Thailand Books

We have been to Thailand twice this year (Feb 06 and Dec 06) and I used the guidebook to explore Bangkok in depth the first visit and nearby attractions on the second visit. The recommendations on attractions and hotels are great. The restaurant guide is adequate, but I think Bangkok is simply too hard a city to have a restaurant guide that is either current or comprehensive.

On the flip side, at least one of the maps was very misleading at best or incorrect at worst. On the way to Hua Hin, the map states the highway (No. 4) goes through town, but it fact, it is a limited access expressway some 10 kilometers west of town and there is only one exit to get to Hua Hin. This caused us to take a 20+km extra trip to reach town.

Overall, the guide is a compact and surprisingly effective. Footprint guides are of a high quality as also evidenced by the other guides (South India and Cambodia) I travelled with.

When I left for Thailand, I was uncertain that this book would provide the information I needed to navigate Thailand. I quickly discovered this book had a wealth of information. The book led me to many relatively undiscovered towns, hotels, and restaurants, all of which provided a truly rich traveling experience. As for its practicality, the book is lightwieght, durable, using small fonts to pack data in. When in the company of those carrying Lonely Planet, I found others consistently closing their books in favor of the recommendations in my Footprint guide.

Forget Insight, Travel Bug and even Lonely Planet. They are all too heavy to carry on your destination. Leave them behind next to the armchair. Real travellers will want any book from this series: They are small, written on thin tissue paper, and print tightly spaced. The Thail book, which I am updating every two years has so much practical information, from hotels and fax numbers, to suggested itineraries, and maps. Indispensible to the travelling traveller.

Overall, I'm very pleased with Footprint Guides, and this one has the usual excellent set of information & opinions. But,I was disappointed in the amount of stale information in this book. It's just been published, but half the restaurants we selected from it turned out to be out of business. I know restaurants come and go, but some of these had been out of business for years. Maybe we just had bad luck, but there was enough out-of-date info that I'm wondering if they cut some corners to get a new edition out so everyone (like me) would discard their previous edition and run out to get this one.

In the style of the Footprint Series the Thailand Handbook is an exhaustive source for even the most ambitious of travellers. It is the best source for practical information on hotels, transportation etc. It is not, however, as easy to use or as visually pleasing as many others. For those who want to have all the information with them on their trip, this will be the book that makes it into the luggage. Not for those who have trouble with fine print.

I have tried quite a few recipes in this book, and have to say that this cookbook is one of my all-time favorites. Every single recipe is delicious. Don't worry that you can't find Tommy Tang's Thai Seasoning in the local asian markets; he lists the ingredients in the glossary, so you can approximate your own version... garlic, black & white ground pepper, chili powder and cayenne. The recipes are rich, flavorful, clearly written, original and well-rounded, except for dessert. When you love savory and spicy foods as much as I do, who cares about dessert anyway?!

We don't eat Pad Thai in restaurants anymore, because after we tried Tommy Tang's version in our kitchen, nothing else comes close to being so fresh and wonderful. My coconut curry favorite is the Green Curry Salmon... what a treat! Another can't miss authentic dish is the Green Papaya salad. But there is much more, and I'm sure I will eventually make every dish in this cookbook.

I have prepared many of the recipes in this cookbook. It is my Thai cuisine bible and I have never prepared anything but something ( or many things)that were not rated superb by everyone at my dinner table. Tang's recipe for tom kha kai is amazing, though I cut the coconut milk ,two thirds coconut milk and one third water. I have not found a light coconut milk that is worth using. His pad thai recipe is difficult but good if done correctly and I made the Salmon with Kaffir Lime Sauce last week and it was amazing! I have other Thai and Southeast Asian cookbooks, but none compare to Tommy Tang's. I have gone to his restaurants in LA and Pasadena, and they have both been great.

This is a book full of tremendous recipes, from classic Thai curries to superb innovative takes on dishes such as mee krob. An excellent introduction to Thai cuisine for anyone interested in cooking or eating! Although Tommy gets creative at times, this should not be confused with the Asian fusion approach which is so fashionable in 1999 --it is truly Thai cuisine. Buy this book if you can find it! Your taste buds will thank you.

As a person who never cooks,after eating at Tommy Tangs restaurants in Pasadena and Hollywood,I had to rush out and buy the cookbook.WOW!!!!!!What a book!!!!!!I found the recipes to be well written and easy to follow,and the pictures were absolutely mouthwatering,like the dishes at the restaurant.Since then, I have eaten at many Thai restaurants and purchased Thai cookbooks and have yet to find one that is remotely close in quality to Tommy Tangs.The cookbook is absolutely the bible of Thai cooking and a must for any kitchen.

