Search Results: Travel Accounts Asia from Orchid Press

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2003. Describes a selection of early travellers' impressions of the Khmer empire's ancient 12th century capital and the legends that inspired the majestic stone temples of Angkor, which a visitor in the 1920's declared 'the most impressive sight in the world of edifices'. The work brings to the reader many out-of-print impressions of early Western travellers and also includes tales and legends based on an oral tradition, published for the first time. It serves as a guide book companion, an introduction to Angkor, and as supplementary reading following a visit. Also an excellent read for the armchair traveller unable to venture as far afield as Cambodia. 230 pp., 8 maps, 31 colour and 51 b&w plates, glossary, bibliography, index. First Edition. Soft Cover. As New. 23 x 12.7 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2000. A collection of 37 poems on 19th century colonial life in Burma and originally published in the Rangoon Gazette and the Burma Critic. Some reflect the author's views if the 'unjust treatment of Burma at the hands of the Indian government'. The Colonial Library of Dignified Irreverence reprint of 1912 London edition. 116 pp., 28 b&w sketches, gilt edges. A new/unread copy.. Decorative Cloth. As new. Illus. by T. Martin Jones. 17.5 x 12 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2006. Burma's Icy Mountains describes two expeditions to Burma-one on his own and a second, with a larger American party close to the Burma-China border-completed by the intrepid explorer and plant hunter, Kingdon-Ward, prior to the outbreak of WWII. Not published until the post war period some ten years later, the book is of particular interest in light of the more recent traumatic history of this region, and has become one of the author's most sought-after titles. Aside from its relevance to those interested in Kingdon-Ward's own focus on the rich botanical diversity of this still inaccessible region, his vivid descriptions of the terrain, the fauna and the peoples-including Tibetans, Lisu, Lashi, Kachin and Nung-encountered enroute make this true chronicle of hardship and perseverance come alive. 296 pp., 16 b&w plates, 2 maps, with new index (a deficiency in the first edition).. Second edition. Soft Cover. New/n/a. 21.5 x 14.5 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. Masson was one of the most courageous and resourceful early British explorers in Central Asia, wandering over the Punjab, Baluchistan and Afghanistan between 1827 and 1840, usually alone and on foot. During his lengthy sojourn in Kabul, he collected a vast number of coins which revealed previously unknown Graeco-Bactrian and Kushan monarchs, excavated a significant number of ancient Buddhist monuments, and became a reluctant participant in the Great Game. Masson developed a great affection for and rapport with Afghans at every level of society. His descriptions of factional fighting and intrigues in Afghan society are remarkable in their similarity to descriptions of conditions within this fragmented country today. 200 pp., 5 colour and 9 b&w plates, 3 maps, bibliography, index. Second edition. Hard Cover. New/New. 21 x 15 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1985. Designed for the traveller not widely familiar with the vagaries of climates in south, southeast and east Asian countries, this very useful guide begins with a discussion of such features as monsoons, cyclones, typhoons, and other climatic extremes that the visitor may at times encounter. Followed by a detailed annual description and supporting charts of climates for each of 26 countries, the guide is an excellent tool to determine what may be the best period of the year in which to visit this region, depending on the goals of the individual traveller. A useful section is included on health risks and suggested precautions, by Dr Cecilia Leslie, a specialist in tropical medicine. As climate norms have changed measurably in the 40 years since the publication of this book, it also provides a valuable reference tool and baseline for those studying the effects of global warming on Asia today. 112 pp., 13 maps. First Edition. Soft Cover. Cover scuffed, otherwise good. 23 x 12.7 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1998. Subtitled 'Or the Ingredients of Social Life at "Our Station" in India'. A light hearted account of life in India, with 40 delightful vignettes, including 'Our Colonel', 'Our Padre', 'Our Magistrate's Wife', 'Our Racecourse', 'Our Bazar', 'Our Agriculturists' and "Our Nuwab'. Each is accompanied by a watercolour illustration. The Colonial Library of Dignified Irreverence reprint of 1911 edition. 160 pp., 39 colour sketches, gilt edges. Fifth Edition. Decorative Cloth. As New. 24 x 18.5 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. A new memoir of the author’s journeys among the brave indigenous peoples of some of Asia’s most remote and violent regions. Knowledgeably obsessed with Burma’s struggle for freedom, American artist/activist Mirante breaks laws and infiltrates borders, in impassioned journeys of discovery that take her through China, India, Laos, and chaotic Bangladesh. Down the Rat Hole is a wild and exotic headlong plunge into a hidden world of guerrilla warfare, heroin and jade trading, the AIDS pandemic, rainforest destruction, strikes and rioting, and one of the worst natural disasters of the 20th century. 199 pp., 16 col. pl, 3 maps. Soft Cover. New. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1997. A spontaneous and irrepressibly humourous view of life in Burma a century ago. Devoid of all statistics and political observations, yet 'to those happy ones who love laughter, it will be welcome as gold'. The Colonial Library of Dignified Irreverence reprint of 1899 Wigan edition. 240 pp., colour frontispiece, gilt edges. Decorative Cloth. As New. 17.5 x 12 cm.

