Angkor: The Hidden Glories [Hardcover]

David Larkin (Author), Roger Warner (Author), Micheal Freeman (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Built more than a thousand years ago by rulers of the Khmer empire, the ancient city of Angkor in Cambodia (now Kampuchea) is home to the world's largest religious edifice, Angkor Wat. Its highly decorated stone towers seem to drip down from the heavens; its myriad images drawn from Hindu mythology include graceful apsaras --celestial dancers--which a French scholar called "the highest expression of femininity ever conceived by the human mind." From a three-week visit in Kampuchea in 1989, photographer-writer Freeman and journalist Warner have produced an invaluable, breathtakingly beautiful record of Angkor Wat and its outlying temples, many badly deteriorated due to neglect and the ravages of civil war. Hundreds of glorious color photographs and drawings complement their informal yet information-packed essay. Among the many wonders shown are the pyramid temple of Phimeanakas and the Bayon, a Buddhist temple of 52 towers strewn with enormous stone faces wearing enigmatic expressions. Author tour.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Imperiled by war and the encroaching jungle, the complex of Hindu and Buddhist structures at Angkor in Kampuchea, one of the world's greatest concentrations of religious monuments, has been rumored to be in danger of imminent destruction for more than 20 years. Writer Freeman and photographer Warner, by recording what remains there, have created a book of historical significance notable for its beautiful photographs. The accompanying text traces the long history of the site, details its investigation by Westerners, and discusses the socioreligious role of Angkor in Cambodian history. We may never see this city's like again. Highly recommended.
- Eugene C. Burt, Seattle
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin; 1st ed edition (November 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395537576
• ISBN-13: 978-0395537572
• Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #873,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > Travel > Asia > Cambodia

More About the Author

Michael Freeman, professional photographer and author, with more than 100 book titles to his credit, was born in England in 1945, took a Masters in geography at Brasenose College, Oxford University, and then worked in advertising in London for six years. He made the break from there in 1971 to travel up the Amazon with two secondhand cameras, and when Time-Life used many of the pictures extensively in the Amazon volume of their World's Wild Places series, including the cover, they encouraged him to begin a full-time photographic career.

Since then, working for editorial clients that include all the world's major magazines, and notably the Smithsonian Magazine (with which he has had a 30-year association, shooting more than 40 stories), Freeman's reputation has resulted in more than 100 books published. Of these, he is author as well as photographer, and they include more than 40 books on the practice of photography - for this photographic educational work he was awarded the Prix Louis Philippe Clerc by the French Ministry of Culture. He is also responsible for the distance-learning courses on photography at the UK's Open College of the Arts.

Freeman's books on photography have been translated into fifteen languages, and are available on other Amazon international sites.

They are supported for readers by a regularly updated site, http://thefreemanview.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive tour of Angkor, August 8, 2001

By 

R. ARANT "Toun" (Lanesville, Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Angkor: The Hidden Glories (Hardcover)

The most beautiful collection of color photographs of the Angkor Wat complex that I have seen. The accompanying narrative is thorough and places the images in an understandable perspective. Anyone planning to visit Angkor will want to review "Angkor: The Hidden Glories" first. Those who see this book will be pleased to find that the trip is easily made in comfort these days, unlike the days of the PRK era when Warner made this great photo survey.