Orchid Press Publishing

New Releases
Recent Releases	Forthcoming Releases
Orchid Press Publishing has a wide collection of well illustrated books, appealing to both the layman and the scholar, and written by specialists. New releases are available in the libraries below.
Individual Titles		Central Asian Studies
Bibliotheca Asiatica	Bibliotheca Himalayica	Asian Portraits

ORCHID BOOKS

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Buddhist Healing in Laos:
The Fragrant Forest
by Denise Tomecko
2009, 152 pp, 40 watercolours, 4 maps, scientific and Lao plant names, bibliography, 23 x 22 cm., softcover.
ISBN-10: 974-524-078-8 $29.95
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-078-0

In this beautifully illustrated book, the author shares with the reader the age-old secrets of spiritual renewal and physical healing as administered in the Buddhist monasteries of Laos. The knowledge of the use of indigenous jungle plants to provide holistic treatments in mainland Southeast Asia is rapidly being lost, as society modernizes, adopts consumer oriented practices and embraces Western pharmaceuticals.
Painstakingly recording the wisdom of an elderly Buddhist nun accumulated over a lifetime of holistic healing practice, Denise Tomecko introduces us to a wide variety of locally available plants, teas and herbs. The author details their application in sauna rooms, infusions, compresses, ointments and balms and the natural synergy of these treatments with the spiritual renewal experienced in meditation.

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The Language of Paper
A History of 2000 Years
by Therese Weber
2008. 224 pp., 178 colour and 26 b & w plates, 1 map, bibliography, index, 29 x 21 cm., hardcover.
ISBN-10: 974-524-093-1 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-093-3

Paper technology originated in China some two millennia ago, from where it spread east, to Korea and Japan, and west, along the Silk Road, to Central Asia, eventually reaching Europe in the 13th century. As the technology propagated, paper effected profound changes in each society it touched, becoming one of the most important of all cultural media, a status that it retains to the present.
Paper accrues value as religious and symbolic markings are added to its surface; fortune papers transport messages to the gods, paper is given the value of money in the form of banknotes, and the dream of flying was first realised in hot-air balloons made of paper. Paper can even be employed as architectural elements, as textiles for garments, and as a medium for artistic expression. In one or many of these manifestations, paper effects the lives of all on earth today.
In this cultural history of paper, acclaimed paper artist Therese Weber travels to the few remaining places where traditional methods of papermaking have been preserved. Commencing there Weber takes the reader on a fascinating and colourful journey of discovery of a commodity that many may take for granted, but few fully understand.

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Tibetan Amulets
by Tadeusz Skorupski
Preface by Per Kværne.
1984, 2000, 2009. 134pp., 2 col. & 5 b/w pl., 211 b/w ill. 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover.
ISBN-10: 974-524-120-2 $23.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-120-6

A systematic study of the Tibetan charms and amulets, mantras and cakras that have afforded their wearers protection for centuries and which remain a living tradition today. Drawing from indigenous works of the 19th century, the author illustrates and explains 109 amulets and their accompanying mantras, as well as 102 cakras, primarily associated with the Nyingma-pa and Bon traditions. The author also employs the amulets and cakras to reveal details of the myriad gods, demons and other supernatural beings—many incorporated into Buddhism from earlier belief systems—that comprise the Tibetan pantheon.

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Urban Bangkok:
Contemporary Reflections
by Joakim Leroy, photographer
2010. 210 pp., 225 duotone images, map, 25 x 28 cm., hardbound with dust jacket.
ISBN: 978-974-524-126-8 $40.00

THE CITY OF BANGKOK is a destination that represents many things to many people, both residents and visitors alike.
   To Thais, Bangkok may be the cultural and religious hub of their 70 million-strong nation, or perhaps it's the glowing lights of opportunity for those from the country's hinterlands, determined to better their lot.
   To visitors from other lands, 10 million or more annually, Bangkok may be a colourful and photogenic vacation stopover, a place to ‘let down one’s hair’ and party ‘til dawn, or an opportunity to shop, to seek renewal in its famed spas, to sample a world-renowned cuisine—or all of the above. The list of options seems endless and is never routine or dull.
   But Bangkok is a complex city, with multiple and often confounding facets, moreover one that seems to be in constant flux. For the foreign visitor, or even long time residents, capturing and understanding the essence of the city seems an elusive, even impossible goal.
   Photographer Joakim Leroy, in undertaking this daunting task, has dedicated years to produce a compelling portrait of contemporary Bangkok. Leroy distills the glittering gold of temple spires, the colourful shops and streets, the flashing neon lights of nighttime, to sometimes poignant, sometimes dramatic monochromes, and thereby approaches the very heart and soul of this great metropolis and their charming inhabitants, those ‘Thais with their notorious smiles’.
   Join Joakim in an unforgettable journey through the streets of this most memorable of cities—for all who have ever visited or stayed in Bangkok, or who only wish they had.

