Search Results: Siam / Thailand from Orchid Press

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2000. Subtitled 'Thai Politics from February 1991 to September 1992 - A Struggle for Democracy ?' A detailed account of a watershed period in recent Thai political development, from the military coup of 1991 through to the electoral victory of democratic forces the following year. With introduction by Withaya Sucharithanarugse. xxvii, 314 pp., 15 figures, 50 b&w plates, 59 cartoons, extensive notes detail source material. Soft Cover. New. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2006. Subtitle: 'According to Portuguese and Spanish Sources'. Groslier's seminal study of the accounts of early Spanish and Portuguese missionaries and adventurers in Cambodia was published in French in 1958, and is translated here into English for the first time. The reports of the Europeans record the earliest surviving first-hand accounts of Angkor, following the 'rediscovery' of the site by the Khmers, over a hundred years after its abandonment in 1432 CE, and four hundred years prior to the colonization of Cambodia by the French. While the accounts are fascinating in their own right, Groslier employs some of their key observations on the structure of Angkor in the 16th century to embark on further exploration of his own into the nature of Khmer civilization. Complementing his studies of the early accounts with the first aerial surveys of the site, Groslier reconstructs a broad picture of Angkorian civilization, its economy, the genius of its engineers… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2006. Subtitle: 'According to Portuguese and Spanish Sources'. Groslier's seminal study of the accounts of early Spanish and Portuguese missionaries and adventurers in Cambodia was published in French in 1958, and is translated here into English for the first time. The reports of the Europeans record the earliest surviving first-hand accounts of Angkor, following the 'rediscovery' of the site by the Khmers, over a hundred years after its abandonment in 1432 CE, and four hundred years prior to the colonization of Cambodia by the French. While the accounts are fascinating in their own right, Groslier employs some of their key observations on the structure of Angkor in the 16th century to embark on further exploration of his own into the nature of Khmer civilization. Complementing his studies of the early accounts with the first aerial surveys of the site, Groslier reconstructs a broad picture of Angkorian civilization, its economy, the genius of its engineers… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2000. This delightful set of three small books outline in simple, but never simplistic, terms, the life of the Buddha, Buddhist teaching and monastic life in Thailand. The author lived in Chiang Mai for many years before his untimely death in 1995. His views are based on extensive reading on the sources of Buddhism, intensive interviews with senior and knowledgeable monks as well as his own religious participation and observations. The books are intended to give an understanding of and insight into a religion and its practices; a religion that, twenty five hundred years after the Buddha's death attracts the adherence of millions world wide, in Asia and in increasing numbers in the West. 288 pp. (boxed set of 3 x 96 pp.), glossary. Soft cover, slipcased. As New. 15.8 x 10.8 x 3.3 cm (case).

