Guide To Northern Thailand And The Ancient Kingdom Of Lanna [Paperback]

Michael Freeman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2001

The country that we now refer to as Thailand only achieved its present form in the nineteenth century. Before that, there flourished Lanna (meaning "One million rice fields"), a region whose documented history began in the eighth century; in 1931 it was incorporated into Siam and ceased to exist as a political entity, but its cultural influence is far reaching. Superbly illustrated throughout, Michael Freeman's book shows how the Lanna culture remains as distinctive as ever. What the modern-day visitor sees owes its existence to an incredible number of influences, for the people of Lanna included the Tai Yuan, the Tai Lu, the Shan, the Mon and the Siamese. How they settled in the Lanna valleys, and the subsequent development of the region, can be traced in the art and architecture that still survive today. Taking the region valley by valley, the author explains how the principal cities and sites developed, but most important, he provides a fascinating guide to "Thailand's northern kingdom" as it is nowadays—including houses, temples, its art and its people—all accompanied by stunning photography.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Michael Freeman has been photographing Southeast Asia intensively for twenty years, and Angkor for ten, producing many books on the art history and architecture of the region, including Palaces of the Gods and Angkor: Cities & Temples. He is also the author of the Guide to Khmer Temples in Thailand and Laos, and was the first photographer to have prolonged access to Angkor after the country's two decades of war.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: Weatherhill (December 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0834805081
• ISBN-13: 978-0834805088
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Other Thailand, December 21, 2003

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide To Northern Thailand And The Ancient Kingdom Of Lanna (Paperback)

Northern Thailand, the location of the ancient kingdom called Lan-na whose capital was at Chiang Mai, is less well-known than Bangkok and the south. However, now that interest and tourism in this area is increasing, there is more of a need for information about this part of Thailand; Freeman's book is both timely and welcome.

As with the other books in Freeman's series, this is a guide to the temples, not a full-service guidebook. You still need a Fodor's, Lonely Planet, or whatever guidebook to plan the day-to-day practicalities of your stay. Once you get there, however, you will find Freeman's book to be essential in deciding what to see and in understanding what you are looking at. His expertise, writing, and photography remain unsurpassed.

The only criticisms I have about the book are that (1) it lacks a glossary (I recommend you jot down the definition and page location of unfamiliar terms, the first time they come up; you will thank yourself later,) and (2) the index is not up to par (for example, there is no index entry for the Emerald Buddha.)

But these are only minor criticisms. If your travels or studies take you to the temples of Chiang Mai and Northern Thailand, this book will be a very useful and valued companion.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing Pages in All Copies?, July 3, 2008

By 

Howard A. Daniel III (Deltaville, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide To Northern Thailand And The Ancient Kingdom Of Lanna (Paperback)

After receiving the book yesterday, I flipped through the pages and immediately noticed pages 177-192 are missing! Is every copy like this?