INDIVIDUAL TITLES

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Annals of the Purple City
by Frederick Lees
Second edition 2010 (first published Hong Kong & London 1995) 312 pp., 21.5 x 14 cm., softbound.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-129-9 $26.00
(E-book edition $9.99)

In an imaginary Portuguese colony on the south coast of China a beautiful Australian woman gradually achieves her own freedom and integrity through her relationships with four men: her indifferent English husband, her deeply sensual Eurasian lover, an expatriate Hong Kong homosexual dropout and an aged Chinese millionaire. The interplay of personalities is woven into the social and political fabric of a splendid antique city which itself provides the gateway for all the characters to a deeper level of reality: the Purple City, the mystical city which is hidden in all of us.
The story mirrors the fusion of Latin and Chinese elements which has typified the Portuguese presence in China and provides insights into the emotional lives of a variety of people when east and west meet. Though a novel in the Western sense it also employs features of Chinese classical fiction in terms of intriguing subplots, use of dreams and poetry and scenes of heightened reality.
Annals of the Purple City, with its rich erotic, political and mystical undertones, will appeal to all with interest in the intersection of the Asian and Western worlds.

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An Anthology of Buddhist Tantric Songs
A Study of the Caryāgīti
by Per Kværne
1977, 1986, 2009, xiv, 276 pp., 21.5 x 14 cm., softbound.
ISBN-10: 974-8299-34-1 $35.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-8299-34-1

The subject of this study is a small collection of songs known as Caryāgīti, ‘songs of the mystic path’, or literally ‘songs of the proper way of action’. Although the songs were composed perhaps sometime in the 9th-12th century CE, and thus belong to the final phase of Indian Buddhism, their authors, known as siddhas, have defied attempts of historians to place them within an exact historical context, just as they, in their own time, openly defied all religious and social conventions.
   Many of the songs depict the daily life of the people among whom the siddhas lived. The present volume provides a systematic analysis of this imagery, but it also attempts to uncover the profound doctrine based on Buddhist concepts of spiritual liberation and yogic techniques, which, at least according to the Sanskrit commentary, is the esoteric message of the songs.
   These songs hold a unique place in India’s spiritual and literary heritage, yet in many ways they have been imperfectly understood. This study clarifies many points that have hitherto remained obscure and provides a fresh and deeper insight into their structure and contents.

   “The author is to be congratulated for bringing out such a controversial but fascinating text of the Buddhist Tantra.” S. R. Banerjee, The Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies, Vol. 1-1.

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Big Dogs of Tibet and the Himalayas
A Personal Journey
by Don Messerschmidt
2010, xiv, 268 pp., 40 b & w illustrations, 5 maps, bibliography, index, 23 x15 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-130-5 $29.50

Tibetan mastiffs were first imported into England over 150 years ago, and only three decades ago to North America. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution these remarkable high altitude livestock guardian dogs were nearly annihilated, but they have recovered and are now in high demand, some for very high prices among the nouveau riche of modern China. Today, thousands of these dogs are found around the world, promoted by many breeders, raised as pets, guardians and faithful companions. Some have scored high marks at international dog shows. Interest in Tibetan mastiffs and related dogs-their history, breeding, temperament, function and future-has never been as high.
   This is a book of discovery of the exotic and relatively rare breeds of big dogs from Tibet and the Himalayas: the Tibetan mastiff, the rare KyiApso (the 'bearded' or 'shaggy' Tibetan mastiff), the Himalayan mountain dog, and the least known Sha-kyi (Tibetan hunting dog).
   Research on Tibetan dogs is contentious. This book challenges some of the conventional wisdom about the big dogs with evidence showing how some big dog fanciers have gotten it wrong. It questions the notion that there were gigantic dogs in history, an idea that has inspired some modern breeders to create enormous critters, mistakenly evoking a mythical past-and much more.
   Simply a 'must read' for all big dog owners and admirers.

I've just completed a wonderful morning reading through your canine charivari... it's a cracking book. It is patently both a labour of love and a work of exhaustive scholarship. You've done a magnificent job.

Charles Allen, author of popular historical books on the Himalayas.

You do know that the s**t is going to hit the fan when you publish, right? You're going to tick off a lot of people!! Personally, I think that could be a good thing for the breed if it gets some folks thinking.

A Tibetan dog breeder (anonymous).

[Read a review from Chowkidar Magazine] [Read a review from Amazon.com] [Read a review from ECS Nepal] [Read a review from The Italian Tibetan Mastiff Club] [Read a review from Peace Corps Worldwide]

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The First Lady
by Frederick Lees
2012, 356 pp., 21 x 14 cm., softbound
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-146-6 $26.95

The corrupt and despotic rule of Antonio Floresco, longtime dictator of the Carolines, seems finally to be unraveling. The economy is in shambles, the people have been reduced to desperate poverty, a communist insurgency is rapidly making gains in the countryside. Even the Church has turned its back on the regime.
   Meanwhile, scheming members of the aristocracy, as well as Floresco’s most trusted cabinet ministers and sinister forces from abroad, actively plot the downfall of this brilliant and still charismatic, if deeply flawed, leader. His only remaining allies seem to be his Oxford-educated daughter, Conchita, and his wife, the First Lady.
   History, though, has demonstrated that if there is one creature more venal, ambitious and self-serving than a despotic ruler it is likely to be the despot’s consort. And the First Lady of the Carolines is no exception to the rule.
   In the midst of this explosive mixture, Conchita has fallen in love with the wealthy nephew of one of Floresco’s most vocal critics. While Floresco himself has a rare soft spot in his heart reserved for his daughter, the First Lady has no such weaknesses…
   A gripping and unforgettable tale of lust and intrigue, love and redemption—and particularly recommended reading for the world’s remaining dictators.