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2016. Maugham's tale of travel through Burma, Indochina and Siam in the 1920's, told with all of the empathy and sharp-eyed observation of human nature for which the author eventually became legendary. Reprint of the 1930 edition with new introduction by H. K. Kuloy. 254 pp.. Reprint. Soft Cover. New. 20 x 13.3 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2001. Since the repressive Burmese military regime seized power in 1962, the Burmese people have suffered untold misery and increasingly intolerable living conditions. For many, flight to Thailand has become a saviour, not only just to earn money on which to live but merely to survive. On the Thai side of the border, some have faced almost equally repressive working and living conditions and an uncaring Thai government that has vacillated in its official attitude toward migrant workers. The journey to the new country too is fraught with dangers, dishonesty and double-dealings, most of it from Burmese and Thai government officials and private entrepreneurs alike. The author has lived among such migrants, both along the Thai-Burmese border and in migrant communities in Bangkok. She has documented their stories and plights and presents a harrowing picture of a powerless group caught between two evils. 176 pp., 11 b&w plates, 1 map. A new/unread copy.. First Edition. Soft Cover.… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2018. Learning to read Thai is the path to a more profound grasp of the language. This book is based on years of experience teaching foreigners to speak and read Thai, and builds on the author's observations in the classroom about which rules of grammar, spelling and pronunciation most commonly impede their progress. Introduction to Thai Reading, designed to be a comprehensive foundation of 24 progressive lessons, will pave the way towards a solid and advanced knowledge of the Thai language. Those who complete the book will have acquired not only essential Thai reading skills, but also the vocabulary and grammar needed for basic Thai speaking. Includes instructions for free download of accompanying MP3 audio files. 218 pp.. First Edition. Soft Cover. New/n/a. 21 x 15 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2018. Learning to read Thai is the path to a more profound grasp of the language. This book is based on years of experience teaching foreigners to speak and read Thai, and builds on the author's observations in the classroom about which rules of grammar, spelling and pronunciation most commonly impede their progress. Introduction to Thai Reading, designed to be a comprehensive foundation of 24 progressive lessons, will pave the way towards a solid and advanced knowledge of the Thai language. Those who complete the book will have acquired not only essential Thai reading skills, but also the vocabulary and grammar needed for basic Thai speaking. Includes instructions for free download of accompanying MP3 audio files. 218 pp.. First Edition. Hard bound. New. 21 x 15 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2018. For the new arrival to Thailand, nothing seems more impenetrable than the local language. Phrasebooks abound, but how does one begin to master the unique sounds of the language, required of the very first Thai words the visitor attempts? Let’s Speak Thai is a phrasebook / dictionary with a difference. In addition to tackling all of the needed topics from greetings to shopping, food and drink, accommodation and transport, each copy includes free download instructions for an audio file of over 20 minutes of carefully structured pronunciation lessons, presented by the author, a veteran language trainer, together with native speakers. Featuring in addition an explanation of basic grammatical structures, all words and phrases in English / phonetic / Thai script and a 140 page dictionary, this is the only tool that the visitor will require to start communicating in Thailand. 222 pp.. . Second edition. Soft Cover. New/n/a. 17.8 x 10.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2018. Laos, blessed with rich cultural traditions, natural beauty and a warm and hospitable population, is still, remarkably, ‘off the beaten track’ compared with the hordes of tourists one encounters elsewhere in SE Asia. For the new arrival, Lets Speak Lao is the only tool the visitor will need to start to communicate with Lao people. This is a phrasebook / dictionary with a difference--in addition to tackling all of the needed topics from greetings to shopping, food and drink, accommodation and transport, each copy includes instructions for the free download of an audio file of over 20 minutes of carefully structured pronunciation lessons, presented by the author, a veteran language trainer, together with native speakers. Also a must for visitors to NE Thailand’s Isaan region, where the predominant language is Lao. 236 pp.. Second edition. Soft Cover. New/n/a. 17.8 x 10.2 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1995. Description of the southern Thai popular tradition of shadow theatre and its differences with the central Thai classical school; illustrated with 147 examples of shadow figures from two Thai and two Swedish collections. 