DCO Thai Books

Thai Popular Music

Thai Popular Music by Gerhard Jaiser

Thai Popular Culture Volume 1

Thai Popular Music is an analysis of luk krung, luk thung, phleng phuea chiwit, and Thai pop, forms of music played for both rural and urban audiences in Thailand. Luk thung is used also as a political tool, as rural Thais become more politically aware. Music plays an extremely important role in Thai society. This study gives a comprehensive overview of the development of Thai popular music since the 1930s and an in-depth look at the principal different musical styles. It also provides an analysis of popular music as a mirror of different social groups in Thai society. Translations and interpretations of a selection of seventy-seven representative songs are given. An annotated index of artists can serve as a basic dictionary, and an accompanying Youtube channel features performances of all the music discussed in the book. Further volumes on other aspects of Thai popular culture will follow.

Paperback
Bangkok 2012
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
289 pages, 16 pp. illus. in col.
ISBN 9789744801896

Thailand’s New Politics KPI Yearbook 2001

By Michael H. Nelson

This first KPI Yearbook 2001 looks at aspects of what has been called “political reform”. Especially since the “People’s Constitution” was passed in October 1997, it was assumed that Thailand was on its way to a more consolidated democracy. The authors of this volume contribute to forming a more realistic understanding of the issues involved. James R. Klein analyzes the evolution of Thailand’s National Human Rights Commission between 1992 and 2001; Norbert Eschborn describes what the Konrad Adenauer Foundation contributes to Thai democracy; Philip S. Robertson, Jr. highlights the democratic role of Thai labor; Allen D. Hicken explains why Thailand has so many political parties; Marco B?nte introduces a model of democratic consolidation and applies it to the Thai situation; finally, Michael H. Nelson deals with the decentralization process and takes a close look at the election of 6 January 2001 and its aftermath. This first KPI Yearbook opens with Nobel Laureate in economics, Amartya Sen, presenting his thoughts on “The Market, Democracy, and Development”. It is rounded off by documents on “good governance” and by reviews of publications about Pridi Banomyong, business and politics in provincial Thailand, and Bloody May 1992.

Paperback
Bangkok 2002
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
543 pages, 12 pp. illus. in col.
ISBN 9789744800121

Thailand’s Rice Bowl

Thailand’s Rice Bowl by Francois Molle & Thippawal Srijantr

Perspectives on Agricultural and Social Change in the Chao Phraya Delta

Studies in Contemporary Thailand No. 12

This is a collection of papers by several researchers describing the dramatic changes affecting the Chao Phraya Delta. Traditional rice mono-cropping has given way to more intensive and diversified agrarian systems. Villages of rice farmers are being replaced by a post-agrarian society of rural entrepreneurs and urban-rural migrants. Economic and cultural boundaries between city and village are blurred. The delta is no longer a traditional “rice bowl” but a premonition of changes enveloping Thailand as a whole. The book surveys these changes over the range of agrarian systems, water usage, resource management, community impact, social changes, and political implications.

Paperback
Bangkok 2003
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
460 pages
ISBN 9789744800251

Traditional Herbal Medicine in Northern Thailand

By Viggo Brun and Trond Schumacher

This study is a pioneering work offering a comprehensive analysis of the herbal medical tradition in rural Northern Thailand. The focus of the research is the description and classification of local disease concepts and the complex relationships between diseases, plants, drugs, and prescriptions. The work is based on extensive communication with local practitioners, clinical observations and local manuscripts. About 540 medicinal plants are identified in the appendix, together with their claimed medical properties. In addition, the book contains charters on the court medical tradition, and considers the prospects for the survival of traditional medicine in the face of competition from modern cosmopolitan medicine. The authors also provide extensive vocabularies, as well as indexes of disease terms and botanical names, including a Thai index of disease terms. There is a wealth of information for those interested in medicine botany and ethnopharmacology, while the history and anthropological aspects of the work will interest many other students of Southeast Asia.

Paperback
Bangkok 2007, reprint from 1987
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
390 pages
ISBN 9789748496153

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 3

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 3 by Joachim Schliesinger

Profile of Austro-Thai and Sinitic Speaking People

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia-Profile of Austro-Thai and Sinitic-Speaking Peoples, is the final volume of a comprehensive three-volume work that provides a detailed account of the ethnic groups of Cambodia. All three volumes are lavishly illustrated in color and contain relevant references. This volume presents each of the three Austronesian- and 10 Tai speaking groups as well as the Chinese people. For each group there is an outline history and descriptions of costumes, crafts, housing, agriculture, society, economy and beliefs. The daily life of these people is revealed in 97 color illustrations. Further, this volume provides a comprehensive bibliography on ethnic matters that is relevant to all three volumes.