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Essential Thai
A Guide to the basics of the Thai language
by James Higbie
2011, 234 pp., 25 x 19 cm., including introductory Thai-English dictionary and introductory CD-ROM, softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-5241-37-4 $29.50

Essential Thai is a complete learning package for those who want to acquire basic working skills in the Thai language, quickly and efficiently. Freshly updated and back by popular demand, Essential Thai includes a CD ROM with MP-3 audio files to introduce the student to Thai pronunciation and beginning phrases. Focussed completely on developing practical language skills, Essential Thai introduces conversation and grammar, commonly used vocabulary and how to read Thai script in a logical, graduated, manner. Whether you are travelling or planning to live in Thailand, whether shopping, booking a hotel, ordering a meal or speaking on the phone or much more, this is the language tool for you.

Features :
- CD ROM with MP-3 audio introduces pronunciation and first    lessons
- Step-by-step approach to learning the basics for living and    travelling
- Learn how to read Thai script
- Introductory English-Thai dictionary
- Easy to learn and read phonetic spelling and tone markers
- By the author of the most popular advanced Thai text, Thai    Reference Grammar

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A Guide to Colonial Sources on Burma:
Ethnic & Minority Histories of Burma in the India Office Records, British Library
by Mandy Sadan
2008, 580 pp., 4 maps, indices, 24.5 x 17.5 cm., hardcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-106-7 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-106-0

The India Office Records (IOR) of the British Library, in London, include perhaps the richest scholarly resources anywhere on conditions in Burma in late British colonial times. The purpose of this guide is to provide a general introduction to sources in the IOR for the study of minority histories of Burma. The guide contains extensive lists of references, but it also contains introductory comments on the structure of the India Office Records as a whole, to help researchers make the best use of this wonderful historical resource. The primary focus is on English language sources relating to the period 1824–1948, but there are also brief comments on sources outside this frame of reference.

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In Defence of Identity:
The Ethnic Nationalities' Struggle for Democracy, Human Rights and Federalism in Burma
by Lian H. Sakhong
First edition 2010, x, 323 pp., 30 col. and 2 b & w photos, 3 maps, 21 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-133-6 $25.00

Lian H. Sakhong has spent most of his adult life engaged in the struggle with the oppressive rulers of Burma for the reinstatement of justice and basic freedoms for his ethnic group, the Chin people, as well as for other Burmese ethnic minority peoples and in fact for all Burmese. He has written and spoken relentlessly in support of this noble cause with an uncommon degree of energy, intelligence and eloquence, all to a degree that has gained him significant honours and his cause wide attention.    The present collection of Dr. Sakhong's lectures, papers and speeches spans the past ten years. Together these essays provide the reader a rich portrayal of the history and culture of the Chin people and the present status of their brave struggle for nothing less than their personal and collective identity-in Dr Sakhong's words, their struggle to live their lives as authentic human beings again.
   A highly informative, even inspirational, read, both for those new to the cause of human rights in Burma and for those who have long been engaged in this historic effort.

   Dr. Lian H. Sakhong is the Chairman of Chin National Council and the Vice-Chairman of Ethnic Nationalities Council (Union of Burma). A post-graduate student at Rangoon University when the student-led democracy movement erupted in 1988, he quickly joined the movement and was arrested, interrogated and even tortured by the military junta on three separate occasions between 1988 and 1990.
   He continued his studies in Sweden following his escape from Burma and was awarded the Ph.D. degree from Uppsala University in 2000 for his dissertation, Religion and Politics among the Chin People in Burma.
   He has since both written and edited a series of books and papers on the political and social situation in modern Burma and was recognized for his efforts to improve the lives of all Burmese people with the award of the Martin Luther King Prize, in 2007.

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Land of Jade:
A Journey from India through Northern Burma to China.
by Bertil Lintner, photographs by Hseng Noung Lintner
2011, 476 pp., 91 b & w photos, 7 maps, index, 21.6 x 14cm., softbound

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-139-8 $35.00

Bertil and Hseng Noung Lintner, and their baby daughter, born enroute, spent one and a half years traveling through northern and eastern Burma, from 1985-87. Throughout their account, they describe, with rare and deep insight, the struggle by northern Burma’s ethnic groups against brutal Burmese army rule, and record the decline and fall of the Communist Party of Burma.
During their incredibly arduous 2,275 kilometre trek, mostly on foot and at times in great danger, they recorded the history of a forgotten 40-year war, an account which otherwise would never have been committed to paper in such rich detail.
Land of Jade further provides poignant descriptions of the efforts of simple ethnic tribes-people to forge lives amid the larger struggles of political antagonists, drug lords, foreign interlopers and assorted other opportunists—a situation that remains painfully relevant to many in diverse locations to the present day.

