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| 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. |
ORCHID BOOKS |
Buddhist Healing in Laos: |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 $25.00 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. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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] |
| 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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BIBLIOTHECA ASIATICA |
| 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) |
| Swish of the Kris: The Story of the Moros by Vic Hurley 2009. 304 pp., 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover. ISBN-10: 974-524-115-6 $30.00 ISBN-13: 978-974-524-115-2 An early, first–hand account of the Moros, the fierce Islamic warriors of the islands of Mindanao, Sulu, Jolo and other territories in the southern Philippines. The Moros, long renowned as the ‘Malay Pirates’, waged a highly effective 377 year war against the Spanish, as well as a host of other would–be subjugators, including the British, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and Dutch among others—all of whom suffered slaughter and ignominious defeat. The Moros accomplished this armed only with their legendary bravery and their kris—a weapon of both practical and magic dimensions. The American occupiers who replaced the Spanish at the end of the 19th century, equipped as they were with modern rifles, managed to wrestle the Moros to an uneasy truce; however, the same people are still an immense headache to the Filipinos and their American ‘advisors’ to the present day. The author, who lived and worked some seven years among the Moros, provides the reader with a colorful and well researched account of the people, their history, laws, customs and culture. The present account, first published in 1936 in an edition now extremely rare, remains the most detailed portrait of this incredibly brave and resilient people. |
Early Sino-Tibetan Art |
Fragments from the Past |
| 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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