Thailand Books

The Siamese Tiger, The Temple Terrapin, The Goral, etc. These are rare animals not ubiquitous in even the best series of National Geographic or other tantamount nature programs. Gerald Cubitt takes you into the mysterious world of Thailand's inner jungles, while Belinda Stewart-Cox does a marvelous job in supporting each photograph with relevant descriptive information. As a Thai, I was not even cognizant of much of the pictorial information provided by this book. It is definitely a must for anyone interested in endangered species, exotic landscapes, or the rare and exotic in general.

This is one of the most important books ever written about Buddhism and politics in Thailand and Southeast Asia more generally. It has shaped the views of generations of scholars. It is required reading for anyone who seeks to understand the religious and political systems of Southeast Asia.

The delicious recipes in this book reveal the freshness, diversity, and simplicity of Thai cooking and invite you to explore the culinary history of Thailand. Bring the scents, flavors, and textures of this amazing country into your own kitchen, using traditional fresh ingredients.

The aromatic delights of Thai cooking will chan ge your menu forever. All recipes are beautifully photographed.

A thorough, eclectic memoir of one of the greatest refugee-relief efforts in history, told by the people who lived it: aid workers, politicians, and refugees themselves. I may be prejudiced...

I finally broke down and bought this book after reading many many reviews.I was disappointed overall. The author seems a bit daft. He despises feminists and their fat-headed hypocrisy and anti-male bigotry,a position with which I am in total agreement!!-but he expressess himself in such a nasty angry way he sounds like a nut. His much vaunted humor is overrated,I didnt find it all that funny. Maybe I am a bit dimwitted,(it has been suggested!) but a lot of his PUA advice was either elementary,the stuff you could find anyhwhere,or a bit dumb. For example he says at on epoint to associate with big shots and high achievers as women will be impressed by seeing you with them. What kind of dumb advice is that? "M-m-mister T-t-trump?? Can I,ya know,be witchoo??" he lambastes the state of marriage,but his views get crushed under the weight of his anti-woman vitriol. Can u imagine a guy like, say,Neil Strauss,inveighing against all the fat nasty horrible wives ripping off their dear sweet family loving hubbies?? I am not saying his views arent VALID,he just doesnt have a lot of credibility. This book is for the guy with lots of cash,who lives a certain lifestyle--its not for Everyman. Better yet,its a good book for a teenager!Some compulsive masturbating kid who dreams of endless sex with willing nymphs!! I wish I'd of read it when I was that guy!! Its funny and bizarre,but not genuine PUA stuff IMO. be warned,this book will not change your (sex)life. Recommendation? I jusy got Bandlers new book on NLP,"Change Your Life". Thats a good place to start with PUA! Good luck boys!!!!!

A damn witty dating psychology guide, perfect for streamlining your dating lifestyle; stop over-clubbing, spotting and avoiding getting trapped with the disguised psychos and golddiggers. He gives some great psychological tests and tools to cut to the chase in picking and choosing your women. If you're young and single, or new to the game, you probably consume 20+ hours a week pursuing women, while throwing money around town left and right with little results. Tate shows how to step back, focus, and spend just a few hours a week with numerous potential girlfriends by narrowing down the "interview" process and picking the right girls BEFORE you commit any time or money. A very interesting fresh perspective that challenges and puts the status quo in its place.

Tate clearly could care less about Political correctness and holds nothing back. The book is very engaging, and makes you really step back from all your years of dating and women, and makes you ask yourself "What do I really want out of dating and life, and why?" Then he shows great intellectual solutions to getting more with less effort, and enjoy all your new free time to pursue your other passions and hobbies in life.

This book challenges you to balance and manage your pursuit of women and career more efficiently and really see "how to view dating" in a lens of lateral thinking. The psychology is highly intuitive, never takes itself seriously, and the book is a fascinating page turner. It has great random thoughts and comments about women and life throughout, and some really funny sarcastic comments. Humor only works when it is based on truth, and you will constantly drop this book and laugh and hear yourself saying "that is so true." You literally can't stop picking it up and turning to random pages.

Fantastic...and oh so funny. You will be reading and the next second howling over in laughter. But this is the one. Intellectuals only please. This isn't a cologne and breath-mint book. This is the kick in the pants that u needed! I always hear how "i've read so many other books and this one is great...blah, blah." So have I and this is a must get!! I never leave a review, EVER!! But I absolutely had to. It is that good. So much information...a long read...but that is what u want, isn't it?? Twenty bucks buys a lot of info. Thanks Dr. Tate. U got my vote for Man of the Year!!

