IS BN 978-974-480-071-8
WL Order Code 22 465
US$28.00
Bangkok 2005, repr. from 1938; 272 pp., 56
pp. illus., 2 pp. maps, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
Bernatzik, Hugo Adolf;The Spirits of the Yellow Leaves:
The Enigmatic
Hunter-Gatherers of Northern Thailand
A colorful travel account and documentary work by the Austrian ethnographer
and photographer Hugo A. Bernatzik.
First published in German in 1938 under
the title Die Geister der gelben Blätter it is long since out of print. This is an
important work for several reasons and it is certainly worth publishing again.
In
the years 936‑37 Bernatzik traveled in both Southern and Northern Thailand
and the southern fringe of the Shan State, with a final excursion into Vietnam.
In his book he gave interesting accounts of the ethnic groups he visited, Moken,
Akha, Lisu, Biet and others, all documented with outstanding photographs of
lasting historical value. In the present edition additional photos from Bernatzik’s
collection have been added.
The work now appears in two volumes.
The core of the present volume
is a large section on an enigmatic and notoriously shy hunter‑gatherer tribe
called “the Spirits of the Yellow Leaves”. This ethnic group still exists both in
Thailand and Laos, though it numbers only some 300 people. It is nowadays
referred to as the “Yellow‑Leaf People” or as Mlabri (Mla’ Bri’, literally: “forest
people”).
In his Introduction to the volume Jørgen Rischel places Bernatzik’s
intriguing account in the context of earlier and recent research. For decades
there was controversy over the authenticity of his data; Rischel shows that the
criticism was beside the point.
Bernatzik took down a short word list in imperfect notation, which has
vexed linguists ever since. Rischel has identified almost all words on the list
as belonging to the language still spoken by the Mlabri.
The complete analysis
presented here has not been published elsewhere. It will be of particular
relevance to comparative Mon‑Khmer research, but it is also of general interest
since the vocabulary reflects culture and gives evidence of how this ethnic
group traditionally viewed the world.
Jørgen Rischel is professor emeritus in general linguistics and phonetics,
University of Copenhagen, and is currently a guest researcher at Mahidol
University. Since 1982 he has been doing fieldwork in Thailand and Laos. His
monograph Minor Mlabri appeared in 1995.
IS BN 978-974-8434-14-8
WL Order Code 22 016
US$23.00
Bangkok 1998, repr. from 1903; 360 pp.,
150 x 210 mm, pbk.
Curtis, Lillian Johnson;
The Laos of North Siam, :
Seen Through the Eyes of
a Missionary
Here is an insightful description of the people of northern Thailand around the
turn of the century.
The book contains the narrative of an American missionary’s
journey from Bangkok to Lakon, where she spent four years in the local
mission of the Northern Presbyterian Board, and descriptions of other journeys
in the north—between Lakon and Chiang Mai, Nan, Prae and Chiang Rai.
Her
colorful writings encompass almost all physical and social features of the land
and its people: geography, natural products and agriculture, wildlife, forests
and fruit trees, customs such as betel use, food preferences, house-building and
ceremonies such as marriage and burials, language, the life of children and, of
course, religion. In the last of these as well as in her treatment of local politics,
the author’s missionary biases are obvious, particularly in a description of the
mission’s development and the persecutions endured by early Christians.
IS BN 978-0-9527383-1-2
WL Order Code 22 047
US$25.00
Halesworth 1999, 434 pp., illus., 36 pp.
illus., partly in color, 32 maps, 148 x 210
mm, pbk.
Goodden, Christian; Around Lan-N a. A Guide to Thailand’s Northern Border
Region, from Chiang Mai to Nan
This book is a narrative and cultural guide describing an arc around Thailand’s
north-western and north-eastern borders with Burma and Laos.
It maps out an
exciting frontier journey from Chiang Mai to Nan, taking in the KMT Chinese
outposts of Nong Ook and Mae Salong, the recently vacated opium warlord
territories of Hin Taek and Doi Larng, Mae Sai and the “Golden Triangle, ” the
ancient Mekong riverfront towns of Chiang Saen and Chiang Khong, the Tai
Lue weaving village of Huai Khon, and a swathe of remote mountainous jungle
extending down the Lao border as far as Bo Bia.
