cpbkk Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 (edited) I’m a voracious reader and historical fiction and biographical novels are genres of choice. I’m looking for more books about Thailand in these genres. I read Four Reigns two years ago, but haven’t found anything worthwhile since. Any suggestions? Edited June 14, 2014 by Rooo font Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyDrinker Posted June 13, 2014 Share Posted June 13, 2014 If you can read Thai I'd recommend 'Letters from Thailand' by Botan in the original Thai. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHomeboy78 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 The Seal of Tammatari. J.C.Shaw. [DK Books, 1985]. A well-researched novel about life in Ayuthya and the fascinating career of Constantine Phaulcon, the Greek adventurer who became Chief Minister of Siam before losing his life in the Revolution of 1688. Long out of print but still occasionally to be seen in the used bookstores of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Worth looking for. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lungbing Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 I don't know if I am allowed to advertise here, but try DASA bookshop in Bangkok. They have a huge range of books on all subjects and have a frequently updated list you can download. They accept returned books and deliver by Thailand Post. No connection with me other than my being a most satisfied customer. http://www.dasabookcafe.com 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clutch Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 A personal friend of mine residing here in LOS wrote the following book 3 years ago. He's an interesting chap. http://hellgatepress.com/cp-tertius 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpbkk Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 The Seal of Tammatari. J.C.Shaw. [DK Books, 1985]. A well-researched novel about life in Ayuthya and the fascinating career of Constantine Phaulcon, the Greek adventurer who became Chief Minister of Siam before losing his life in the Revolution of 1688. Long out of print but still occasionally to be seen in the used bookstores of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Worth looking for. Thanks, Homeboy. I read the Falcon of Siam, which tells the same story, but the author fell short of my expectations. I'll definitely look for this version and appreciate the recommendation. I'll try Dasa Books as recommended below. Wish me luck finding it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpbkk Posted June 14, 2014 Author Share Posted June 14, 2014 I don't know if I am allowed to advertise here, but try DASA bookshop in Bangkok. They have a huge range of books on all subjects and have a frequently updated list you can download. They accept returned books and deliver by Thailand Post. No connection with me other than my being a most satisfied customer. http://www.dasabookcafe.com Didn't know this place existed -- exactly what I am looking for. Thanks for pointing it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFishman1 Posted June 14, 2014 Share Posted June 14, 2014 Onli 13 The True Story of Lon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHomeboy78 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Almost any book about Thai history is fiction by definition Nonsense! Primary sources abound. Beginning in the 16th century, Europeans - mostly Portuguese, French, and English - left many first-person accounts of the Ayuthya kingdom. The 19th century saw that tradition carried on by American missionaries, merchants, and diplomats. The Rattanakosin period in Bangkok produced an abundance of historical information from Thais and westerners alike. To say that it is all "fiction by definition" is ridiculous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pieeyed Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Siamese White by Maurice Collis. The 13th elephant (I think that is the correct name) about the Death Railway being built). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonobo Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 The Seal of Tammatari. J.C.Shaw. [DK Books, 1985]. A well-researched novel about life in Ayuthya and the fascinating career of Constantine Phaulcon, the Greek adventurer who became Chief Minister of Siam before losing his life in the Revolution of 1688. Long out of print but still occasionally to be seen in the used bookstores of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Worth looking for. If you cannot find it locally, you can order it through Amazon. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tifino Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 'The Ugly American' Post-war film starring Marlon Brando, as an Ambassador-type. Missus loved looking at it (just into the background though!! - for the buildings and the peoples floating in and out of scenes) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHomeboy78 Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) The Seal of Tammatari. J.C.Shaw. [DK Books, 1985]. A well-researched novel about life in Ayuthya and the fascinating career of Constantine Phaulcon, the Greek adventurer who became Chief Minister of Siam before losing his life in the Revolution of 1688. Long out of print but still occasionally to be seen in the used bookstores of Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Worth looking for. Thanks, Homeboy. I read the Falcon of Siam, which tells the same story, but the author fell short of my expectations. I'll definitely look for this version and appreciate the recommendation. I'll try Dasa Books as recommended below. Wish me luck finding it! Also to be recommended is : Phaulcon. The Greek First Counsellor at the Court of Siam. By George A Sioris [The Siam Society.1998]. An excellent biography. Not historical fiction as such, but stranger than fiction, as the truth so often is. Edited June 15, 2014 by CMHomeboy78 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgs Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Siamese White by Maurice Collis. The 13th elephant (I think that is the correct name) about the Death Railway being built). One Thirteenth of an Elephant - it is a great book, but apparently illegal to have in Thailand according to the souvenir shop in Kanchanaburi. Accuracy of it's legality I know not, but it is certainly worth reading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tifino Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 (edited) wasn't "One Fourteenth Of An Elephant" per chance?? ... by Ian Denys Peek .. a POW on the railway - these were his memoirs...so, without actually getting a hold of it -it might not be a complete 'Fiction' after all? Edited June 15, 2014 by tifino 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlesHH Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 Ok, these are contemporary fiction settings but still great fun for foreign readers living in Thailand......... by John Burdett , Chris Moore, and Simon Royle. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bina Posted June 15, 2014 Share Posted June 15, 2014 interesting... after spending some days in ayuthaya, hubby (thai) has suddenly re-discovered an interest in history (never stayed in school as a child so relearning, so to speak and he was fascinated with ayuthaiya, the battle etc..)... but he needs simple books in thai or movies... i however, like the list of books... and will search to find on kindle (cannot read regular print anynmore, bad eyesight)... or send my father on a 'out of print' book hunt, to add books to my thailand collection (the only physical books i have anymore). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cpbkk Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Siamese White by Maurice Collis. The 13th elephant (I think that is the correct name) about the Death Railway being built). One Thirteenth of an Elephant - it is a great book, but apparently illegal to have in Thailand according to the souvenir shop in Kanchanaburi. Accuracy of it's legality I know not, but it is certainly worth reading. Thank you. Do you know the author of One Thirteenth by chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tifino Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348554729l/5091946.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5091946-one-fourteenth-of-an-elephant Edited June 18, 2014 by tifino 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuestHouse Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 (edited) The best example I know of... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sukhothai+stone&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NF2hU42BPIqQ0QXqzoHQDw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=j-0-9ShblYwNzM%253A%3BvzpOn8Co5UnVRM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bangkoksite.com%252Fnationalmuseum%252FInscription3.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bangkoksite.com%252Fnationalmuseum%252FMuseumInscript.htm%3B200%3B280 Edited June 18, 2014 by GuestHouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHomeboy78 Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 The best example I know of... https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=sukhothai+stone&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=NF2hU42BPIqQ0QXqzoHQDw&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=667#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=j-0-9ShblYwNzM%253A%3BvzpOn8Co5UnVRM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bangkoksite.com%252Fnationalmuseum%252FInscription3.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.bangkoksite.com%252Fnationalmuseum%252FMuseumInscript.htm%3B200%3B280 What do you mean, that the Sukhothai Stone, attributed to King Ramkhamkaeng, is "historical fiction"? That view has been expressed by both Thai and Western scholars since the early 1990s. Notably by Michael Wright and Piriya Krairiksh, both of Thammasat University. The increasing suspicion is based on textual analysis. Some inscription phrases are taken verbatim from the writings of later kings, and others are common to 18th century Thai literature. Nevertheless, the authenticity of the inscription was, and is, supported by many archaeologists and historians,; David Wyatt and Betty Gosling among them. Meanwhile, the controversy remains unresolved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMHomeboy78 Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 As an afterthought... The Gentleman in the Parlour. W.Somerset Maugham. London 1930. Reprinted often. An account of a journey the author took from Rangoon to Haiphong. Travelling upriver on the Irrawaddy to Mandalay, on horse through the mountains and forests of the Shan States to the Siamese border fort at Mae Sai. Then on to the railhead in Chiang Mai where he continued the trip by train and boat. This book can't be too highly recommended. Here he is on the Irrawaddy: "Then I went to see the great bell at Mingun. Here is a Buddhist convent, and as I stood looking a group of nuns surrounded me. They wore robes the same shape and size as the monks', but instead of the monks' fine yellow of a grimy dun. Little old toothless women, their heads shaven but covered with an inch of thin grey stubble, and their little old faces deeply lined and wrinkled. They held out skinny hands for money and gabbled with bare pale gums. Their dark eyes were alert with covetousness and their smiles were mischievous. They were very old and they had no human ties or affections. They seemed to look upon the world with a humourous cynicism. They had lived through every kind of illusion and held existence in a malicious and laughing contempt. They had no tolerance for the follies of men and no indulgence for their weakness. There was something vaguely frightening in their entire lack of attachment to human things. They had done with love, they had finished with the anguish of separation, death had no terrors for them, they had nothing left now but laughter. They struck the great bell that I might hear its tone; boom, boom, it went, a long low note that travelled in slow reverberations down the river, a solemn sound that seemed to call the soul from its tenement of clay and remind it that though all created things were illusion, in the illusion was also beauty; and the nuns, following the sound, burst into ribald cackles of laughter, hi, hi, hi, that mocked the call of the great bell. Dupes, their laughter said, dupes and fools. Laughter is the only reality." Your request was for historical fiction... according to Maugham, everything is in the end. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exona Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 John Raulston Saul the noted Canadian Philosopher wrote 3 brilliant novels set in Bangkok and the region in the late 80's. The Paradise Eaters is the best. Hard to find a copy around the traps these days. Sent from my Nexus 4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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