Monsoon Country
by Pira Sudham Shire Asia, 2002, 249 pages. www.dco.co.th I met Pira Sudham back in 1995 when I was teaching English at a small Thai teacher’s college right along the Thai-Burmese border. He came to speak to the students. I thought we had an interesting conversation. The man was very self effacing, humble, sincere, and […]
Rails of the Kingdom: The history of Thai railways
by Ichiro Kakizaki. White Lotus Press, 2012, 228 pages. www.seateservices.online For well over a millennium in Thailand goods and people simply moved at the speed of a cart, human foot power or boat. Railroads changed everything here. Finally there was a transportation system that united the whole country with rails of steel. Rails of the […]
Scramble for Rails: Japanese Military Transport on Thai Railways during World War II
by Ichiro Kakizaki. White Lotus All WWII buffs, most Thais, those who survived the terrible ordeal, and hard-core cinema buffs all know about ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’, ‘The Death Railway’. Based on Pierre Boulle’s 1952 book and an epic 1957 film by David Lean, both are classics. Ichiro Kakizaki has rendered noteworthy service […]
Siam and The League of Nations: Modernisation Sovereignty and Multilateral Diplomacy, 1920-1940
Siam and The League of Nations: Modernisation Sovereignty and Multilateral Diplomacy, 1920-1940 by Stefan Hell. River Books, 2010, 284 pages. http://www.riverbooksbk.com/ Siam (later Thailand) ran the narrow international political gauntlet between the two major colonising world powers, England and France, to maintain its independence during all the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a […]
Under pallor, under the shadow: The 1920 American League pennant race that rattled and rebuilt baseball by Bill Felber
University of Nebraska Press, 2011, 204 pages. www.amazon.com One of the world’s most famous philosophers, Yogi Berra, once said: ‘It’s ’déjà vu’ all over again.’ This major league baseball season is jammed full of high drama, low antics, a very abbreviated season and multi billionaire owners battling multi millionaire players for a slice of mega […]
The Long Winding Road to Nakhon Nowhere Book review
The Long Winding Road to Nakhon Nowhere: When Thailand Truly was the Land of Smiles by Roger Crutchley. DCO Books, 2018, 242 pages. www.dco.co.th Expats come and go constantly here in Thailand. But a few Thailand expats refuse to leave. They constantly persist like the monsoon season, heat rashes and Thai smiles. There is no […]
Last to the front by Gee Svasti
River Books, 2020, 336 pages. Thailand’s participation in World War I (WWI) on the side of the Allies holds a special historical place in the hearts and minds of all Thais. Its participation in WWI marked that the country was fully accepted as a sovereign nation in the eyes of the West and finally ended […]
Murder in the slaughterhouse
by Tom Crowley. Down & Out Books, 2014, 252 pages. www.tomcrowleybooks.com He’s back in the saddle again! Tom Crowley has penned another action packed, fast paced, grand adventure thriller set right in the heart of SE Asia. Our hero, Matt Chance, is in the middle of the action once again. Now battling even more depraved […]
NEILSON HAYS LIBRARY BOOK SALE
NEILSON HAYS LIBRARYBOOK SALE 27 June to 26 July Tuesday through Sundayfrom 9:30 to 17:00 Neilson Hays Library, a Bangkok institution renowned for its collection of over 20,000 English language books, was unfortunately not able to host it’s bi-annual book sale in May because of the Covid-19 virus restrictions. Instead, we will hold a smaller book sale spaced out over four […]
The secrets behind Bangkok’s Top 10 Rooftop Bars
Bangkok, also known as Krung Thep or the City of Angels, offers a dizzying selection of rooftop bars. One is simply spoiled for choice as each rooftop boasts its own unique style, experience, and highlights. While it’s easy to stay grounded in daily life, once you step into the sky, you may wonder why you […]