The Burmese tradition of architecture, art and design is ancient, diverse and wonderfully rich. A reflection of a civilization unbreached by European powers for 3,000 years and influenced by China to the north and India to the West, Burmese design is interwoven with spiritual, religious and political messages. It is only now that this tradition is coming to be appreciated by Western students of architecture and design.Burmese Design and Architecture will deepen and enhance that appreciation, for this is the first book to capture the entire span of Burmese design, from arts and crafts to architecture, from the monumental pagodas of Bagan to the architectural heritage of contemporary Rangoon. Covering both religious and secular design, this book offers expert insights provided by leading archaeological experts in this field. With 500 full-color photographs, this is a major work-and a must-have for serious connoisseurs of architecture, design or Burma itself.
Joe Cummings was born in New Orleans, and raised in California, France and Washington DC. In high school he developed a taste for rock guitar and subversive politics, playing in a succession of garage bands while publishing an underground newspaper. After he graduated from college, the Peace Corps granted his request to be posted to Thailand, where he served as an English lecturer at King Mongkut's Institute of Technology in Bang Mot, Thonburi. He later earned a master's degree in South Asian Civilization from the University of California at Berkeley, and was a scholar in residence at the East-West Center in Hawaii. His Thailand guide for Lonely Planet was the first guidebook to that country written in English since 1928. An instant success, it remains one of the bestselling guidebook ever published. He has authored over 35 other books, including coffeetable books, phrasebooks and travelogues. Joe has twice been honoured with the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Gold Award and is also a recipient of Mexico's Pluma de Plata (Silver Quill) for outstanding foreign journalism on Mexico. He never gave up the guitar, and continues to jam regularly at clubs in Thailand, where he makes his home.
