Items related to Thailand Reflected In A River
Synopsis
Dip into Thailand's rivers and you delve into the very core of Thai beliefs. No river better illustrates that than Thailand's lifeline, the Chao Phya. Dependable provider of the staple foods of rice and fish, the medium for its main festivals, the element of its royal and lay rites of passage, and the vibrant heart of its belief system, culture and literature, its importance is paramount. Trace the Chao Phya and its tributaries and you trace a millenium of Thailand's history and economic development. Understand the meaning of water in Thai culture and you understand Thais and Thailand. Known for his extensive and intimate knowledge of Thailand's rivers, Steve Van Beek embarks upon a visual odyssey that takes you into the heart of Thailand as reflected in teh Chao Phya. By the time you finish this eye-opening book, you will know Thailand in a manner seldom revealed, a journey in words and picutures as pleasurable as it is rewarding.
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Thailand Reflected in a River
Seller: Alplaus Books, Alplaus, NY, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Good. Hardbound with dust jacket. Book with pages unmarked, limited gentle wear; jacket with gentle surface wear. Seller Inventory # 56465aozz
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Thailand Reflected in a River
Seller: Recycle Bookstore, San Jose, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. book has light wear to corners, mild wear to ends of spine , slight wear to spine gutter, slight shake to spine- w start of cracking to binding, otherwise in clean shape with sharp pages. dust jacket has mild shelf wear across cover, light wear to edges, mild wear to ends of spine and corners, otherwise in solid presentable shape now in plastic archival cover. Seller Inventory # 1016308
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Thailand Reflected In A River *Signed*
Published by
Wind & Water, Hong Kong, 2004
ISBN 10: 9749124693
ISBN 13: 9789749124697
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: RZABASBOOKs, Toronto, ON, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Gift inscription signed by Steven Van Beek dated Feb. 17, 2004. A few feint marks to dust jacket. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 014181
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THAILAND REFLECTED IN A RIVER
Published by
Wind & Water, 2004
ISBN 10: 9749124693
ISBN 13: 9789749124697
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: SPHINX LIBRARY, CHONBURI, Thailand
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Wind & Water Publishing, Bangkok 2004, 272 pages, Hardbound with dustjacket. Fine Condition. Large Format: 13 x 9.5 inches(34 x 24 cm.)740 photographs and illstrations. Heavy book with a weight of five pounds (2.3 kg.) Extra Postage will apply. If one understands the importance of rivers and the symbolism of water in Thai culture, one understands Thai history, economy, culture, and values. Water is paramount in everything from food to festivals, royal and lay rites of passage, commerce, village settlement patterns, transportation, housing, literature, and art, and that understanding the core meaning of water to Thais adds a new dimension to an appreciation of all they have accomplished. While it is a unique approach to Thailand, critical reviews suggest that it is a valid one. If nothing else, it makes for entertaining and thought-provoking reading. And the hundreds of illustrations both support the arguments and enhance the reader's appreciation. "Steve Van Beek is the River guy" The text is both lyrical and magisterial, nto these sumptuously illustrated pages Van Beek has poured his copious knowledge of Thai history and geology, flora and fauna, river boats and royal barges, rice farmers and teak wallahs, dams and fish traps, river spirits and water rites, waterborne communities and modern river pilots. You would have to be really crazy about the Chao Phraya River to do what Steve Van Beek has done: Tracing the lengths of the mighty river's tributaries - the Ping, Wang, Yom and Nan rivers - from their sources on a paddle boat, rowing through forests, gorges, mountain passes, and past valleys, plains and farmlands on solo journeys that lasted months. From the Ping in Northern Thailand he paddled down to Nakhon Sawan in the Central Plain, where the four rivers merge to form the Chao Phraya, and from there followed the River of Kings, as the Chao Phraya is known, to where it empties into the Gulf of Thailand at Paknam in Samut Prakan. Rowing a total of 1,152 kilometres, he was visibly lighter when he finished his long adventurous journey, but he lived to tell the tale in Slithering South, one of several books he has written about Thailand's best known river. Van Beek's observations of life along the Chao Phraya while he was slithering south from the river's sources has led to another book, this time looking at the river as a mirror that reflects the evolution of the Kingdom. In Thailand Reflected in a River the author follows the route of the Chao Phraya, taking readers back in time to the ancient kingdoms of Lanna, Sukhothai and Ayutthaya before exploring the development of Bangkok as seen from the river. "Water is the true home of the Siamese, and it is on this, their native element, that their real character and genius are best exhibited," Ernest Young observed in The Kingdom of the Yellow Robe (1898). To this Van Beek adds that from the beginning, Thais have sited their cities near rivers, a trait which distinguishes them from most other Asian cultures. "Thai monarchs in north and central Thailand built their principal towns beside rivers in the belief that they were integral components of urban design, providing sustenance, mobility, and protection," he writes. "In so doing, the Thais melded two worlds, the liquid and the solid, into a cohesive whole, making island fortresses of their cities." However, there is one notable exception: Sukhothai. Wondering why Thailand's first capital was the only royal city not built on the banks of a river - and how a city as small as Sukhothai could have produced superb temples, a grand palace and a multitude of beautiful monuments in only 150 years of active existence - the author goes on to unravel the mystery, citing accounts by archaeologists, historians, architects and other scholars. Thailand Reflected in a River highlights the importance of the Chao Phraya, and water, not only as a dependable provider of the Thai staple foods. Seller Inventory # 000155