Books about Thailand
This page gives you a selection of books about Thailand.
You will only find books here that are very good according to my
personal experience, or books that have been widely acclaimed!
You can buy the books mentioned on this page on-line by
clicking the image or the text link.
If you click a link or
image you will be directed to the site of Amazom.com.
The Amazon.com Top sales about Thailand are right below.
(You can scroll down this page or jump to a section by using the menu on the left)
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In my opinion the two best guides to Thailand are the Lonely Planet Guide and the Insight Guide and you will have one of the best available guides to Thailand. It depends on your personal taste (and age) which one you prefer. "Backpackers" and younger travelers often prefer the Lonely Planet Guide, while older people or "hotel travelers" often prefer the Insight guide. I have used them both. Read on, however if they are not what you are looking for.
There also is an Insight Guide and a Lonely PLanet Guide for Bangkok (and surroundings) only. Buy one of them if you are certain that you will go to Bangkok only. Otherwise buy the guide for the whole of Thailand!
Another popular guide for Thailand is ,The Rough Guide. It also has a "mini" version, just for Bangkok. It is more or less similar to the Lonely Planet, but some people find that places mentioned in Lonely Planet have risen their prices unreasonably because they are mentioned there! If you are of that opinion, The Rough Guide is probably the right one for you.
One more guide is Eyewitness Travel Guide:
Thailand.
This guide tells you in pictures what other guides tell you in words.
If you are like to be shown around visually, this is definitely your
guide! It shows you lots of details in pictures that you might overlook
in other guides, but -partly- at the expense of an explanation in
words. It's just a matter of preference. After my most recent visit to
Thailand this is becoming my favorite guide.
Exactly the Opposite is Footprint Thailand Handbook.
Loads of written information (very thoroughly) but hardly any
illustrations.
And if none of these guides is what you are looking for, the following guides are also popular: From left to right: Frommer's Thailand, Fodor's Thailand, Baedeker's Thailand and National Geographic Traveler Thailand. Take your pick!
Finally a guide I do not know myself, because I am not a diver. But I have received quite some email about where to dive in Thailand. Therefore I searched for a book that could help my diving visitors. The book below, D and S Thailand is quite up-to-date and acclaimed. I hope it answers all your diving questions.
If you want to buy a buy an atlas for Thailand, the one by Globetrotter is the most recent one.
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A book that is really indispensable if you will go to Thailand more often or if you consider to settle there, is
It contains lots and lots of practical tips about how to communicate or to do business with Thai people, how to set up a business in Thailand, what to expect (and what not to expect) of your Thai employees, almost all the do's and don'ts for Thailand and even a "quiz" to test your knowledge. Very highly recommended!!
If you are considering to retire in Thailand, use the experiences of somebody who did and buy Retiring in Thailand
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As you may have read elsewhere on my site, I
strongly believe that it
is of hardly of any use to try to learn the Thai language when you are
a first time traveler. The moment to start to learn Thai lies somewhere
near the moment when you decide to go there every year. In that case I
think you should try to learn Thai, of course.
So far the
best medium to learn Thai I have encountered is the Courage
CD-ROM. Find the current edition through Google.
Another good source is the website Learning Thai,
if you find your way in the massive amount of material there. There you
can learn Thai for free. And yet a good source to lear Thai can be foud at Seasite
Nevertheless a good dictionary is
also a necessary tool. You can
buy one in Thailand, in any size you like, but you can also buy the Robertson dictionary, a good
one, in a handy format to put in your pocket or handbag, at home. It
contains the Thai words in transliteration as well as Thai printing:
You won't need a Thai-English one anyway before you can read the language! If you do want a Thai-English dictionary as well, try the one below by Benjawan Poomsan Becker. It is not expensive and it is two-way:
Another option is The Oxford-Duden Pictoral Thai & English Dictionary (highly acclaimed). That one is arranged thematically with vocabulary accompanying each picture.
If you can't get the Courage CD-ROM, mentioned above, or if you find that one too expensive, there are more interactive media that try to teach you some Thai. I found Rosetta Stone Thai Explorer, for ages 6 and up in Amazon's catalog. I do not know it myself, but given the low price, it would be worth to give it a try. Please let me know, if you buy it, how it works.
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The "Hill Tribes" who live in the North of Thailand have a rich and interesting Culture. A very good book about these people is the one shown below. It is richly illustrated and certainly worthwhile. If you can't figure out the title below: It is Peoples of the Golden Triangle. it is a bit older, but still available.
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For the moment just one entry. A novel by the Thai author who was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature Pira Sudham. In this novel Monsoon Country he gives a description of the poor part of his Country - where he comes from - from the first hand. But the novel is also partly set in England. I am proud to be able to say that I own a copy that has been signed by the author himself!
Another famous and great Thai novel (in English translation) is Four Reigns, that describes the life of a woman, living very near to the Court of four succeeding Monarchs. It was written by Kukrit Pramoj, who was Prime Minister of Thailand and a great Thai historian and Thai classical dancer. This novel is a must for those who like a as true as possible description of Court life in the (not so very far) past.
