Informal Reading for SE Asia

A good source for up-to-date, authoritative, and readable information on the nations of Asia, at least as an introduction with current information, is the annual publication _THE FAR EAST AND AUSTRALASIA_, which you can consult in major public and academic libraries.

One suggestion for a good historical read on Thailand is David Wyatt's _Thailand: a short history_. As the chapters are by historical periods, one can readily focus on the more modern era if one so chooses, beginning with, say, chapter 6, The Early Bangkok Empire, 1767-1851.

In response to Shekhan Krishnan's request for recommendations for informal readings on SE Asia. For Thailand, I suggest the following:

James O'Reilley and Larry Habegger, eds., _Trvaelers' Tales: Thailand_ (a very good selection of short readings - essays, reportage, fiction - for the general reader)

Benedict R. O'G. Anderson and Ruchira Mendiones, ed., _In the Mirror: Literature and Politics in Siam in the American Era_ (possibly more easily obtained in Thailand than in the U.S., a collection of current short stories with an excellent introduction)

B. J. Terviel, _A Window on Thai History_ (also published in Thailand, a short thematic introduction to Thai history)

Although the inquiry excluded dense academic prose, I would highly recommend Thongchai Winichakul's _Siam Mapped: A History of the Geo-body of a Nation,_ published by the University of Hawaii Press and in Thailand by Silkworm Books.

Informal Reading for SE Asia

A dialog on the H-Asia list, July 1998