“Land of Jade still ranks as one of the best I have read, describing not only the couple’s remarkable 18-month, 2,275 kilometre expedition, but also providing remarkable new insights into the long-forgotten struggle by the Naga, Shan and Kachin ethnic groups against Burmese military rule.”

John McBeth, Reporter: Forty Years Covering Asia, Talisman Publishing, Singapore 2011

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The Lore of the Chinese Lute:
An Essay on the Ideology of the Ch'in
by R. H. van Gulik
2011, 310 pp., 1 colour and 38 b & w plates, 8 woodcuts, index, 24.5 x 17.5 cm., hardcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-112-1 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-112-1

The lute, ch’in or guqin is one of China’s oldest and most revered musical instruments. Records indicate that it has been a favourite of the literary classes for more than 2,500 years; Confucius himself was a great lover of the instrument. Over the centuries, it became representative of the life, taste and pastimes of the Chinese literati.
In addition to its contributions to solo and orchestral musical arrangements, a wealth of symbolic meaning accrued to the lute, over time. Not only was knowledge of the instrument reserved for the literati, its study was believed to be conducive to meditation and to facilitate intellectual enlightenment.
While a significant body of literature has been written on the lute in Chinese, the present monograph is the first to assemble a broad picture of the instrument and its cultural significance in English. The author, a renowned Sinologue and linguist, studied the playing of the instrument under one of the most famous lute masters of his age.

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Malay Poisons and Charm Cures
by John D. Gimlette
2011, [1929] 320 pp., 3 b & w illustrations, bibliographic references per chapter, index, 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-144-2 $30.00

Published almost a century ago, Malay Poisons and Charm Cures remains a classic and still definitive reference on the pharmacopoeia and practices of Malay healers, shamans (bomoh) and sorcerers (pawing). Gimlette, a British physician, resided in the Malay State of Kelantan for over a decade, during which he gathered the data that comprises the core of this work. Intended as a medical reference for the Colonial Administration, Gimlette's observations were far more widely encompassing, shedding light not only on traditional pharmacology and toxicology, native theories of disease, medical practice, religious ritual and superstition, but also on Malay anthropology generally.
With the present revival in interest in traditional medicine, herbal toxins and treatments, as well as in shamanic practice, Gimlette's work offers rich rewards for a new generation of readers.

“The republication of Gimlette’s Malay Poisons and Charm Cures is welcome… let us hope that Gimlette’s treatise on the toxicology of common and esoteric trees, shrubs and animals falls into the hands of kindly spirits.”

David J. Banks, American Anthropologist, Vol. 74.4

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The Peacock's Children:
Burma Protests 1885-2000
by Paul Webb
2009, 267 pp., map, notes, bibliography, 21.5 x 15 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-069-9 $25.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-069-8

This book records the struggle for independence and democracy in Burma from the fall of the monarchy to the present day. Research was carried out in the British Library-Indian and Oriental Collection in London for valuable material concerning the British colonial period and its response to nationalist and student protests. Post-colonial material is complemented by extensive interviews in Burma, Thailand and Australia. The account is at times a harrowing one, underscoring the repeated dashed hopes for freedom, and the confusion and contradictions amongst Burmese themselves as to the right path to be followed to achieve true independence. In the Epilogue, the author brings us forward to 2003. Regrettably, little has changed since then; for Burma democracy seems as far away as ever.

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Secrets of Bali:
New Light on the Morning of the World
by Jonathan Copeland with Ni Wayan Murni
2010, 312 pp., 110 line drawings, 1 map, glossary, bibliography, index, 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-118-3 $30.00
(E-book edition $11.99)

With its dramatic vistas, its attractive, hospitable people and its rich cultural traditions, the magical isle of Bali has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions, ever since visitors from the West began to arrive in the early 20th century. Incredibly, ancient Balinese cultural traditions remain richly intact today, in the face of 21st century modernity and a highly developed tourist industry.
Yet few visitors ever really begin to understand the colourful pageantry that surrounds them virtually everywhere they travel on the island. Secrets of Bali is the key to this understanding. From Balinese life, religion, festivals and offerings, architecture, music, dance, textiles, dress, carvings and paintings, masks, manuscripts, meals and much more, this is the one book to which the visitor can turn for the answers. A ‘must’ for foreign visitors, residents, and those everywhere who have fallen under the spell of ‘The Morning of the World’.

“Eloquent, enthusiastic, and jargon–free.” Dr Angela Hobart.