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, 2002. With an introduction by Tristram Pye, and a new forward by George Mallory II. The first of several biographies of the Everest pioneer, George Mallory, whose body was dramatically recovered on the mountain 1999, this was the only biography written by a contemporary, fellow mountaineer and close personal friend. Long regarded as containing some of the finest detail of all mountaineering literature, this work, often quoted in later biographies, was published for the first and only previous time in 1927. Long out of print and previously virtually unobtainable. 208 pp., 6 b&w plates. Second edition. Hard Cover. New/new. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2006. The Ho Chi Minh Trail was a decisive factor in the defeat of American forces in the Vietnam War. At the peak of its 16 years' operation, the Trail ran through North and South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Despite an estimated 4 million tons of US bombs, efforts to stop the transport of supplies to the North Vietnamese Army over the Trail failed, and by 1975 over a million tons of supplies and 2 million troops had traversed the Trail. The author and photographer, the first Westerners to traverse the entire length of the Trail, trace the footsteps of the hundreds of thousands who designed, built, used and fought along it. Interviewing villagers along the Trail, as well as key military and political figures on both sides of the conflict, including the mastermind of the trail, General Vo Nguyen Giap, they present a fascinating account of this most remarkable feat of engineering and tactical warfare of the Vietnam War era. 196 pp., 109 colour and 24 b&w illustrations, 11… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2006. A renowned American novelist once wrote that one 'can never go home again', but as the author demonstrates in this delightful and subtle account, such is not the case--we can and should cherish our past and, from time to time, we must reaffirm our roots. O'Hara's homecoming to Burma, as he gives us glimpses into a youth that was punctuated by hardship and loss, reveals a character determined to succeed, even at the expense of abandoning his country of birth. In parallel it points to some of the causes of that nation's failure to realize its great potential. The author, Randolph O'Hara, MBE, is a retired civil servant residing in Hong Kong. During his career he played a pivotal role in the development of local cultural facilities in the former British colonial administration. 73 pp, 10 b&w illustrations. . First Edition. Soft Cover. New. 20 x 13 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1997. A collection of 31 short poems originally published in the Rangoon Gazette for an Anglo-Burmese / Anglo-Indian readership. Described by the author as a 'literary sampan'. Many evoke an Englishman's nostalgia for his homeland. The Colonial Library of Dignified Irreverence reprint of 1910 Rangoon edition. 96 pp., gilt edges. Decorative Cloth. As New. 17.5 x 12 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. Subtitle : The record of an Arduous Journey of Exploration and Research through the Unknown Frontier Territory of Burma and Tibet. Records the 1914 expedition of Kingdon-Ward, the famed plant-collector and explorer, along the eastern branch of Burma’s great Irrawaddy River. A classic travel and botany account, told in the author’s inimitable style, with much vivid description of both the populace and flora of this still remote region. Reprint of the 1921 Seeley first edition -- one of Kingdon-Ward’s scarcest titles. 192 pp., 2 maps, 23 b&w pl., appendices, index. Second edition. Soft Cover. New. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Kathmandu: Bibliotheca Himalayica, 2003. In this new edition of his travalogue of an exploratory trek through western Nepal in 1952, the legendary linguist and Tibetologist, Giuseppi Tucci, describes his experiences and discoveries as the first 20th century western scholar to travel through the region. His account preserves an invaluable record of the art, culture, social and religious practices of the inhabitants of Mustang, prior to the inevitable changes that have since occurred, with the intrusion of the modern world and regional politics into this ancient land. 253 pp., 80 b&w plates, 1 map. A new/unread