Book Number: 21 715

Smyth, H. Warington

FIVE YEARS IN SIAM FROM 1891-1896

Reviews the dynamic situation in Siam at the end of the nineteenth century, with its vivid portrayal of the people and the place. Its author, Herbert Warington Smyth, a British national working for Siam's government, fluidly navigates his way through uncharted political and social terrain traversed by Westerners and Thais. His narrative provides a refreshing and singular perspective of the country in these tumultuous times. As an official in the newly created Department of Mines, Smyth travels to frontier provinces that were undergoing the process of cartographic and administrative incorporation into Siam. His unique position enables him to provide the first rigorously detailed and dramatic account of the Chantaburi and Pailin gem mines. Smyth also witnessed firsthand the Paknam incident of 1893, when French and Siamese gunboats engaged in a skirmish en route to Bangkok. Another factor that distinguishes Smyth from his Western contemporaries is his ability to speak Thai. No doubt Smyth's direct communication with the Thai-speaking population informed his experience and also accounted for his amiable relationships with them. Smyth genuinely attempted to locate and understand each situation he encounterd within its cultural context. Five Years in Siam, with its unassuming charm and insight, is a gold-mine to scholars and lay readers alike.

(Bangkok 1994, reprint from 1898)

ISBN 974-8495-98-1

703 pp., illus., 4 folded maps in color, 150 x 210 mm

45.- US-Dollar

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