This was the 1st book of the PUA genre that I read, and a good intro. After getting more into the subject I read several other books in the past couple months. This one seems more of a compilation of the others, borrowing HEAVILY from previous works, in fact in many ways a dumbed down (but funnied up if that's a saying) version of Iron John and the Art of Seduction, and many others. Very entertaining and humorous so a great read if you have not read other such books.

There is an informative section on Finances before marriage and international stuff which are the main differences between other books such as this.

Hey just thought I would let all the lonely losers out there trying to get their grimy hands on this book that a lot of these "dates" or "escorts" are actually women who have been trafficked. These women were stolen from their homes and forced into a life of prostitution and violence. I think people need to realize what the repurcussions of their actions are.

Filled with useful info. Funny, very interesting guide for single men. Whether you ready for a trip or not, with twenty different cities this will help you plan one. Having researched it, this is the only travel guide worth owning in this genre.

As described, The Hedonist is a very handy, interesting, and funny travel guide. The tips were very accurate for both trips I've taken. Highly recommended for any single guy looking to get away for a quick trip out of the country.

Highly recommended by a friend. He highlighted the trips he's already taken versus the book and said it was spot on. Most cities are tropical, with great diving and marlin fishing, gorgeous golf courses and beaches. After seeing the pictures of his girlfriends in each town, well, let's just say I dragged him straight to my computer and we booked a flight. I've just got back from Aruba and Curacao, and can swear up and down the Hedonist is very accurate in every detail.

The diving was great, in fact the hotel I stayed at in Curacao was an all-inclusive that INCLUDED a free dive a day. Picture this; I surfaced in the wrong spot the first time, and strolled out of the water onto a topless Beach full of Netherlands babes on vacation. I felt like Bond. The girlie clubs on both islands are totally off the charts. Every dude at my hotel, including the extended stay guys had no idea they were there, since they are twenty minutes from tourist areas. This book scored major points not just for me, but for the half a dozen guys I dragged along from the bar.

If you're single, you owe it to yourself to buy The Hedonist. It's just one of those great guy's books that has you laughing and grinning like a fool, when you see what a great lifestyle you can have across the borders.

A breath of fresh air for single guys looking for an exotic vacation in foreign countries. Every other travel guide I've seen is written for backpackers or families.

If you're in your twenties and want the straight deal, this is it. In-depth details that are right to the point, for sports, daytime activities, and the hotspots for girls looking to meet foreign men. Take one of these trips to these cities and it will literally change your life it's so much fun. In Latin America, the girls approach you everywhere you go, call you all day. It's like another planet.

Author Barret is obviously in love with the women of Thailand.
Looking at the pictures, I can understand why. It almost seems to be a fascination that borders on obsession. While it's a very good book overall, the text, although short and to the point in most cases, is spaced sporadically through the pictures. Paragraph, photo, photo, photo, paragraph, photo, etc.
Makes for awkward reading. There are a few revealing pictures, women shown topless, but with their nipples covered by yellow stars, something I thought was a bit cheesy and childish. Like Barret, or maybe the publisher (Village East Books) never stopped to think that most people who buy this book will more than likely be adult males over the age of 18. Some of the remarks about how Western women, out of jealousy, belittle Thai women, may offend some American females. They definitely have something to be jealous of........the women of Thailand are indeed mysterious as well as beautiful. If you're looking for a more in-depth account of Thailand and it's people, this is not the book. But for an interesting glimpse into the lives of the women of Thailand, this book will fit the bill. Loads of nice color photographs.

EXCELLENT EXCELLENT EXCELLENT!!! Those of us who have come here have invariably discovered the beauty of a Thai lady. This book gives you background on the ladies of Thailand. The only deficiency is in its historical perspective of Thai women--some more insight would be great. However, it does give the Thai-experienced man a confirmation of what he has suspected in all of his travels-- the best women on Earth come from Thailand. Superb companions, and lovers, someone who will be on your level through any challenge. The pictures (the primary method of the book)display Thai women from cultural celebrations to the bars we all know from Pattaya to Patpong. A truly inspired book, wrtitten by a Lover-of-Thai-Women. A must have for any Thai-loving man in the world! I'll have a Mah-kong coke for you, and I'll see you in Thailand.

I don't get it - this is a book supposed to be representative of women who are the most beautiful - and the cover picture looks like a sex change case from Johns Hopkins. The other pictures are a real dissapointment, most are amateurish and representative of typical expat pap.

