- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: Allen & Unwin; illustrated edition edition (Dec 30 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1864489979
- ISBN-13: 978-1864489972
- Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 14.2 x 2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 426 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,480,590 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"I cannot welcome this series warmly enough. It is sure to be a winner—and much needed." -- Bill Bryson, author of In a Sunburned Country and A Walk in the Woods
Book Description
This comprehensive and vivid history of Laos is an ideal introduction for tourists, business travelers, and students. Informative and portable, it chronicles the history of Laos from ancient times, when the dynastic states of the region waxed and waned, to the turmoil of the Vietnam War and independence from France. This guide investigates these key events under a new light and presents serious challenges to the conventional views about Laos's intriguing history.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive, insightful, culturally-sensitive,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between (Paperback)
For a newcomer to Laos, Dr. Evans's volume would seem an excellent introduction to its history, politics and culture. For someone like myself, who had his own intense introduction to Laos in the late 60s and looks forward to a return, the book is an insightful refresher and update. It has helped me put my own experience in context and rethink the Laos I once thought I knew. This short history is thoughtful, well-written, and largely devoid of moral judgments. The subtitle "The Land in Between" sums up an unfortunate reality -- for much of its history Laos has been caught between more powerful neighbors and sometimes their even more powerful patrons. But Evans does not stop with such a facile explanation of the Laos that has emerged. I particularly appreciate his continuing emphasis on the deep and enduring cultural roots of the peoples who inhabit Laos -- and the interplay among them. With so many Western writers and readers still caught up in the battles that we fought in Laos in the 60s and 70s, Evans's book is a refreshing reminder that Laos merits attention -- indeed fascination -- in its own right.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews) 29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Comprehensive, insightful, culturally-sensitive,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between (Paperback)
For a newcomer to Laos, Dr. Evans's volume would seem an excellent introduction to its history, politics and culture. For someone like myself, who had his own intense introduction to Laos in the late 60s and looks forward to a return, the book is an insightful refresher and update. It has helped me put my own experience in context and rethink the Laos I once thought I knew. This short history is thoughtful, well-written, and largely devoid of moral judgments. The subtitle "The Land in Between" sums up an unfortunate reality -- for much of its history Laos has been caught between more powerful neighbors and sometimes their even more powerful patrons. But Evans does not stop with such a facile explanation of the Laos that has emerged. I particularly appreciate his continuing emphasis on the deep and enduring cultural roots of the peoples who inhabit Laos -- and the interplay among them. With so many Western writers and readers still caught up in the battles that we fought in Laos in the 60s and 70s, Evans's book is a refreshing reminder that Laos merits attention -- indeed fascination -- in its own right. 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Useful Background for Laos,
By Lawrence Seale - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between (Paperback)
As someone who is contemplating a work assignment in Laos, this book provides needed background on the cultural and political environment likely to be encountered. In addition to the coverage of people and events, I would have appreciated more elaboration on the typical lifestyles of lowland and upland people of Laos and how that has evolved recently. This was an interesting read, but it felt a bit disjointed at times and the writing does not measure up to the skill of better-known modern historians such as David McCollough and Walter Isaacson.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A quick history of Laos.,
By B. Hoyt - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Short History of Laos: The Land in Between (Paperback)
A well written account how it all happened and how and why Laos was the catalyst for the America Viet Nam War.
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