[Read a review from ASEASUK News] [Read a review from Tropical Life Magazine] [Read a review from Hello Bali Magazine ] [Read a review from The South China Morning Post] [Read a review from Bali & Beyond] [Read a review from The Bali Advertiser] [Read a review from The Jakarta Post] [Read a review from The Bali Times] [Read about the remarkable life of co-author Murni]

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Sutasoma:
The ancient tale of a Buddha-Prince from a 14th century Javanese kakawin
Translated with commentary by Kate O'Brien
2008, 294 pp., 22 col. plates & 9 figures, index, 24.5 x 17.5 cm., hardcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-107-5 $45.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-107-7

The 14th century epic poem, Sutasoma, relates the life of a prince, born an incarnation of the Jina-Buddha Wairocana. It follows his spiritual journey to enlightenment, and his temporal journey through marriage, kingship and eventual victory over the mighty, world-threatening demon, Porußåda.
   Kate O'Brien's new translation delivers to the reader a highly approachable and lively rendition of this Buddhist epic, comparable in both complexity and scale to that of the Råmåyana, yet significantly less known or understood.
   O'Brien's accompanying analysis reveals a fascinating aspect of the poem, until now not fully comprehended. Aside from its function to elucidate the compatibility of Buddhahood and kingship, it also reveals within its verses what amounts to a literary mandala, as complex and philosophically rich as the beautiful mandala images of Tibetan Buddhism, yet firmly rooted in the Javanese milieu of the Majapahit polity which spawned this version of a very ancient tale. It is this literary mandala that is the path to Sutasoma's enlightenment, and this in turn the key to his success as a World Protector and Universal Monarch.
   This entertaining and attractively illustrated edition will appeal to readers with interest in the literary traditions of southeast Asia and of tantric Buddhism, and also to a wider audience who wish to understand the foundations, both mystical and practical, underpinning much of Javanese and Balinese society today.

[Read a review from TAASA]

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Thai Signs and other Writings
by Rungrat Luanwarawat and Lucius Heijstee
2008. 138 pp., 17.5 x 10.5 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-104-0 $16.95
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-104-6

This book is intended primarily for non-Thai readers who have encountered language barriers when traveling around Thailand given that many signs, labels and forms are presented in Thai script only. Lots of words and signs are listed per topic, for example signs on doors, at markets, temples, on the toilet, etc. In addition, the book also includes the names of all provinces in the country, most common food orders, useful information shown on labels, as well as general document and form wordings. A must for all visitors as well as foreign residents of Thailand!

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Through Western Eyes::
Images of Chinese Women in Anglo-American Literature
by Mimi Chan
Second, revised edition, 2011; 352 pp., 22 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-134-3 $29.95

Since China and the West first came into contact centuries ago, descriptions of Chinese women of widely varying accuracy by travelers and writers have fueled the imagination of Western readers. By the early 20th century two images predominated-that of the passive, fragile and vulnerable beauty, and that of the seductive, ruthless and scheming 'dragon lady'. Many modern English language writers and filmmakers have seized on these easily duplicated stereotypes, extending them even to the end of the 20th century and beyond.
In a series of penetrating chapters, Mimi Chan explores the early origins and 20th century development of these images in popular fiction, the prejudices and misunderstandings that they perpetuate, and some of the works that have attempted to present a fairer, more nuanced, more 'human' view of Chinese womanhood.
An important study of value to all who seek a clearer understanding of those who hold up 'half the (Chinese) sky'.

Praise for the first edition:

"Chan's book is many things at once: literary criticism, feminist criticism, popular culture exposé. Its safe to say that there is something here for everyone."

Derron Jones, Sunday Morning Post, Hong Kong

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Tiger General
The Memoirs of a Vietnamese Intelligence Chief
by John Havan
2011, 440 pp., 22 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-135-0 $19.95

"Move quietly, hit hard"-a lesson learned as a child vagrant under a bridge in Ha Noi, and one that was to serve Hai well as he rose inexorably to the heights of success, in the shadowy world of intelligence and counter-insurgency.
Born the illegitimate son of a Vietnamese nobleman in the early years of the twentieth century, Hai suffers under the added burden of a curse at birth that dooms him to 36 years of ill fortune. A born survivor, like the proverbial cat with nine lives, he continually re-invents himself under the French, Viet Minh and Japanese regimes. At thirty-six years of age, he comes into his own and his rise is unstoppable, emerging as the 'Tiger General' in the South Vietnamese Republic, whose gallant alliance with America ended in 1975. Not one to give up, the Tiger moves to Washington as a senior political consultant to continue the fight to bring freedom back to his people.
A gripping and unforgettable saga of struggle, bravery, love and loss amid one of the most turbulent periods of the 20th century, by an author who writes with the authority of one who lived through many of the events he describes.

[Read a review from the Bangkok Post] [Read an interview with the author by Ezra Kyrill Erker]
[Visit John Havan's Website]

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World.Wide.Web:
Chinese Migration in the 21st Century—and How It will Change the World
by Bertil Lintner
2012, 208 pp., bibliography, index, maps, 22 x 14 cm., softcover.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-150-3 $23.00

For centuries past, often driven by political upheaval or famine, Chinese have migrated to southeast Asia and beyond, to far flung corners of the globe. Large old ‘Chinatowns’ in cities such as London, Toronto, New York and San Francisco attest to these earlier migrations.
   Chinese continue to emigrate in large numbers in the 21st century—but this time around circumstances are different. Often encouraged and even facilitated by the Chinese state—officially or otherwise—modern migrants are often well educated and relatively affluent. And China today offers a myriad of opportunities to those who choose to stay. In this wide ranging new study, Lintner researches the locations, motives, perils and successes of modern Chinese migrants, as well as their potential impact on the rest of the globe.
   Is the state sponsorship of such migration driven by China’s expanding needs for energy, minerals, lumber and fish—or does it include more sinister motives? What is the likely impact of such migration on China’s global diplomatic muscle? To what degree are new Chinese immigrants a ‘fifth column’ in their new homes? What is the role of Chinese ‘triad’ gangsters in this modern exodus?
   All of these and many more issues are addressed in this timely first-hand report. A ‘must read’ for all China-watchers, or indeed for any who strive to understand the shifting dynamics of world power in the 21st century.