The men who frequent Thailand are some of the most repulsive I've ever seen - Patpong road looks like some sort of 24/7 Ugly Man Festival. These women are so poor that they have to sleep with these guys to make money. I don't envy them. Thai women are not only attractive, they are some of the bravest women on earth, and I salute them.

preferring women who prefer HIM, and any "oh-so-handsome" Western men like him. Wouldn't you too be smitten if a certain type of woman seems to fawn all over you and your kind? And then he has to write a book all about them? And yeah, the woman on the cover does look like a katoey.

If you read all the reviews here, you begin to notice a common thread amongst a number of the reviewers: disdain for "feminists" and "Western women". Men such as these like to throw these terms around as "insults". Well, this feminist, western woman isn't bothered at all by your "preference". To me, it just speaks volumes about the particular reviewers.

A nicely done bird's eye view of Thai women and the controversies surrounding their fascination for Western men. The photographs range from OK to good to those which make me want to be there. The text is smooth and I think acurrate but doesn't dwell on the many tricks Thai woman will get away with - if you let them.

Anyway, a good book for someone who would like to know what the fuss is all about or for someone who just likes looking at pretty women who enjoy being looked at. And of course their wonderful attitude toward men and sex is a big part of their popularity.

Kingdom of Make-Believe should probably be required reading for anyone heading to Thailand. The author takes the reader behind the smiles and into an increasingly dark setting. Little by little, the main character (an American publisher and ex-Buddhist monk who returns after two decades) learns that the Thailand he thought he knew 20 years before was not the reality and that those who were close to him may be hiding their own dark secrets. The writing is often poetic and the author obviously knows the country well. The novel journeys from New York to Hong Kong and then to Thailand. A fine read.

I brought the book with me to Thailand for two reasons: to have a great read (`not') and to have a better understanding of this country's exotic culture and history (also `not').

Barrett's writing is as unengaging as it is elementary, "Brian sat inside the lobby of the hotel waiting for Nalin to arrive. He reread the copy of telex he was about to send to Adelman in New York, detailing printing and shipping cost." After more than 100 pages of nothing happening (zero, zilch), then I realized that the title of the book was true to form. The `make-believe' is what you must do. It is the readers responsibility to create the action, develop the characters into more than the two-dimensional cardboard standups that Barrett makes them, and it is also up to the reader to make the book `come alive' because Dean Barrett is not going to do so.

The author does not give you any discernment into Thailand's Buddhistic way of life, nor will you have a better understanding of Thailand' rich history. Why Barrett used the word `Kingdom' in the book's title is the only mystery in the book. Thailand is no more a `kingdom' than England is. Thailand is a democracy, not a Kingdom. If you read this book you will end up knowing nothing more about this unique country than when you started; sad but true.

You can, quite easily put this book down. So save yourself the disappointment and get a fantastic thriller/detective novel about Thailand today; a book that will give you insight on both the culture and the Buddhist philosophy of life: read "Bangkok 8" by John Burdett (highly recommended - see my review). I do not recommend this book.

Dean Barrett has become one of my favorite expat authors in Thailand and I love what he does in one of the most incredible cities in the world--Bangkok--but this particular novel was worthwhile to me because it also encompasses my second home in Thailand: upcountry in the North, into the Golden Triangle.
Dean gets you hooked within the first page as you join the main character in returning to Thailand after being away a long time. Bangkok stands out on its own as good authors like Dean can often do with such a unique, politically-incorrect metropolis as The City of Angels but I also had a ball (figuratively-speaking!) going from there up to the Golden Triangle where Burma and Laos meet Thailand and some of the best opium/heroin in the world is grown/produced by warlords who often have more power than the governments of the countries they are doing this drug business in.
Besides all the insights into both Bangkok and the Golden Triangle plus plenty of violence, another telling trademark of Dean's works is the way he creates a very believable character, takes you completely into their way of thinking and makes the reader feel as though these actually ARE real people and not just fictional beings. If nothing else, read this novel for that concept alone.

Kingdom of Make Believe is one of the best novels I have read on Thailand and I have read a lot. Although it is set in 1988, nothing has changed as far as the illusions western men have when they keep their blinders firmly in place and head for the Land of Smiles. Barrett's novel gives the both sides of Thailand and he is someone who has obviously seen both sides himself. This is a fine novel, almost old-fashioned in the way it develops theme and gradually develops plot and character. This is much much more than the usual young man loses his bearings in Thailand. And some of the writing is quite beautiful, especially in the descriptions of place and characters. A fine novel for anyone, heading for Thailand or no.