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Several authors who have lived in Thailand (mostly for a long time) have written novels that are set in Thailand. One of these authors is Dean Barrett, who wrote Kingdom of Make-Believe: A Novel of Thailand.
Novelist Darin Strauss has written a novel about the "original" Siamese Twins. It is based on historical facts and therefore fascinating material to read. The Title is "Chang and Eng", the names of the twins.
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Another book that I have placed into this category is Anna and the King of Siam, by Margaret Landon. It is the story of Anna Leonowens, who was asked to come to Bangkok, in order to educate the (many) children of King Rama IV (King Mongkut). One of the Princes she educated there was the later to be King Chualalongkorn (King Rama V). It is a fascinating account of the activities of Anna Leonowens and of Thai life around 100 years ago. The novel is based on the memoirs of Anna Leonowens.
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Here is also the best place to mention the memoirs of Anna Leonowens. You can also downloa this book as an e-book from Gutenberg or from the downloads page of this site.
Then there is a second book by Anna Leonowens herself, called The Romance of the Harem.
A related book is "Anna Leonowens: A life beyond The King and I" by Leslie Smith Dow Buy! (no picture)
Another book, written in the time when Anna stayed in Siam, is Description of the Thai Kingdom of Siam, by Monsignor Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix (and translated into English).
And if you prefer another romanticized edition, instead of the one by Margaret Landon, you could try The Story of Anna and the King, by Cecilia Holland, which has received good reviews.
Some of these books about Anna Leonowens are quite old! I mention them, because the page about Anna Leonowens is one of the most popular pages of this site.
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Some people still think that they can venture to
take drugs in or out of Thailand. One such person was Warren
Fellows.
As most of his kind he ended up in jail in Thailand, which is not
exactly the Bangkok Hilton! He writes about what he underwent there in
his book 4,000 Days: My Life and Survival in a Bangkok Prison
and in The Damage Done. Everybody who thinks too
lightly about trespassing the Thai criminal laws should read this book!
Another book in the same category is Forget You Had
A Daughter by Sandra Gregory. She too had
a very unpleasant stay in a Thai prison.
Another person who stayed a long time in Thailand and wrote a book about it is the English businessman Peter. He became a Buddhist monk and wrote about his Buddhist experiences. His highly acclaimed book is called "Phra Farang" and gives good insight in Thai Buddhism for Westerners. The author also has established a trust fund to support the education of poor Thai students. Buy the book by clicking the link below.
That there is prostitution in Thailand is a fact. I
want to
mention one book about the subject, because it really is special. The
title is "Hello, My Big Big Honey"
and it consists of love letters written by former "clients" to Thai
prostitutes as well as interviews with some of the girls. This shows
you the differences between prostitution in Thailand and in Western
Countries, as well as the attitude of the girls who work in that
business. It is a big eye-opener. If you are looking for "juicy
stories", don't buy this book. It is a sad reality that will be shown
to you. Sad from the point of view from both sides. It also shows the
big Culture Shock between Thai prostitutes and their Western "clients".
The book is sometimes out of print, but you can pre-order a copy if it
still has not been reprinted. The former edition is widely on sale in
Thailand.
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Here I have to follow other people's recommendation,
because my wife uses cooking books in the Thai language!!
Four books about Thai cooking that are highly acclaimed are:
It Rains Fishes: Legends, Traditions and Joys of Thai Cooking
by Kasma Loha-unchit.
This book not only gives fine recipes, but also describes backgrounds
of ingredients, people, cooking tradition and the country of Thailand.
Go to my Thailand links page
to find the Home page of the author!
The Original Thai Cookbook. This is a good and very
complete cookbook for Thai food. You also find some background about
Thai cooking and Thailand.
Thai Cooking from the Siam Cuisine Restaurant. The
(Thai)
writers own a successful restaurant in the San Francisco area. It
contains a wide variety of recipes and is easily to understand.
Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking.
This book gives you exactly what it promises. So if you want to taste
the Thai regional cuisine click on the link below!
A second book by Kasma Loha-unchit, who wrote "It Rains fishes" (see above) is Dancing Shrimp: Favorite Thai Recipes for Seafood. This book is available in a printed version, or as an e-Book in Microsoft� Reader� format.
Also specially recommended is Cracking the Coconut: Classic Thai Home Cooking by Su-Mei Yu. It offers what it promises.
And for those of you who want to try the Thai Vegetarian Cuisine, there is Buddha's Table. The Thais have a delicious Vegetarian Cuisine. During the Vegetarian Festival that is being held every year in Phuket even I only eat vegetarian food!
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Books
about Thailand for Young Readers
In the first place I have two sweet Thai Folk tales, told for young children, for you. They are: The Girl Who Wore Too Much and Hush! : A Thai Lullaby. They are meant for children aged 4-8, but you won't regret it yourself if you buy them!
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Finally, to find the many books I do not know personally, so I do not want to recommend them yet, you can enter your search word(s) in the box below:
Click here for a page with books that are (probably) only available in Thailand
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