On the way, the text features
separate exemplary in-depth cultural-historical accounts of the KMT, the Communist
insurgency, the demise of opium baron Khun Sa, the weaving of the Tai
Lue people, Nan’s temple murals, salt extraction at Bo Glua, Thailand’s recent
economic crash, and the history of Lan-Na, of Chiang Mai, and Chiang Saen, as
well as accounts of several minority peoples, including the Wa, Akha, Hmong,
Yao, Tai Lue, Palaung, Lua (Htin), and the “Stone Age” Mrabri or “Spirits of
the Yellow Leaves.” The book is the most comprehensive and authoritative
overview of this whole fascinating region available.
IS BN 978-0-9527383-3-6
WL Order Code 22 382
US$27.00
Halesworth 2001, 416 pp., 32 pp. illus., 16
pp. in col., 1 map, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
Goodden, Christian;
Hinterland:
Sixteen New Do-I t-Yourself Jungle Treks
in Thailand’s Nan & Maehong Son Provinces.
This follow up guide profiles 16 exciting new do-it-yourself treks that independent
travelers can launch in the mountains, jungle and forests of Thailand’s
north.
The majority of the trips, which range from short easy rambles to challenging
3-day adventures, are done on foot, but many can be carried out by
motorbike or bicycle, or by a combination of walking and riding.
The book
focuses on two areas in northern Thailand: the undiscovered hinterlands of Nan
and Mae Hong Son towns. Here, the expeditions almost all take place in the
beautiful and impressive conservation zones of Nan’s Doi Pu Kha National Park
and Mae Hong Son’s Mae Surin Waterfall National Park.
The trips provide
ample scope for ‘Rambo’ adventuring, dirt riding, camping wild in exemplary
jungle, marching over remote mountain ridges, and experiencing the local
hill-tribe peoples and their culture. Some hikes are suitable for more modest
travelers new to trekking in Thailand.
In Nan readers can climb Doi Pu Kha,
the province’s highest mountain, also ascend imposing Mount Pu Wae, ride
the long exhilarating northern and southern national park loops, stay at Doi
Pu Kha National Park HQ, penetrate to jungle-bound River Pua Waterfall, and
hike down the Thai-Lao border ridge through elevated Lua (Htin) settlements.
In Mae Hong Son they can scale Doi Pui, the province’s highest peak, admire
Piang Fah Cliff, stay in isolated Karen settlements, and hear the cries of gibbons
and great hornbills.
Hinterlands features explicit route data, 36 detailed
maps, 32 pages of photos, including shots of all the guides that readers might
need, an introduction reviewing equipment, food, health and security issues,
accommodation, guides, transport and bike hire, and background cultural
information.
IS BN 978-0-9527383-4-3
WL Order Code 22 286
US$28.00
Bangkok 2002, 480 pp., 32 pp. illus., 16 pp.
in col., 2 maps, 155 x 235 mm, pbk.
Goodden, Christian ; Three Pagodas:
A Journey Down the Thai-Burmese
Border (Revised & Expanded Edition) is an account of a remarkable 1, 500 km
journey through the mountainous jungle of the Thai-Burmese border, from Chiang
Dao in the north to the Three Pagodas Pass in the south.
The book describes
what it is like to make one’s way through this remote troubled terrain, inhabited
by insurgent guerrilla groups, warlords, drug traffickers, hill tribes, and rare
minority peoples.
With an eye for the telling minutiae of travel and the poetry of
the moment, the author provides a snapshot of the way of life of these peoples,
recording the impact on them of the far-reaching changes sweeping Thailand at
the turn of the millennium.
Here the reader rubs shoulders with Chinese KMT
refugees, striking Padaung “long-neck” and Kayaw “long-ear” women, the
dwindling ancient Lawa race, a jungle demigod and the last Wa king, or visits
mysterious “Spirit Well”, Karen rebel GHQ in Burma, and “Death Highway”. . .