Dean Barrett captures the seedy side of 1980s Thailand, when the wealth is pumping in and out through greedy and shady characters.

The backdrop of the story is a tale of lost love between a man, his brother's widow and her daughter. The protagonist returns to Thailand after a long exit, expecting life to be similar to what he walked away from. Instead, he learns that you can never go home again, even in Asia. By the end, Brian Mason also realizes that the Thailand and people he remembered perhaps wasn't even as it really appeared the first time around.

Barrett really captured the essence of Thailand, and the extoic and hypnotic effects it can have. His writing draws you in to the story, and you become compelled to finish it in just a few sittings.

The only knock is characters that seem just a quarter shade from believable. A couple times I thought to myself, "They really wouldn't do that..." but perhaps that's because the characters were based on real people who don't act as we expect.

I recently spent another three weeks in Thailand, my fifth in 3 years. During my travels, I ate at the Long Table Restaurant in Bangkok and was impressed by the food. I met the chef and asked for a suggestion for a good, all-purpose Thai cookbook. He immediately replied, without hesitation, this book.

I find the book as close to perfection as I have ever seen. The book contains the history of Thailand, and progresses into its culinary history, indigenous foods, food chemistry, and alternative names so that you can travel to any Asian market and find the foods and sauces, spices and vegetables by other names. In the time I've been back, we have made many of the recipes and they are all winners.

If you like Thai cuisine, or need a gift for someone who does and you like simple recipes done well - buy and use this cookbook above all others. I have about 20 other Thai cookbooks; this is a keeper!

Highly recommended! The instruction is easy to follow. The book also includes very careful explanation about special ingredients and how to prepare them (which saves me a lot of time from looking up on the internet). The food is really excellent!!!

I am absolutely crazy about Thai cooking. Tried to make several recipes before but it did not work out (used curry sources from a bottle). Bought "Thai food" after reading a very good review of a famous Dutch gourmet and restaurant reviewer. Cooked 3 recipes so far - absolutely brilliant. The best thing is that the author offers recipes for curry pastes for every (curry) dish. A bit time consuming but tastes as good as in a Thai restaurant. Recommend to all Thai cooking lovers.

I have just returned from Thailand -- eating and cooking my way from south to wayyyy north. Every cook I met recommended this book as THE definitive Thai cookbook. I ordered it and read, with considerable fascination, the history and cultural context and evolution of Thai cooking, along with outstanding recipes.

You cannot go wrong with this comprehensive tome.

I work in a kitchen and i am fond of asian food, especially Thai; there are many books on the subject; this is the best, maybe because the author is one of the world's best chefs specialized in Thai cuisine.

I am so impressed with this cookbook. My husband and I love Thai food, so we decided to try cooking it at home. I gave a library copy of the book a trial run - I kept it for two months, loved it, and finally decided I had better just buy it. Normally, you are doing well to get a few recipes out of a cookbook. This one is the exception. Every recipe is wonderful. Thai food now appears weekly on our table.

You really get what the title of the book says - Quick and easy Thai. It actually could be named - quick, easy and tasty Thai. I highly recommend this book to everybody who doesn't like spending too much time in the kitchen but still wants to surprise his/her guests with a delicious meal.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! I've only had it about 2 weeks and I've made several of the recipes. I consider myself to be an experienced amateur cook. Some of the foreign food books I've purchased get a little tricky at some points or make some parts of the recipes hard to understand. This book is simple, easy to understand & not too "wordy". Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm dying to make some more "Yum Woon Sen"

I love to eat Thai food. I am a good cook, but not a great one by any means, so wanted to have a Thai Cookbook that offered quick, easy & delicious recipes to follow for my busy lifestyle. This one definitely fits the bill!

I have yet to try all the recipes in this book, but the few I have tried have been delicious and have been thoroughly enjoyed. Especially the curry dishes, which are fabulous!

I like the layout of this book and the one or two paragraph introduction written by the author before each recipe. The "Useful Utensils For Cooking Thai Food" section at the end of the book is also good!

This book has been a great introduction to Thai cooking for me. One word of warning: though the title says "quick and easy," the recipes are not usually quick and easy at the same time. The ones I've done so far have been easy, but not quick. I'm sure that there are others that are quick, though. Or maybe I'm just slow. :)