Burma from Orchid Press

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1995. More than entertainment, Burmese marionettes were used as a means of educating the audience in literature, history, religion, customs and current events. A portrayal of a rich tradition now on the brink of extinction. 108 pp., 101 colour plates, glossary. An unread copy, with small mark (glue residue?) on front cover, page borders lightly tanned. Otherwise… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2000. The author has edited and woven together an amazing array of descriptions of Burma by early travellers, quoting over 90 sources. Having thoroughly researched past travellers' accounts, he elegantly constructs, from these, a vivid history of the country. A compact, highly readable 'thinking man's' travel guide. 208pp., 45 colour and b&w plates, 4 maps, bibliography, index.… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1998. The sensitive account of a political prisoner in Burma in the 1950's, with portraits of teenage fellow prisoners and the impact of incarceration on young lives. The original Burmese edition won a UNESCO prize in 1958. Foreword to the new edition by H. K. Kuloy. viii, 144 pp., 16 b&w drawings, 1 b&w plate (Malay… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1998. The first comprehensive history of Burma and now a classic reference, it draws on both Burmese written records and the narratives of European travellers and residents prior to the end of the nineteenth century. Reprint of the 1883 edition. 312 pp., 3 monochrome illustrations, 3 maps, appendices listing the kings of Burma and Pegu, index. Soft… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press/Weatherhill, 2001. The first and only comprehensive study of the history and civilization of the vanished kingdom of Arakan, now part of western coastal Burma. Mentioned in Ptolemy's 2nd century AD Geography, Arakan was, from earliest times, a cosmopolitan state with a vigourous and complex culture. Indian Brahmins conducted the royal rituals, Buddhist monks spread their teaching, traders… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1995. The details of specific missionaries, their activities and their indigenous charges are placed within the broader context of the political rivalries between the kingdoms of Ava and Pegu, and later of the wars against British forces. Reprint of the 1887 original Rangoon edition. 152 pp.. Softbound. New. 19 x 13 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. Classical Burmese literature abounds with poems that describe the seasons, and this book is a celebration of the Burmese seasons or months, their poets, flowers, festivals and cycles of traditional monthly activities. Written with wit, spirit and insight by Khin Myo Chit and illustrated with the incomparable watercolours of the late Paw Oo Thet. 132… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1999. An American writer provides remarkable insights into the daily lives of the people of this traumatized and nearly forgotten land, through personal contacts over a wide range of Burmese society, in urban centers, monasteries and hilltribe villages. 150 pp., 13 b&w plates, map. First Edition. Softbound. New. 22 x 15 cm..

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2002. A monograph on the influence of Mahayana, Tantric and other northern Buddhist schools on early Burmese Buddhist traditions. In completing this important study, the distinguished Indian scholar draws not only on Sanskrit literary sources but also on a wide range of archaeological evidence, epigraphical remains, sculptures and paintings. Reprint of the 1936 edition. 130 pp., bibliography.… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2000. This study describes the origins of lacquer in Burma, the lacquer process, techniques of decoration, and design motifs, followed by a detailed description of the myriad of lacquerware vessels and other forms produced for secular, religious and ceremonial application. Concludes with a consideration of current lacquerware production centers in Burma and museum collections of Burmese lacquer… Read more about this item

Trumbull: Weatherhill, 2003. Treasures hide in the temples of Pagan-treasures in part never meant to be seen, enshrouded in the darkness of high vaults. They compose a unique ensemble in the Buddhist world of the eleventh to fourteenth century, giving us a glimpse of a lost splendour, and providing evidence of the major political, religious and artistic position that Pagan… Read more about this item

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… Read more about this item

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… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2005. The Naga of Burma is the result of the author's over 30 years' research and fieldwork on the Naga people of far western Burma, a loosely related, fiercely independent, group of tribes, practicing headhunting until well into the 20th century. Tracing their origins, and examining their social structures, religion and ritual, architecture, arts and crafts, hunting… Read more about this item

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… Read more about this item

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… Read more about this item

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… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2001. Subtitled 'and Enjoy the Totalitarian Experience'. Penetrating and empathetic insights into the daily lives and trials of the Burmese people as they eke out an existence under the ever watchful gaze of their oppressive military government. Syrota, an Australian human rights activist, spent many months roaming the cities and countryside meeting and chatting with citizens from… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 1995. More than entertainment, Burmese marionettes were used as a means of educating the audience in literature, history, religion, customs and current events. A portrayal of a rich tradition now on the brink of extinction. 108 pp., 101 colour plates, glossary. A new/unread copy but with some light cover soiling due to long storage.. First Edition. Soft… Read more about this item

Bangkok: Orchid Press, 2001. Burmese wooden monasteries and related pavilions have not received the scholarly attention they deserve, which is particularly unfortunate, considering their rapid deterioration as a result of neglect and the damp tropical climate in which they are located. This book introduces the reader to the beauty and genius of Burmese wood craftsmanship as expressed in the construction… Read more about this item