.00
Book order code : I 6621
This book brings together previously unpublished Cambodian, Thai and Vietnamese stone and bronze sculptures from nine centuries—from the style of Phnom Da, the mysterious mountain temple in the Mekong Delta, to the style of the Bayon, the apogee of Cambodian architecture. Selected from well-established private collections and museums all over the world, these forty-one sculptures, all of extra-ordinary quality, demonstrate how the highly developed civilization in Southeast Asia generated a power and aesthetic of its own.
(Stuttgart, 1988) Bar Code 978-360-8762-64-8
253 pp., illus. in color 235 x 320 mm.
A GUIDE TO THE TEMPLE OF BANTEAY SREI AT ANGKOR
by Finot, Louis, Henri Parmentier & Victor Goloubew
US$ 45.00
Book order code : E 22 170
Originally published in 1926, this is the first study of the temple that many consider the crown jewel of the entire Angkor Wat complex. Written a decade after the temple's rediscovery, these three groundbreaking essays by eminent French scholars discuss its architecture, iconography, history, and dating. The section on the Sanskrit and Khmer inscriptions found at the site is an invaluable tool for understanding this period of Khmer history and for illuminating aspects of its religious and daily life. Line drawings and handsome photographs illustrate the study. Indispensable for the specialist, the volume will also appeal to the general reader interested in South East Asian architecture, history, and religion.
(Bangkok 2000; First English translation of 1926) ISBN 974-7534-22-3
228 pp., 78 pp. illus., 270 x 370 mm
PHNOM PENH THEN AND NOW
by Igout, Michel
US$ 35.00
Book order code : E 21 639
Phnom Penh Then and Now is the most comprehensive book on the history of the capital of Cambodia. It brings together 293 photographs, including numerous unpublished plates from the period 1863 to 1931, and a large number of old maps and drawings unknown until now. A comparison of the serial views of Phnom Penh in 1931 and in 1993 reveals the astonishing transformation of the city, especially in the former colonial quarter. The author, a specialist on Cambodia, evokes the former canals and bridges throughout the town, and the caiman hunts around the lake where the Grand Market is situated today. He defines the main stages in the urbanization of the city, from its foundation in the fifteenth century and its rebirth in the reign of King Norodom to the modern capital that developed after independence and the changes following in the years from 1975 to 1993.
(Bangkok 2001, reprint from 1993) ISBN 974-8495-84-1
189 pp., fully illus. in color, 210 x 295 mm,pbk.
CAMBODIAN CHRONICLES 1989-1996 VOL. 1
: Bungling a peace plan 1989-1991by Jennar, Raoul M.
US$ 19.50
Book order code : E 22 023
This first volume brings together all the reports (both published and unpublished) written by Raoul Marc Jennar on Cambodia's political, economic, military and diplomatic situation from the beginning of the peace talks until the signing of the Paris Agreement in 1991. It was these reports that contained the first announcements of various major developments affecting the route towards peace. These included, in 1990, the ending of Soviet Bloc aid to the Phnom Penh regime; the conflict in the same year between the two main wings of the Communist party in power and the end to the opening up of the political spectrum; the economic colonization of Cambodia by unscrupulous Thai businessmen; and the continuation, after the signing of the Paris Agreement in 1991, of the collaboration between some elements of the Thai military and industrial establishment and the Khmer Rouge. These reports were also the first to denounce the shortcomings, the contradictions and the weaknesses of the Agreements that were being negotiated.
(Bangkok 1998) ISBN 974-8434-43-5
296 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
THE CAMBODIAN CONSTITUTIONS (1953-1993)
by Jennar, Raoul
US$ 12.50
Book order code : E 21 794
This book examines the six constitutions Cambodia has had since its independence in 1953. Each reflects the political objectives of the regime in power, but each also upholds the permanent truths of Cambodian society: none escapes this double nature. What are the Cambodian institutions today? What are the powers of the King? How is the succession to the throne ensured in an elective monarchy? Are human rights protected in a country where the worst of crimes against humanity have been committed? How independent is the judiciary? The new Constitution, promulgated on 24 September 1993, answers these questions. This collection, where each of the fundamental laws is placed in its historical perspective, includes the founding texts of the first independent Cambodian Kingdom, the Khmer Republic of Field Marshal Lon Nol, Democratic Kampuchea of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, Heng Samrin's People's Republic of Kampuchea, and Hun Sen's State of Cambodia.
(Bangkok 1995) ISBN 974-8496-36-8
150 pp., 130 x 200 mm, pbk.
STRANGE EVENTS IN THE KINGDOMS OF CAMBODIA AND LAOS (1635 - 1644)
by Kersten, Carool
US$ 12.50
Book order code : E 22 322
describes a turbulent decade in the relations between the Dutch East India Company and Cambodia, and also gives an account of the first recorded European venture into neigh-boring Laos. Composed of material from a variety of Dutch East India Company records, it was published in 1669 by Pieter Casteleyn, of Harlem. The book gives detailed descriptions of the situation at the Cambodian court, Dutch-Cambodian commercial relations and the intense rivalry between the Dutch and Portuguese. The account of the expedition into Laos led by Gerard Wusthof records interesting details on the route between Phnom Penh and Viang Chan. It is full of fascinating observations on Lao court ceremony, people's customs and livelihood, and Buddhist traditions. The only translation ever made, in French, was commissioned in 1871 by the French explorer Francis Gamier, a former member of the French Mekong Exploration Commission (1866-1868). This first-English translation of an important but much neglected source on Indochina is annotated with background introduction by the translator. It is a welcome addition to the growing body of texts on Southeast Asian history and travel(Bangkok, 2003) ISBN 974-4800-28-3
134 pp., 6 pp. illus. 2 pp. maps, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
CAMBODIA SILENCED
: The Press under Six Regimesby Mehta, Harish C.