109 pp., 79 colour and 68 b&w illustrations, bibliography, index.. First Edition. Hard Cover. New/new. 21 x 19 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. Thailand. The name evokes images of golden pagodas, emerald rice fields, jungled mountains, a happy, gregarious people. Siamese Bestiary reveals another aspect of Thailand--the intimate coexistence shared by animal and human life in the tropics. Lizards play hide-and-seek on walls and ceilings; frogs colonize bathrooms and crabs doze behind water jars; turtles make nocturnal visits; snakes take short cuts through kitchens; catfish walk from one pond to another... Blending anecdote, observation and humour in this unusual and attractive volume, the author lovingly chronicles and depicts the antics of animal and human characters in and around his Thai home. 136 pp., 70 b&w drawings.. Second edition. Soft Cover. New. Illus. by Kristiaan Inwood. 25.4 x 19.1 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. A Siamese Fairy Tale was Maugham's contribution to the library of Queen Mary's Doll House; he, along with 199 other well known authors of the day wrote a contribution into a miniature leather bound edition in his own hand. The tale itself was first written in 1922 and published in Pearson's Magazine; subsequently it was incorporated into Maugham's 1930 classic, The Gentleman in the Parlour. It is a delightful, somewhat whimsical, tale of a king, a queen, nine princesses, nine parrots, one nightingale and some cats . . with its final message being : 'it is very difficult to put the happiness of someone you love before your own'. Beautifully illustrated in watercolours by the Danish artist and author, and written in her own hand. 40 pp., numerous watercolours. First Thus. Hardbound. New/new. Illus. by Fleur Brofos Asmussen. 21 x 19 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2008. Written to meet the need of students and teachers of the Thai language for information on the advanced sentence structure of the language. The book will be welcomed by anyone learning the language past the beginning level and is an essential reference work for libraries and universities with an interest in Asia. Designed as a practical description of the spoken language, both the informal and formal varieties. Covers over 500 separate topics, providing some 2000 sample sentences, in typical idiomatic spoken Thai, for each topic. 450 pp. [NB --THIS IS A NEW BOOK DIRECT FROM THE PUBLISHER.]. First Edition. Soft Cover. New. 24.5 x 17.5 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2021. Written to meet the need of students and teachers of the Thai language for information on the advanced sentence structure of the language. The book will be welcomed by anyone learning the language past the beginning level and is an essential reference work for libraries and universities with an interest in Asia. Designed as a practical description of the spoken language, both the informal and formal varieties. Covers over 500 separate topics, providing some 2000 sample sentences, in typical idiomatic spoken Thai, for each topic. 484 pp. [NB --THIS IS A NEW BOOK FROM THE PUBLISHER.]. . Revised and Expanded Edition. Hard bound. New. 25 x 18 cm...

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. The coup d'état of 18 May, 1688 in the Siamese 'Versailles' at Lopburi led to the establishment of the last Ayutthayan dynasty. But it was not just another internal palace coup in face of the imminent death of the reigning monarch, Narai. For the King's favourite, Phaulkon, had been instrumental in bringing a French expeditionary force into the country in October of the previous year, which had secret orders to seize Bangkok, the 'key of the kingdom', and Mergui, its chief port on the Andaman Sea. Phaulkon's original plan was to place Frenchmen in key positions in the country, perhaps with a view to ruling through a pliant successor, but the unexpected appearance of so many troops eclipsed that project and Phaulkon's hold on power. The powerful courtier, Petracha, head of the elephant corps, playing on nationalist feelings, proceeded throughout 1688 to outmanoeuvre both Phaulkon and the French. Phaulkon was killed on Petracha's… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2003. A series of 'portraits' of the people who comprise the mosaic of a typical northeastern Thai village describes such characters as 'the half-Chinese', 'the fortune teller', 'Miss Cotton Bud', 'native entrepreneur' and 'Bar Boy'. Interspersed between these portraits are 'themes', such as gambling, Songkran, electricity and noise, providing an informative overview of the background, activities and infrastructure of village life. The sum of these vignettes, based on the author's keen observations while living in just such a village as he describes, is an image of the constant struggle between traditional village values and the often disruptive influences of modern technology and mores. 176 pp, 39 b&w sketches. . First Edition. Softbound. New. Illus. by Uthai Traisiwakul. 22 x 15 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1999. Subtitle : 'Performed by Six Jesuits Sent by the French King to the Indies and China in the Year 1685'. An account of a Jesuit mission to Siam in 1685, doomed to failure by indiscreet attempts to convert the Siamese King to Catholicism, ignoring the King's desire to focus on political and commercial relations. Reprint of the 1688 London edition with new introduction by H. K. Kuloy. 320 pp., 30 woodcuts and maps, slipcase. Softbound in slipcase. New. 19 x 13 cm..