Reading this cookbook one has to wonder, is this about food, or is this about Tommy? I've eaten for several years at his restaurant (far better 10 years ago than now) and honestly, the recipes in the book are less than reproducible. There is a recipe for Tiger Roll-about as Thai as Pizza. The pictures are good, but the Tommy's tenor of 'Ain't I great and witty?' makes me gag. Sorry...give me a good recipe for a good Lemon Grass soup and you've got a devotee. I pour over Pad Thai recipes, this one just doesn't cut it. I'll eat at the restaurant (especially on Drag Night) but I won't cook from the book.

Self-indulgent prose about a self-involved man's self-pitying and self-important journey halfway around the world to assert himself and his culture on other people. I'm not qualified to comment on his zoological practices, but I don't come away impressed with him. His writing is C level work -- simply wretched. It does have the quality of being revealing, but not necessarily of the point he labors and fails to make. This book is a depressing first-person account of cultural imperialism. No wonder Americans are so universally reviled in other countries...

This book describes the day-to-day life and frustrations of renowned conservationist Alan Rabinowitz in Thailand. While the large mammal biodiversity of the country is amazing, it is being severely depleted. The large mammals are victims of a local culture that seems to think of wildlife as free wealth to be plundered for subsistence or luxury.

While he is primarily a conservationist, Dr. Rabinowitz sometimes assumes the role of animal rights advocate as he describes acts of heartless cruelty by the locals towards animals. Examples: a python which is skinned alive by some of his servants (it is easier to remove the skin when the animal is alive), and a magnificent gaur (the largest wild cattle species in the world) which had died a slow death from starvation after its jaw had been shattered by a bullet.

A distinctive feature of Dr. Rabinowitz's passionate first-person narrative is that he cares for wild animals as individuals apart from his desire to save them as species. His study animals are given Thai names and not numbers. He is emotionally involved with their well-being and does not maintain the cold detachment towards them that one might expect from a scientist. He also does not hesitate to give vent to his anger and anguish when one of the animals he has grown familiar with dies a horrible death at the hands of poachers. His view of the local culture is heavily influenced by how they treat animals and is understandably negative. This has been described as "cultural imperialism" by a reviewer but it is hard not to be moved by the sufferings of animals which are skinned alive and left to die in agony. Readers would have to judge for themselves on this point. In my opinion, Dr. Rabinowitz would have failed in his duty as a conservationist if he did not portray accurately the problems of saving Thailand's biodiversity - and most of the problems undoubtedly stem from the fact that the local culture does not see animals as deserving basic human sympathy, kindness and ethical treatment. "The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

Apart from the above sociological aspects of conservation in Thailand, the book contains a lot of information about the mammals themselves and their ecology. There are detailed descriptions of radiocollaring leopards and other wild cats which are very exciting, as are some of the descriptions of the largest cat of them all, the tiger.

This is the true story of a biologist with a dark past heading to a small Asian country to study leopards. Though the story is about animal conservation, the human interactions are what make the bulk of it. The author is an emotional person, and the conveyance of his feelings and thoughts in his writing make this story very entertaining. He is also very candid about some of the things he did in Thailand.

I have to say one more thing about his writing style. As I was reading the book, I could picture myself hiking along the trails of the forest reserve, or talking to the forest monks. I cringed and felt helpless as I read of the daily cases of skinning and cooking animals alive. And I felt the sense of helplessness and frustration of trying to stop an entire nation from devouring every bit of wildlife left.

"Like his first book, Jaguar, Rabinowitz's Chasing The Dragon's Tail is a telling testimony to the difficulties emarked upon in the attempt at large predator conservation. Rabinowitz's books are a must read for anyone interested in habitat preservation and conservation."

I bought this book in Thailand. Everyone in our camp liked the book, because it is real Muay Thai. Great pictures and professional fighters.

The book "Muay Thai: Advanced Thai Kickboxing Techniques" by Christoph Delp shows that the author has gained experience in fighting and training in Thailand. The techniques range from basic up to some I haven't even heard of, despite the years I have worked out in Thailand. This book is very good to use additional to the daily work out in the gym. Of course a book can't teach you how to become a good fighter, but even some "professionals" should take the chance to re-read some of the excellent descriptions regarding the shown techniques! Additional to the good text work, the photos are making it easy to follow the different movements. Reading the book and the included interviews plus viewing the photos of the thai-stars and high officials, gives you an impression on how the special atmosphere in Thailand is like. All in all for me this is the only book that was written out of the view and the experiences of someone (a farang) who lived and practiced in Thailand not somewhere else! Excellent work.