US$ 19.50
Book order code : E 21 971
The first book on the history of the Khmer press and its struggle for existence under six regimes since the 1930s. The press survived colonial rule, a major coup, genocide, civil war, and Vietnamese occupation. The press was censored and shut down, Khmer journalists were threatened, attacked, and murdered, and several foreign correspondents were captured and killed while covering the civil war. The French denied newspapers licenses to publish, and an equally docile press existed under Sihanouk's rule. Sihanouk wrote arcane and elegant editorials in his journals to rebut criticism in the foreign press about his style of governance. The Lon Nol regime subjected the press to heavy-handed censorship and the Khmer Rouge, on seizing power, shut it down ahead of the genocide. The Heng Samrin regime's journals were never allowed to stray from the official line. Newsmen were still being attacked and murdered after the royal government came to power in 1993, and journalism remained a dangerous profession.
(Bangkok 1997) ISBN 974-8434-09-5
343 pp., 18 pp. illus. 6 pp. in color, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
A BRIEF AND TRUTHFUL RELATION OF EVENTS IN THE KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA
by San Antonio, Gabriel Quiroga de
US$ 17.50
Book order code : E 22 027
This is one of the earliest accounts of Cambodia and other destination countries of early missionaries in the region. More specifically it is the account with which Gabriel Quiroga de San Antonio, a Dominican missionary, attempted to draw the King of Spain into conquering the country in 1604. The book was introduced by the eminent French scholar, Antoine Cabaton and is translated into English, from the French edition of 1914, for the first time. It deals with the internal political turmoil in Cambodia and with attempts of the Portuguese, Spanish and Siamese to take advantage of the situation. Within the context of the geopolitics of the time, the author also describes other countries in which such trade rivalry was in progress and their rulers, e.g., Siam, the Moluccas, the Kingdoms of Champa and Cochinchina and the Philippines. Father Gabriel de San Antonio explicitly places his peregrinations around Asia in the context of the foundation of missionary and trading posts. This book is a must for scholars of Cambodia and for all those who want to better comprehend the troubled history of this country.
(Bangkok 1998; first English translation from 1604) ISBN 974-8434-35-4
220 pp., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
A CAMBODIAN PRISON PORTRAIT
: One Year in the Khmer Rouge's S-21by Vann Nath
US$ 16.50
Book order code : E 22 019
The harrowing tale of a survivor of a secret prison known as Tuol Sleng or S-21, where more than 14,000 men, women and children were tortured and executed during the Khmer Rouge regime. The author is one of only a handful of people who can describe life in the prison. Upon entering S-21 in 1977, Vann Nath was beaten and tortured and almost starved to death. But because of his prior training as an artist, he was not killed: instead he was put to work painting portraits of Pol Pot, or "Brother Number One," leader of the Khmer Rouge's cruel experiment in radical Maoism. When Vietnamese troops invaded Cambodia and entered the capital city in January 1979, toppling the Khmer Rouge government, Vann Nath escaped. By that point more than one million people throughout Cambodia had died from executions, starvation, forced labor, or disease as a result of the Khmer Rouge's attempt to force an agrarian revolution. When a Museum of Genocide was created on the grounds of the former prison at the end of 1979, Vann Nath went back to Tuol Sleng, working there for several years. He returned to his former craft, painting scenes of prison life so that visitors could learn of the crimes of the Khmer Rouge. His paintings hang in the museum today. Vann Nath's words and paintings, published here, stand as a testimony to the horrors of Pol Pot's Cambodia.
(Bangkok 1998) ISBN 974-8434-48-6
136 pp., 8 pp. color illus., 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
HEAVEN AND EMPIRE
: Khmer Bronzes from the 9th to the 15th Centuriesby Zefferys, Marlene L., Nicolas S. Zefferys, & Jeffrey Stone
US$ 37.50
Book order code : E 22 278
This survey features some of the world's finest examples of the art of the lost wax method of bronze casting. The superb artists of the Khmer Empire of ancient Cambodia blended the two greatest influences of their time, Hinduism and Buddhism, to create bronze images that reflected the religious, mystical, and sensual beauty of this culture. The text features bronzes from the collections of the Phnom Penh Royal Museum of Fine Art, The National Museum Bangkok, The National Museum Phimai, and from private collections, many never before published. The volume is a must for collectors, antique dealers, art historians, libraries, and museums as well as those interested in learning about this magnificent art from of the Khmer Empire.
(Bangkok 2001) ISBN 974-7534-93-2
156 pp., 91 pp. color illus., 210 x 290 mm, pbk.
RADIO UNTAC OF CAMBODIA
: Winning Ears, Heart and Mindsby Zhou Mei
US$ 11.50
Book order code : E 21 714
This book offers a fascinating snapshot of Cambodia on the threshold of a new beginning. The United Nations' decision to venture into broadcasting was a groundbreaking move. Radio UNTAC became a sensation and a household name in Cambodia. The contribution of Radio UNTAC to the stupendous voter turn-out in the election cannot be quantified. It is irrefutable that radio UNTAC played a pivotal role in convincing the electorate: "Your vote is secret." For planners of future missions, there are invaluable lessons to be learned from the experience of Radio UNTAC as a peacekeeping tool. For the general reader, this book offers an alternative to the microphone account of "mission" work. In the process, it records a chronicle of a country in transition as Cambodians defied the bullets and reached for peace via the ballots.
(Bangkok 1994) ISBN 974-8496-17-1
153 pp., 24 pp. illus. in color, 145 x 210 mm,pbk.
We also have rare and out-of-print books on Southeast-Asia, Central Asia, Thailand,
Laos, Cambodia, and Religion.