BIBLIOTHECA ASIATICA

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Keris and Other Malay Weapons
by Gerald B. Gardner
1936, 2009. 144 pp., 91 b & w plates of photos and drawings, illustrating several hundred weapons, glossary, bibliography, 23 x 15 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-8304-29-9 $30.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-8304-29-8

A new edition of a classic on Malay weaponry and war, originally published in 1936 in an extremely limited printing now virtually impossible to find. In addition to his work in description and classification of all sorts of Malay weaponry, Gardner spent significant effort in discussions on the origin of the kris and its close association with occult beliefs among Malays, an interest of Gardner’s which was to have a huge effect on him, later in life.
Following his retirement from the British Civil Service in Malaya, not long after the original publication of this book, Gardner returned to the UK, where he focussed his interests on modern witchcraft, his writings and efforts eventually serving to revive the tradition. Garner is considered by many to be the 'Father of the Wicca Movement.

A book on the Malay keris. was long overdue and many thanks are due to Mr. Gardner for his work.

GC Woolley, Journal, MBRAS, 1938

[Read a review from the Bali Advertiser]

BIBLIOTHECA HIMALAYICA

[Advance Order]

At Home in the World:
Globalization and the Peace Corps in Nepal
by James F. Fisher
2013, 218 pp., 21 b&w illustrations, endnotes, bibliography, index, 22 x 14 cm., softcover.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-157-2 $25.00

A detailed first-hand account—and critical analysis—of the impact of the first contingent of American Peace Corps volunteers to live and work in Nepal, arriving in 1962 just following the King's seizure of absolute power and the tentative opening of the country to the outside world. The book not only explores the successes and failures of the volunteers in their efforts to have a positive effect on Nepalese development, but also the reverse effects of their transformative experience on the lives of the volunteers themselves. The narrative is further expanded as the author places the mission in the broader perspective of the globalization process that has so changed our world in the past 50 years.
A richly rewarding account for all with interests in globalization, social change, and transnational anthropology.

[Read a review from the Peace Corps Volunteers]

CENTRAL ASIAN STUDIES

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Buddhist Himalaya:
Travels and Studies in Quest of the Origins and Nature of Tibetan Religion
by David Snellgrove
2011, xvi, 392 pp., 75 b&w illustrations, 3 maps, notes, appendices, biblio., general and Tibetan indices, 21.5 x 14 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-141-1 $35.00

This book, a revised edition of one of this renowned scholar's primary early works, describes the various developments in Tibetan Buddhism from earliest times to its present form. It is therefore a history of a rather special kind, in that it shows the evolution of Buddhism primarily from the Tibetan perspective.
   Since Tibetan Buddhism is largely of Indian origin, the account is mainly one of past cultural contacts between India and Tibet, either directly or with Nepal as an intermediary. It is in the Himalayan regions that we must seek the cultural and archaeological traces of past contacts, and here also that we meet with the active influence of Tibetan religions in districts that have turned to the Tibetans for guidance, now that Buddhism has all but disappeared in the land of its origins.
   In an updated preface, the author draws attention to changes in interpretation and perspective that have quite properly taken place over the intervening years.
   While the substance of an account of this kind must be sound research, the inspiration has been provided by Dr. Snellgrove's own travels in these remote regions. A new addendum provides fascinating insight into details of the author's historic first travels into these areas in 1953.

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Early Sino-Tibetan Art
by Heather Stoddard
2008, second edition, 156 pp., 12 colour and 57 b & w plates, 29 x 21 cm., hardcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-036-2 $50.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-036-0

A study of the artistic dialogue between the two great north Asian cultural centers of Tibet and China, commencing as early as the 9th century, through to the 15th century. This groundbreaking monograph is well illustrated with many objects which are otherwise inaccessible and bases its findings on translations of indigenous Tibetan, Chinese and Central Asian inscriptions. With new foreword by the author and extensive bibliography of Western language, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese sources, it is both attractive and scholarly.

(Originally published as ‘Early Sino-Tibetan Art’ (H. Karmay, 1975); long out of print and unavailable.)