I was really disappointed in this book. I don't know who could benefit from it. It's too elementary for semi-advanced students but doesn't cover basics so it stinks for the beginner!
The descriptions are a little vague and the photos do not explain much. There are a few great action shots but nothing you can learn from. There were too many "portrait" photos of Thai competitors.
Overall I did learn a few things but it was not worth the read ...or the money.

While I'm glad there are more books on Muay Thai coming out, enough already with false titles. There is nothing "advanced" about this book. In fact, if you have spent more than a few months in any decent gym, you will find this a pretty boring book

I'm tired of so called instructional books filled with pictures of tourist sites, random pics of Thais standing around and pages of "this is me with my coach". Noe of that is instructional in nature, nor is advice on how to get a visa to Thailand....

The technique is fairly basic, good quality pictures and if you are a beginner you will learn something, but the title is way off the mark

Although I always buy Rough guides, I saw this National Geographic traveler Thailand that is full of beautiful pictures on great paper and I liked it, so I thought-ok, this time I will buy this guide, it can't be bad, it's National Geographic's!!
Oh, how wrong I was!
Guide is nice, but it is not sufficient if you travel like I do, on my own, backpacking around the country, without any travel agents. I doesn't provide you with the information you need, and although pictures of places look graet, information are poor. Not just where to go and what to do-everything is so shallow! I couldn't believe how superficial it is!

So, I would say-this guide is for people who will travel through a travel agency, in a group with a guide, so they don't need to think much (or at all), but just want to read or see a bit where they will be going.
If you are going to wander around the country and would like to know a lot about history, people, tradition, places, transport etc. buy a Rough guide, as I did at the end and love every page of it.

This has been a fabulous book. Better than I expected, which is crazy since Nat'l Geographic always puts out great stuff! I just didn't expect not only info. about the country, but also its history, popular tourist spots, maps, all kinds of stuff. we got alot more than what we expected for the money.

National Geographic guilde books are unique and provide the BEST information on the local sites and geography. Don't leave home without it!

just as you would expect of national geographic...beautiful and full of useful info...National Geographic Traveler: Thailand, 2d Ed. (National Geographic Traveler)

I picked this up in a hostel with limited reading material (something I do a lot) and was expecting this to be average-fare formula fiction.

But it is so good!

I really enjoyed reading the book, it wasn't a masterpiece or anything but it kept me hooked, I thought Lara was a very well developed and believeable character who I really liked. The other characters were also interesting and realistic - this book was very well written.

The only downside was the beginning of each chapter - there was a continuing story about an older Thailand - this would have worked well if it had linked more closely with the modern tale, I felt instead that these sections were disjointed and irrelevant - not as interesting as the main body of text.

Thoroughly enjoyable book, and if I happen to see any other of the books in the series, I would definitely pick it up for an easy and fun read.

Once again, another try at finding a new author to fill the gap left by writers who I've read so many times I can quote sections from memory. This book left me a bit disappointed because I expected an archeological mystery and got, instead a suspense tale with a few artifacts sprinkled in. There's nothing wrong with Lyn Hamilton's book but it wasn't what I wanted to read (think Agatha Christie with a large dose of Elizabeth Peters).

The story is really a missing person tale with antique dealer Lara McClintoch off to Thailand to meet the parents of her daughter's fiancé, Chat Chaiwong, and try to find William Beauchamp, another dealer who ran away to Thailand and has since disappeared, leaving a destitute wife and child. What Lara doesn't anticipate is that Beauchamp's tale and the Chaiwong's are inextricably (and often fatally) intertwined. In the background of the main story arc Hamilton narrates the tale of one of the darker periods of Thai history, where betrayal and murder were a constant of the political environment. The plot and the history reflect each other, perhaps a bit too much, in retrospect.

I find that Hamilton's writing is a bit too calm for my taste, but that she does weave a complex tale with plenty of twists and turns. The protagonists are all likeable, but this isn't really a 'cosy.' In fact, the underlying story is grim and dark enough that it never gets lost in the witty repartee. I'm going to give this three stars, not out of pique, but out of the suspicion that the writer can do much better and I need to leave room if my opinion improves. I do intend to read a few more of Hamilton's stories, so stay tuned.

