Books published by River Books

A Sino-Chinese family find their destiny is inseparably entangled with that of the country they have adopted as a home. Not long before the Communist revolution, Tong, sent by his peasant-parents in impoverished rural China to work with a relative in Siam, has risen to become a rice-trading tycoon in Bangkok's Chinatown, married a former palace cook and built a large family in the town of Pad Riew. Haunted by the dream of returning to his true home in China, Tong, along with his wife and their five children, are swept along by the torrents of history as World War II breakout and China turns red, while the military strongman in Thailand act out the interminable cycle of power struggle, rebellion and coup d'état. Memories of the Memories of the Black Rose Cat, the award-winning second novel by Veerapon Nitiprapha, is a generations-spanning family saga that explores the roots of the Chinese diaspora in Siam and how the tragedy of ruined love, maternal betrayal and futile ambition shape the lives of Tong's clan members, each of them hounded by their own ghosts and burdened by their own sins. All of this is played out against the backdrop of Siam's mid-century social and political history, the most chaotic period the formation of the nation.

Siam at the turn of the 19th century. Four families in the southern peninsula are tied together by ambition, revenge, love and tragedy.

In this personal account incorporating the social history of Laos, Manisamouth, granddaughter of Kham-Phiou, brings her grandmother's untold story to life, accompanied by evocative black and white photographs, family trees of the Luang Prabang Royals and Kham-Phiou s lineage, and includes a section on Lao history.

Bangkok in Times of Love and War is the story of life and death, passion, loyalty and loss, and of a man and a woman caught up in the upheaval of history.

Last to the Front is about the clash of empires, and social and historical change. It is also a personal story of the lives of young Siamese soldiers, thousands of miles from home, thrown into the world s most brutal catastrophe, battling language, prejudice and intolerance, as much as shells bayonets and machine guns.

Exploring Old Bangkok takes the visitor around all the most important sights as well as explaining the meaning of lesser-known landmarks such as the Pig memorial or the Monument to the Expeditionary Force.

In 2008, Philip Jablon began recording the demise of the country's standalone cinemas. In bringing together his poignant photographs and the ephemera of a vanished culture, such as highly collectible hand-painted Thai movie posters, this book records an irreplaceable slice of social, cultural and movie history.

- Magical children's tale of one boy's quest to search for water to save his village and his grandmother's potted plant. An epic adventure tale with beautiful illustrations by established artist Kate BaylayRabbit Cloud is an endearing folktale brought to life in the 21st century. An engaging quest on one level, it introduces themes of social responsibility and environmental issues.

This catalogue assembles sumptuous photographs of the world's leading collection of Cham sculpture, along with the most recent insights of Vietnamese and international scholars.

These original letters of correspondence between the Russian and Thai courts, preserved and translated by Prince Chakrabongse's grandaughter, are both historically significant as well as entertaining.

Catching the Light is a dazzling collection of photographs that captures a unique moment in Myanmar's social, cultural, and political history.

Former Washington Post foreign correspondent John Burgess recounts the fascinating mountaintop monument's full history, ancient and modern.

Two lives interlinked; two sets of memories which could be lost.

This book provides a glimpse under the curtain into the netherworld of the ancient Burmese performing arts. Backstage Mandalay reveals the private rituals of classical Burmese performers as they prepare for all-night festivals in upper Burma.

Burma's Spring documents the struggles of ordinary people made extraordinary by circumstance. Rosalind Russell, a British journalist who came to live in burma with her family, witnessed a time of unprecedented change in a secretive country that had been locked under militay dictatorship for half a century.

The book covers the most significant old and new sacred sites in Yangon, Pagan, the Mandalay area, and within the Shan, Rakhine and Mon states.

An important record of the Shan States, now under Burmese Rule