The travelogue culminated in a 2-week trailblazing adventure through 200 kms
of unmapped jungle from Urn Pang to the famous Three Pagodas.
Written in
an evocative anecdotal style and enlivened by the often-absurd humor of the
situation, the story is supported by 30 personally researched maps, exemplary
in-depth cultural / historical accounts, and 75 stunning photos. For armchair
traveler and traveler on the ground alike, Three Pagodas looks set to remain the
definitive description of a complex fascinating region for many more years.
This
second revised & expanded edition preserves the original text, but updates the
story and politico-cultural position chapter-by-chapter in a series of postscripts,
at the same time adding much new material. Redoing the journey wherever
possible, the author took fresh photos, actualized the maps, and gathered travel
information for readers wishing to retrace parts of the expedition.
IS BN 978-0-9527383-2-9
WL Order Code 22 130
US$27.00
Bangkok 1999, 416 pp., illus., 36 pp. illus.,
mostly color, 50 maps, 148 x 210 mm, pbk
Goodden, Christian; Trek It Yourself:
Twenty-Five Solo Jungle Treks on
Foot and by Motorcycle
This is the first and only thoroughgoing guide to do-it-yourself trekking in northern
Thailand.
The book provides detailed accounts and 50 maps of 25 treks in
the provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, and Mae Hong Son. Indeed,
if all the suggested variations on the trips are included, it outlines up to 100
expeditions.
The treks range from a 2-hour picnic stroll to a waterfall to extreme
jungle adventure lasting 4 to 5 days. Most are undertaken on foot, but, where
appropriate, some are better carried out by motorbike or even mountain bike.
The book guides the reader up Doi Pahom Pok and Doi Chiang Dao, tells how to
scale Doi Pu Wae and trek in Nan’s Doi Phu Kha National Park, and describes
walking the old “Old Elephant Trail” between Mae Hong Son and Chiang Mai.
It advises how to hire Lua, Karen, and Wa guides on the spot and suggests what
equipment and food to take.
There are thumbnail sketches of the various hilltribe
peoples met. This unique book will appeal to independent eco-conscious
travelers seeking to explore solo Lan-Na’s mountains and forests, as well as to
aspiring Rambos or Tarzans wanting to strike out into the jungle on their own.
IS BN 978-974-8434-70-4
WL Order Code 21 050
US$21.00
Bangkok 1999, repr. from 1926; 362 pp., 64
pp. illus., 1 fold-out map, 150 x 210 mm,
pbk.
Le May, Reginald; An Asian Arcady: The Land and Peoples of Northern
Siam
A reprint from 1926 with a foreword by Major Roy Hudson, FRAS, in the 1986
edition, and the foreword of the 1999 edition by Barend Jan Terwiel. Le May
arrived in Siam in 1913 and, in particular, describes the northern part where
he traveled extensively. One of the few early accounts of the northern areas of
Siam.
IS BN 978-974-480-017-6
WL Order Code 22 306
US$18.00
Bangkok 2002, 172 pp., 150 x 210 mm,
pbk.
Lewis, Paul W.;Akha Oral Literature
Presents the first comprehensive overview of oral literature of the Akha ethnic
group of Southeast Asia in English translation.
Included in this overview
are stories and legends, the epic story of two brothers, the epic poem of
creation, proverbs and an Akha lullaby.
The Akha people, who live in China,
Burma, Laos and Thailand, have a unique oral literature which has been
handed down through time.
Approximately 320, 000 Akha live in these four
countries, with some half of them living in China.
The author started reducing
the Akha oral literature to a written system in the 1950s and invested
fifty years of research in recording the Akha oral tradition.
This book presents
an English translation of samples from this literature testifying to a rich
storehouse of wisdom, fun and humor accumulated over the centuries by this
unique ethnic group.
No IS BN
WL Order Code 22 358
US$15.00
Chiang Rai 2003, 272 pp., illus., 175 x 215
mm, pbk.
McDaniel, Matthew;Akha Voices : Hilltribe Days. The Akha Journal of the
Golden Triangle Vol. 1 & 2
This journal in book form covers a wide range of topics.
