A selection of archaeology-related books, new to the catalogue of Select Books, a specialised publisher and retailer of books pertaining to Southeast Asia. For ordering info, please visit the Select Books website.
043005
Early Southeast Asia: Selected Essays. Wolters, O. W.; Craig J. Reynolds (ed.). Us. 2008. 236pp. pb. $65.00 (This collection of previously published essays on early Southeast Asia is introduced by an overview of Oliver Wolters’ (1915-2000) life and career. From 1938-1957 he was in the (colonial) Malayan Civil Service and from 1958 in academia in London and at Cornell where his ground-breaking research and teaching on early Southast Asia became legendary. The eleven essays are grouped as: Southeast Asia as a Region; the Long Durée of Malay history; Mainland Mandalas; and Vietnamese Historiography and Literature.)
042395
Armies Of Angkor, The: Military Structure And Weaponry Of The Khmers. Jacq-Hergoualc’h, Michel; Michael Smithies (trans). Th. 2007. 178pp. hc. $73.00 (The Khmers of the 12th and 13th centuries are best remembered by the magnificent monuments that they left the world – the ruins of Angkor Wat, the Bayon and Banteay Chmar and other relics at Siem Reap. As well as being visionary architects and builders, they were by far the most formidable fighting force of Southeast Asia, and much of their fabled wealth was generated directly from the spoils of their conquests. Translated from the French author’s 1979 study, this book draws on depictions of warfare found on the stone relief of the monuments mentioned above to reconstruct a vivid image of the Khmer armed forces, both land and naval, to give readers insight into its organisation, technology, weaponry and strategies, and other aspects of Khmer life, such as clothing and textile patterns, hairstyles and body ornaments. With black-and-white illustrations, bibliography and index.)
043501
Beauty In Asia: 200 BCE To Today. Krishnan, Gauri Parimoo. Sg. 2007. 64pp. pb. $12.84 (This neat summary catalogue accompanied the 2007 exhibition, Beauty in Asia, 200 BCE to Today, at the Asian Civilisations Museum, Singapore. An essay “What is beauty? What is beauty in Asia? Is there beauty in the grotesque?” introduces inset pictures of a selection of the exhibits. These are grouped as: Ideal Beauty; the Quest for Beauty; Celebration of Beauty; and Spiritual Beauty. With full list of exhibits and bibliography.)
043032
Catalogue Of The Chinese Style Ceramics Of Majapahit: Tentative Inventory. Dupoizat, Marie-France; N Harkantiningsih. Fr. 2007. 111pp. pb. $92.00 (This illustrated catalogue lists and discusses imported Chinese-style ceramics found at the Trowulan archaeological site near 13th to 16th-century Majapahit capital in East Java. The various types and origins of the fragments indicate the importance of the trade with China. Thai and Vietnamese fragments are also identified. With map, colour illustrations, identification details, and bibliography.)
