Book Tipps

There is a great variety of books about all aspects of Cambodian history and culture. Lolei Travel recommends the following ones, written in English language. All books can be purchased at Monument Books in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as well as in many other book stores.

		Angkor - Before and After By David Snellgrove White Orchid Press, 250 pages, 60 US $ US Professor David Snellgrove gives an overall view, both temporal and geographic, of Khmer civilization, covering the period from its very beginning in the 5th century up to the present day.
		Ancient Angkor By Michael Freemann and Claude Jacques River Books, 239 pages, 20 US $ French scholar Claude Jacques and British photographer Michael Freeman present new researches and latest discoveries from Angkor and group the temples into itineraries that are easy to visit for tourists as well as for historians.
		A Record of Cambodia By Zhou Daguan, translated by Peter Harris Silkworm Books, 150 pages, 18 US $ Chinese traveller Zhou Daguan visited Angkor in 1296-97 and wrote a first-hand account after his return to China. To this day Zhou's description of the royal palace, sacred buildings and everyday life remains a unique portrait of 13th century Angkor at a time when its splendors were still intact.
		Brother Number One By David P. Chandler Silkworm Books, 260 pages, 19 US $ In Cambodia's recent, tragic past, no figure looms more ominously than that of Pol Pot. US historian David P. Chandler throws light on this shadowy person, illuminating his ideas and behavior, providing a key to understanding the horrific, pivotal period of Cambodian history.
		After the Killing Fields - Lessons from the Cambodian Genocide By Craig Etcheson Praeger Publishers, 256 pages, 32 US $ Craig Etcheson provides an overall view of latest research about Civil War in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge regime and its victims. New findings show that the death toll was approximately 2.2 million, about half a million higher than commonly believed.
		Dancing in Shadows By Benny Widyono Rowman & Littlefield, 322 pages, 38 US $ As a peacekeeper with UNTAC from 1992 to 1993 Benny Widyono came to devastated Cambodia after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. His report hook-puts a human face on international operations and uncovers intrigues, turmoil and political upheavals of the first years of a reborn country.
		Getting Away With Genocide? - Elusive Justice and the Khmer Rouge Tribunal By Tom Fawthrop and Helen Jarvis Pluto Press, 327 pages, 22 US $ An insider's account of the 25 year long struggle to bring the Khmer Rouge to justice. The authors show how several international governments, that claim to fight for human rights, shielded Pol Pot and his clique from prosecution during the 1980s.
		When Broken Glass Floats By Chanrithy Him Norton, 330 pages, 16 US $ Chanrithy Him, born in Takeo in 1965, vividly recounts her trek through the hell of the Killing Fields. She gives a child's-eye view of a Cambodia where rudimentary labor camps were the norm and death became a companion, along with illness. Yet through the terror, the members of Charithy's family remained loyal to each other.
		Bophana By Elizabeth Becker Cambodia Daily Press, 80 pages, 8 US $ Nearly one decade after Bophana was killed at Tuol Sleng, author Elizabeth Becker retrieved the young woman's file for the Khmer Rouge torture center and introduced Bophana to the world, leading to an award winning documentary film by director Rithy Panh.