[Read a review (German language) from the Preetorius Foundation]

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Four Lamas of Dolpo:
Autobiographies of Four Tibetan Lamas (16th-18th Centuries) Vol. I: Introduction and Translations
by David Snellgrove
3rd ed. 2011, 368 pp., 48 b & w photos, 3 line drawings, 2 maps, Tibetan and general indices, 21 x 15 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-142-8 $45.00

This English translation of the manuscript autobiographies of four Tibetan lamas of the Dolpo region, three of whom were born in the 16th century and one in the 17th, offers the reader important insight into medieval Tibetan religious life. The manuscript records of these lives were discovered by the author/translator, an eminent scholar of Tibetan religion and culture, in the library of a monastery in Dolpo in 1961. Dr. Snellgrove remained in Dolpo to work with an erudite local monk on the preparatory work of the translation, thereafter completing the translation on his return to England.
Four Lamas of Dolpo provides a unique inside account of Tibetan religion and culture, as it has survived and has been practiced in an enclosed Tibetan community, practically unchanged for the past thousand years.

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Four Lamas of Dolpo:
Autobiographies of Four Tibetan Lamas (16th-18th Centuries) Vol. II: Tibetan Texts and Commentaries
by David Snellgrove
2011, xvi, 392 pp., 75 b & w illustrations, 3 maps, notes, appendices, biblio., general and Tibetan indices, 21.5 x 14 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-143-5 $45.00

The present volume provides an edited and corrected transcription the original Tibetan textual autobiographies of four Tibetan lamas of the Dolpo region, three of whom were born in the 16th century and one in the 17th. An accompaniment to Volume I, which provided the full English translation of the biographies, this second volume, in addition to the Tibetan texts formatted for reproduction in Western book form, also includes transliterations of short passages and verse extracted from the manuscripts, notes on the translations in the first volume and a detailed glossary. Of interest to all students of Tibetan religion and culture who are also versed in classical Tibetan language.

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The Hevajra Tantra:
A critical study
by David Snellgrove
Second edition 2010 (first published OUP London 1959, in two volumes), 2010, xvi, 350 pp., 2 b & w illustrations 23 x 15 cm., softcover.

ISBN-13: 978-974-524-128-2 $50.00

In this groundbreaking work, the author presents us with a full translation of, and commentary on, the Hevajra tantra, providing not only deep insight into arguably the most important surviving tantric Buddhist text but also placing the entire corpus of such works into a more accurate context.
Snellgrove presents the Hevajra tantra, and tantric texts of this class, not as a degenerate product of a faith at the time in terminal decline in India—as has often been claimed by puritanical scholars—but rather as a wholly legitimate expression of esoteric ritual and meditative practice developed as a natural evolution within the madhyamika tradition.
While based primarily on Nepalese manuscript editions of the text, Snellgrove makes extensive reference to the Tibetan translation as well as to extant Indian commentaries. The first half of the work comprises an introduction and the actual translation with detailed annotations, while the second consists of the Romanized original Sanskrit and Tibetan texts and an extensive glossary.

"Snellgrove has done an important job and he has done it very well indeed." A. Bharati, JAS Vol. 20, No. 2

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Himalayan Pilgrimage:
A Study of Tibetan Religion by a Traveller Through Western Nepal
by David L. Snellgrove
2011, 390 pp. (xlii + 348 pp.), 85 b & w photos, appendices of Tibetan place names, Divinities & Lamas, index, 9 maps, biblio., 21.5 x 14 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-138-1 $35.00

Himalayan Pilgrimage describes a seven months' journey which the author made through the remote Tibetan regions of Western Nepal in 1956. Travelling everywhere on foot with his Nepalese companion, Pasang Khambache Sherpa, who is eulogized in this new edition, Dr. Snellgrove covered more than a thousand miles of mountainous country and crossed some fifteen major passes of between seventeen- and twenty-thousand feet in altitude. The intention of the journey was to learn of the different regions and people and to study in particular the types of Tibetan religion practiced in those remote lands. The most interesting of these is perhaps Dolpo, through which very few foreigners have passed, then or to the present day.
The author, well known for his Buddhist studies and for his affection for Tibetan peoples, gives a lively and sympathetic account of the traditional lives and beliefs of these cheerful people.

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The Nine Ways of Bön:
Excerpts from gZi-brjid
Edited and translated by David Snellgrove
2010, 318 pp, b & w plates, 24.5 x 17.5 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-111-3 $40.00
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-111-4

To practising bonpos, Bön simply means the true religion of Tibet, while to Tibetan Buddhists, Bön refers to the false teachings and practices that were prevalent before Buddhism finally succeeded in gaining a firm hold on the country.
The present study resulted from a period during which the author, a renowned scholar of Asian languages and cultures, was engaged in intense contact with practicing bonpos. It consists of the translation of fundamental texts of Bön, based on a manuscript of some 400 years of age, in which the entire Bön tantric practice is summarized. In many ways remarkably parallel to the early Buddhist teachings, much of the Bön tradition was subsequently incorporated back into Buddhism when that religion was formally adopted into Tibetan culture.
This important study, first published in the 1960s and long out of print, will be welcomed by all with interest in the religions of the Himalayas.