copy.. Second edition. Soft Cover. New. 24 x 18 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. Subtitle : 'The First Mission of a Burmese Minister to Britain, 1872.' Following the Second Anglo-Burmese War (1852-3), the British occupied approximately half of the Kingdom of Burma, effectively controlling the entire Kingdom's access to the sea, and thus its ability to engage freely in international trade. Yet the British neither formally annexed nor declared free the remaining portion of the Burmese kingdom. Min-don, the newly crowned king of Burma, walked a fine line with his powerful foreign 'guests', attempting to balance cordiality toward the intruders with at least the appearance of independent authority over the remaining, unoccupied, part of the kingdom. An uneasy balance between co-operation and antagonism thus characterized the attitudes of both the Burmese and British authorities toward one another, a balance that became increasingly strained following the bitter experiences of the British in India in 1857, and Calcutta's… Read More

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2004. Captain Robinson, completing a posting as a young British administrator in remote northern Burma, returned to Mandalay in 1923 to await a new assignment. One evening, Robinson and two friends came by chance upon an opium den. While his friends called it a night, Robinson stayed on to sample the forbidden pleasures within-a decision that was to alter his life forever. Thus commences an incredible autobiographical account of the seduction of a naive young romantic by the East, and of his eventual narrow escape from death. First published in 1942, the book has become a sought-after rarity among British colonial accounts. Now republished with a new foreword by Gerry Abbott, exploring some fascinating links between Robinson and his contemporary in Burma, George Orwell. xxiii, 128 pp., 5 b&w plates, map, references. Second edition. Soft Cover. New. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1983. This book, in the form of a guide to the country, may be a little dated now in terms of the practical information listed, but it is a rich and concise source on many aspects of the country which are difficult to find elsewhere. The author writes from some 20 years' experience in the country and the sections on geography, climate, population, history, art, religion, nature and the Tibetan and Nepalese festival calendars are particularly well presented and relevant. A valuable book for all who love this enduringly fascinating Himalayan kingdom. 251 pp., 29 colour plates, numerous maps and charts, with data on as diverse subjects as, for example, attributes of the many divinities, maximum altitudes for various species of birds and fauna, equipment required for various levels of treks, etc. etc.. revised. Soft Cover. Very Good. 23 x 12 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1998. Subtitled : 'Some 19th Century Europeans in the Himalayan Regions and Central Asia'. A compilation of the fascinating biographies of a number of 19th century Western travellers in the Himalayas and Central Asia, including Richmond Shakespeare, Joseph Hooker and Ashley Eden, among others. 182 pp., 19 colour and 17 b&w plates, 5 maps, notes on sources, index. A new/unread copy.. Soft Cover. As new. 21.5 x 15.2 cm.

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. A remarkable personal account of a sojourn of nearly eight years in Tibet, ending in 1952, compiled from the notes, sketches and photographs of Peter Aufschnaiter. An Austrian agricultural engineer, Aufschaiter developed a deep love and sympathy for the Tibetan people, sentiments which were readily reciprocated. Throughout his stay in Tibet, Aufschnaiter worked tirelessly not only to understand the people, their culture and religion, but also to share his skills in any area which could improve their lot. A brilliant linguist, mountaineer and observer, Aufschnaiter provides us with the most detailed and sensitive record available of the Tibetans and their way of life, on the eve of the Chinese invasion which was to wreak such irreversible damage to this unique culture. 208 pp., 70 b&w and 67 colour plates, 11 maps in text and one separate large (70 x 60 cm) colour fold-out map of Lhasa in back pocket. A rich and fascinating account, now rare. . First English Edition.… Read More