The main chapters
are, The Akha, Akha Events, Who’s Destroying the Akha Way of Life?, Human
Rights Documents.
An emotional cry for help as details about the threat the Akhas are facing
from different sites.
One of the few books which documents the events bluntly.
FORTHCOMIN G 2007
1. Baker, Simon; ‘Child Labour’ and Child Prostitution in Thailand: Changing Realities
2. Choden, Kunzang; Chilli and Cheese: Food and Society in Bhutan
3. Farrington, Anthony; Low’s Mission to Southern Siam 1824
4. Montague, Joel; Colonial Postcards of Cambodia
5. Mulder, Nieis; Doing Thailand: The Anthropologist as a Young Dog in Bangkok in the 1960s
6. N guyên Xuân Hiên, Betel Chewing Custom in Vietnam
7. Round, Philip P.; The Birds of the Bangkok Area
IS BN 978-974-8496-22-1
WL Order Code 21 727
US$23.00
Bangkok, 1994, repr. from 1900; 227 pp.,
illus., 2 folded charts, 150 x 210 mm, pbk.
McCarthy, James;Surveying and Exploring in Siam :
With Descriptions of
Lao Dependencies and of Battles Against the Chinese Haw
This is an enchanting record of the personal observations of the main architect
of Siam’s territorial surveying efforts.
James McCarthy was the Siamese
Government adviser who took on the bewildering task of defining exactly what
Siam’s territories were.
From 1881 to 1893 he struggled in the jungles of Northern
Siam and present-day Laos against fever and lack of food, and against the
pillaging Chinese Haw bandits, to produce the first map of Siam made to scale,
Here is a rich world of information about the small states and peoples in Siam’s
Lao dependencies, and on the early movements and trading of the hill tribes.
McCarthy was a privileged eye-witness to the violent definitive settlement with
the Chinese Haw and to the opening up of Siam’s interior to trade and development.
IS BN 978-974-480-077-0
WL Order Code 22 486
US$30.00
Bangkok 2006, 168 pp., fully illus., 24 pp.
color illus., 150 x 210 mm, pbk
Shahriari, Andrew; Khon Muang Music and Dance Traditions of North
Thailand
This work describes in detail the traditional music and dance of northern Thailand—
the area of the former Lanna kingdom and its legacy.
The author has
researched and performed the various musical instruments individually and in
ensembles in Thailand and the United States.
This book is invaluable for serious
students of Thai music, as well as to the many visitors from abroad who
visit Chiang Mai and its environs every year, enabling them to understand and
appreciate better the various traditional dances and music encountered during
their stay.
Numerous photographs accompany informative text that covers eight
of the most common dances, more than fourteen khon muang instruments, and
the eight primary ensemble traditions of the region.
National, regional, and
local events, such as Spirit Dances, are also highlighted to reveal the wealth of
vibrant musical activity found throughout the region.
IS BN 978-974-8434-24-7
WL Order Code 22 012
US$20.00
Bangkok, 1998, repr. from 1895; 126 pp.,
illus. 1 folded map. 255 x 450 mm
Smyth, Warington H.;Exploring for Gemstones on the Upper Mekong:
Northern Siam and Part of Laos in the Years 1892–1893
This is the account of a six-month journey from Bangkok to Luang Prabang
and through Nong Khai and Korat.
The author’s mission was to explore the
regions opposite Chiang Khong, on the left bank of the Mekong, for deposits
of rubies and sapphires, Smyth’s work was part of a wide assignment to produce
an overall survey of the mineral deposits of the kingdom.
His geological
report is admirably supplemented by his observations on the environment and
customs of the peoples he met on his journey.
His love of ordinary people,
the countryside and jungle life that was both his ordeal and his delight for so
many months is demonstrated in the scores of sketches that illustrate the book.
A extraordinarily detailed map of central and Northern Thailand considerably
enhances the value of this book.
No IS BN
WL Order Code 21 197
US$8.00
Chiang Mai 1986, 4th updated Edition; 52
pp., 125 x 180 mm, pbk.
Wood, R. W : De Mortuis; The Story of the Chiang Mai Foreign Cemetery
038-239-883-4 