[Read a review from East and West; IsIAO]

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Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson:
Proceedings of the International Seminar on Tibetan Studies, Oxford 1979.
Edited by Michael Aris & Aung San Suu Kyi
2012 (1980), 372 pp., 9 b&w photos, 49 line drawings and sketches, extensive notes, Tibetan and Western bibliographical references, 24 x 17 cm., softcover.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-145-9 $60.00

Orchid Press is pleased to make available for the wide community with interest in Tibetan culture a reprint edition of this seminal conference, featuring papers by some 47 eminent Tibetologists, first presented at the International Seminar on Tibetan Studies in Oxford in 1979. Dedicated to one of the most highly respected of these scholars, Hugh Richardson, the quality and diversity of the papers herein, reflecting as they do the very significant contribution to this field of Richardson himself, are a fitting tribute to the man.
Commencing with an essay in appreciation of Richardson’s life and myriad achievements, and followed by a complete bibliography of his writings, the papers then presented span the full range of disciplines that have focused on this rich and endangered culture. Included in this list are important contributions to the history, geography, religion, philosophy, arts, sociology, ethnography, folklore, language and literature, medicine and commerce of Tibet and the Tibetan diaspora.
Many of the papers remain standard references in their respective fields, and copies of the original publication of these Proceedings are now long out of print and very difficult to obtain. It is thus hoped that this reprint edition will serve as a valuable reference for new and current scholars in the field of Tibetan studies, both in terms of the scholarly material presented and as an inspirational example of the quality of work of those who preceded them.

“It is difficult to think of any aspect of Tibetan culture which is not, to some extent at least, touched upon.”

Review by K.R. Norman, Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 16-1, 1982.

THIS TITLE IS AVAILABLE ONLY DIRECTLY FROM ORCHID PRESS

ASIAN PORTRAITS

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Fragments from the Past
by Randolph O'Hara
2008, v, 78 pp., 10 b & w illustrations, 21 x 14 cm., softbound
ISBN-10: 974-524-082-6 $12.95
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-082-7

The author takes us on a nostalgic trip back to his childhood days in Burma, recalling a life of hardship and at times hunger, yet rich in the remembrance of simple pleasures and warm human relationships. The impoverished circumstances of his upbringing are recalled as the motivation for the self reliance and bravery that he was able to develop - characteristics that, when later leaving his home forever, no doubt enabled him to forge a successful life in his newly adopted country.
Fragments from the Past is a testimony to the importance of remembering our past, no matter how far away we travel, nor how high we rise. ". moving and meaningful, tragic and funny, reflective and evocative."

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The Golden Land
by Randolph O'Hara
2008,. viii, 124 pp., 21 x 14 cm., softbound
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-101-5 $14.95

In the final years of colonial Burma, young Andrew Wells arrives in Rangoon to assume a post in the Commissioner´s office, assigned to seek solutions for escalating crime and social unrest in the countryside. As he grows fond of his adopted country, its people, and in particular of a comely Burmese, Mya Shwe, in the cipher office, Andrew also begins to penetrate the cultural veil that obscures, for many in the colonial administration, the underlying causes of unrest. The gentle romance between Andrew and Mya Shwe unfolds against a backdrop of upheaval and eventually violence in colony, leading to dramatic changes in both of their lives.
O´Hara´s novel has much to teach the reader on the flavour of Burmese culture as well as the emergence of the independent state in the first half of the 20th century.

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Letters from a Burmese Grandfather
by Randolph O'Hara
2013, 103 pp., 20 x 13 cm., softbound.
ISBN-10: 974-524-119-9 $12.95
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-119-0

In the waning years of his life, an elderly Burmese gentleman, a retired Court official in the early 19th century, writes letters to his young grandson. In the sixteen messages that comprise the chapters of this book, the old man, drawing examples from his deep knowledge of the country’s recent history, its folklore and religion, attempts to convey to the boy the wisdom and most important lessons that he can distill from his life. Partly historical, partly philosophical, enjoyably readable, there is something for all generations in this delightful work of historical fiction.

[Read a review from The Hong Kong Arts Development Council] [Read a review from The South China Morning Post]

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Moran of Kathmandu
Pioneer Priest, Educator and Ham Radio Voice of the Himalaya.
by Donald A. Messerschmidt
2nd ed., 2012, 388 pp., 15 b&w illustrations, index, 23 X 15 cm., softbound.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-140-4 $29.95

Marshall Moran set out from Chicago in 1929 to join a Jesuit mission in Asia. Over the next six decades he became one of the continent’s most remote celebrities, a pioneer priest and educator and one of the “rare ones” among the world’s amateur radio fraternity, at home in the heart of the Himalayas. In India and Nepal he taught the sons of the rich and the poor, the powerful and the unpretentious alike. From simple beginnings he set the first standards for modern education in Nepal. In time, he became known far and wide as ”Father Moran of Kathmandu”. In this newly revised edition of his biography, writer and anthropologist Don Messerschmidt brings the story of Fr Moran, SJ, to life. It is a remarkable and inspiring tale of quiet accomplishment.

“Very few people are able to create possibilities and persevere for success in the face of unimaginable odds… Fr. Moran's life should inspire many others.”

Kumar Pandey, The Nepal Digest

[Read a review of the first edition from Radio Society of Great Britain, January 1998] [Read a review of the first edition from The Kathmandu Post] [Read a review of the first edition from The Journal of Contemporary Asia]

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