Lara McClintoch and her ex-husband Clive Swain are in business together. Why she went into business with her ex-husband, she's not sure, but they get along better as business partners than marriage partners. They own an antique shop called McClintoch and Swain.

Lara goes abroad to do the buying. This time, while abroad, she is going to Bangkok, Thailand to visit Jennifer, Rob's daughter, who is there with her boyfriend Chat Chaiwong. Rob, a policeman, is Lara's significant other.

Clive asks Lara to look into the disappearance of William Beauchamp. He left his wife, Natalie, and disabled daughter some time ago fleeing to Thailand. He opened an antique shop there. Now, he hasn't been heard from or seen for months. Lara finally agrees and meets with Natalie to get any pertinent information. He sent her some amulets which Lara takes with her. They might help with her inquiries.

The many characters she encounters in Thailand, and the many escapades she and Jennifer experience, are very believable and add to the intrique. I think Lyn did a great job at creating the Chaiwong family -- showing their wealth and thus various attitudes throughout the book. She always brings some history into the books as well. This history adds to the story.

Most of the books in this series have exotic settings. I know that Lyn does a lot of research and it shows in the great descriptions and knowledge of the areas. It makes me feel like I've been there after reading the book.

Lara is a great character. She is very well developed and her actions are quite believable. She doesn't do really stupid, dangerous things like some characters. Most her dealings are something a regular person might do.

If you like exotic settings, history and mysteries, you'll like her books. I recommend them!

Thailand is an exotic place and when William Beauchamp goes there on a buying trip, he sends his wife Natalie a fax saying he is not coming back. Unable to keep the business going and care for her severely handicapped daughter, Natalie sells the store and lives off the profits. Two years later her resources are nearly depleted and Will has gone missing, not seen at his home or store in Bangkok for months. She needs to know if he is alive so she can get a good divorce settlement or dead so she can collect on his insurance.

Lara McClintoch, the owner of an antiques store in Toronto, Canada, is going to Thailand on a buying trip and agrees to look into the matter for Natalie. She learns that Will was working on a book about a vicious killing that happened to an American in the 1950's but no trace of his computer or manuscript is found. She starts asking questions about Will and the missing manuscript that stirs up some people who want certain skeletons (literally) to stay buried.

Lyn Hamilton has written an amateur sleuth tale that shows why visitors are fascinated by Thai culture. The protagonist is like Sherlock Holmes on the hunt and when she picks up the scent she stays with it even if it means making people uncomfortable. THE THAI AMULET is a fascinating tale about greed, treachery, betrayal and murder, and readers won't rest until they find out what happened to Will and why.

Harriet Klausner

"Endangered Relations:Negotiating Sex and AIDS in Thailand" by Chris Lyttleton should be a required textbook for all college students studying sociology, anthropology, and public health. The author is certainly a pioneer that has ventured into third world countries to teach the indigenous people the devistating effects of contracting AIDS and how this disease kills the individual, and the strength of their society and nation. The time, effort, thoughtfulness, and sensitivity of this book is unparrelled in our time. I thank Chris for sharing his genious through this book with us. A must read for college students so they will not forget the AIDS pandemic, in hopes too that they will follow Chris Lyttleton's lead and help educate the young and old of all countries.Truely a book that is above politics.

I had much admired Lyttleton's journal articles, but found this book to be disappointing. He doesn't mention the low HIV prevalence in the region where he did his work until well into the book. The naive reader may feel misled; the knowledgable reader will know that much of what Lyttleton has to say is not placed in a proper context. His effort to develop a fairly conventional neo-Marxist polictical economy of HIV in NE Thailand falls flat when one considers the low prevalence and the lack of linear links to economic conditions. This should not avert attention for ineequities but, in telling the story of HIV in Thailand one should attend to sexual networking, mixing patterns, social patterns, etc. His treatment of areas where he did not do original field work is often superficial, woefully incomplete, and/or muddled. Topics such as homosexuality and vaccine research are hampered by this. The relative success of Thailand's first generation prevention efforts also gets short shrift, which seems typical of many "critical" analyses. The need for new directions need not negate what has been accomplished. Like too much of the writing on HIV in Thailand, the effort to present a rather predictable agenda gets in the way of telling the real story which is far more nuanced and complex than the one offered here.

This book is a first in telling the story of HIV/AIDS in Thailand. There is little in which to compare it with in terms of publications on HIV/AIDS because despite the volumes of reports, numerous chapters in books, and other analyses on HIV/AIDS in Thailand there is no one book that tries to capture the history of the epidemic and the lessons learned. It is a complete exegesis of the epidemic in that it devotes much time to the response of the unfolding epidemic of the early 1990s, and the epidemiology of the spread of HIV, while at the same time exploring culture and context. Thus it is a valuable critique of policy and programming in the early days of the epidemic, but an even-handed critique that never entirely moves away from what is the strength of the book and that is the ethnographic context. The critique is not so much a basis for confronting the supposed wisdom of the time but for presenting another view of the world of sex and sexuality which can never be reducible to simple formulae. Thus it is a thorough anthropological exploration of gender and sexual cultures, as well as disease and contagion and the meanings that villagers bring to these, especially in the context of interventions and media campaigns. This exploration is invaluable given that there are as many as one million HIV positive people in Thailand and increasing numbers in surrounding countries. If lessons are to be learnt from the Thai experience it is documentation like this that needs to be read and digested. It may not be an easy read for a bio-medical person or someone who is looking for the definitive epidemiological study, for the focus is on unravelling the layers of meaning behind behaviour and attitudes, but this is in a narrative style that is very accessible. There are no broad theoretical constructs but there is much theory that supports the empirical findings, and which rather than detracting from the narrative serves to edify, and often amplify that what may seem simple is in fact often complex.

"Kathileen" is obviously a Fodors stooge, this book sucks, at least for adventurous travelers on a budget.

Love the book. Very informative! Getting very excited for my trip to Thailand

My daughter & I are traveling to Thailand - and doing our own research. I have obtained many travel books - and Foder's is TOPS. It has so much more information - down to those small details that can make or break a trip. I will certainly travel with Fodor's on my next trip, too!

Normally, I would have bought Lonely Planet, but their Thailand book was almost 3 years old, so I went with the more recently published Let's Go. I have never been a fan of Let's Go, but was surprised by how useful this book turned out. It's coverage of the country is less inclusive than Lonely Planet, so it is only really useful for short-term touring of the country. My trip was only 2 weeks long, which was fine for this book. It is printed on very lightweight paper, so the book itself is probably half the weight of the LP guidebook.

While Lonely Planet remains the best source for encyclopedic information such as population sizes for cities, it rarely provides very much opinion. This Let's Go book filled in that gap, providing frank, fair critiques of the various places to travel in Thailand. This helped me figure out if a particular place was worth going to. It was particularily good at steering me away from places that were overly developed or catered too much to the package Luxury tour crowd.

Even if you end up getting Lonely Planet, I still think the Let's Go Thailand book is cheap enough (and lightweight enough) that it is worth taking along as a second opinion.

I had an all-too-short vacation in Thailand this year, spending a week in Chiang Mai during the Thai new year. This book was my companion and a crutch for someone who speaks very little Thai, and knew little of the country. No book can take the place of courageously adventuring through a new land, but this one helps negotiate your adventures, helps you understand the people you are visiting, and find your way through a culture with fewer mis-steps, and perhaps helps the traveler avoid offending his temporary hosts.

I bought this book before leaving the US because it was a good price on Amazon. Several people told me afterwards that I should have bought Lonely Planet. I just went into a bookstore in Bangkok and saw that they were right. I purchased a new Lonely Planet at premium price for the rest of the trip.

Let's Go is okay but really only gives the bare minimum. Lonely Planet is chalk full of ideas for activities, warnings for different areas and better information on how to get around. As someone who speaks only a tiny bit of Thai, this sort of information is invaluable and I wish I had it earlier.

Skip Let's Go, Go straight to Lonely Planet.

This book is a wonderful overview of an important branch of traditional Thai medicine. It is well written and gives the reader a true picture of the vast and complex world of spirituality in Thailand and its importance to healing in this culture. I highly recommend it along with its companion books by the same author.

I am an instructor of Thai massage, and am about to write a reveiw for all of Mr. Salguero's books. The reason I am doing this is because they give a great foundation for anyone practicing Thai massage or teaching it. This is the lens that I read these books through, and I have to say that while there is still plenty of room for more in-depth books to be written on the subject of this particular book in the english language, the truth is that those books don't exist. We can only compare to what is, not to what we may wish for. I am deeply thankful that Mr. Salguero has taken the time to share windows of his extensive knowledge with us.

This book is enjoyable visually but appears superficial in respect to depth of knowledge that is conveyed within it. I think this book will be interesting to someone who has no knowledge of the subject matter but will not be helpful to anyone who sincerely wants to learn about the spiritually of Thailand. Although the book is well produced, it is akin in substance to a magazine. To the best of my knowledge, genuinely helpful books on this subject matter have yet to be written.