Paperback
Bangkok 2011
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
350 pages, 32 pp. illus.
ISBN 9789744801791

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Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 2

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 2 by Joachim Schliesinger

Profile of Austro-Asiatic-Speaking Peoples

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia, Profile of Austro-Asiatic-Speaking Peoples, is the second of a comprehensive three-volume work that gives a detailed account of the ethnic groups of Cambodia. All three volumes are lavishly illustrated in color and contain relevant references. The present volume provides individual sketches of each of the 23 Mon-Khmer-speaking groups. These include historical background and descriptions of costumes, crafts, house and village designs, agriculture and economy, society and religion. There are fascinating glimpses of remote and rarely seen ethnic groups and description of rapidly disappearing traditions. Ninety-seven color illustrations provide portraits of these groups.

Paperback
Bangkok 2011
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
313 pages, 16 pp. illus. in col.
ISBN 9789744801784

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Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 1

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia Volume 1 by Joachim Schliesinger

Introduction and Overview

Ethnic Groups of Cambodia, Introduction and Overview, is the first of a comprehensive three-volume work that provides a detailed account of the ethnic groups of Cambodia. All three volumes are lavishly illustrated in color and contain relevant references. The present volume looks first at the effect of historic events in Southeast Asia on ethnic distribution in Cambodia today. It then presents an overview of these ethnic groups and their linguistic classifications, cultures and traditions and geographic locations. The book also provides detailed population statistics from French colonial times to the latest Population Census of 2008. The text is supported by 91 color illustrations.

Paperback
Bangkok 2011
White Lotus
Size 150 x 210 mm
358 pages, 16 pp. illus. in col.
ISBN 9789744801777

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Bangkok Noir

Bangkok Noir - edited by Christopher G. Moore

Stories from John Burdett, Stephen Leather, Pico Iyer, Colin Cotterill, Christopher G. Moore, Tew Bunnag, Timothy Hallinan, Alex Kerr, Dean Barrett, Vasit Dejkunjorn, Eric Stone and Collin Piprell

Bangkok is one of the great cities of the world, but unlike other great metropolises it has no noir tales to its name. Bangkok Noir puts that to right.

In this first ever noir anthology of Bangkok, twelve seasoned and internationally known - Thai and Western - writers have come together to make a powerful collection of crime fiction short stories that portray the dark side of this Asian metropolis where the lives of most citizens seem as far away from heaven as its Thai name Krungthep is distant from its meaning - City of Angels.

In Bangkok Noir the twelve short stories of various shades of black involve gangsters and hitmen, love and betrayal, the supernatural, the possessed and the dispossessed, and the far distant future. titles in this collection include: John Burdett's Gone East, Stephen Leather's Inspector Zhang and the Dead Thai Gangster, Tew Bunnag's The Mistress Wants Her Freedom, Colin Cotterill's Halfhead, Pico Iyer's Thousand and One Nights, and Christopher G. Moore's Dolphin Inc.

Note: The authors and publisher will donate half their earnings from this book to selected charity organizations which provide education to needy children in Thailand.

Paperback
Bangkok 2011
Heaven Lake Press
Size 130 x 195 mm
289 pages
ISBN 9786167503042

Bangkok Affections

Bangkok Affections by James Aaron Parmelee

Love, Sex, Murder and Syndicate Tyranny at Our Lady of Ubiquitous Tears

"The detail in this explosive thriller makes one forget that it is purportedly a work of fiction!"The Pattaya Mail

A teacher fighting demons...

A wonderful, if truly frightening, novel about heinous crimes taking place in Bangkok. James Parmelee not only knows and understands the world of being a foreigner teaching in Thailand, but also has an incredibly gifted writing style that gets you turning the pages in a hurry to see what happens next!

Sean Bunzick, author of the John Harwich Adventure Series

As Fylchworthy unearths one clue after another, he discovers that Tyler, the school's missing Director of Studies, is hiding with his student Bik, who has escaped from the syndicate. Both Tyler and Bik are marked by high level officials to be shot on sight so neitherof them can identify the pedophiles and help dismantle the syndicate. The mystery surrounding the Madonna's bloody tears adds to the intrigue and lends a sense of mysticism, malevolence and foreboding to an already suspenseful story.

The Clarion Review

Paperback
Thailand 2011
James Aaron Parmelee
Size 155 x 230 mm
300 pages
ISBN 9786169092506

Talk-2-Me-Thai Russian Edition

Talk-2-Me-Thai Russian Version

By Ajarn Thomas A. Lamosse Ph.D

DVD
Bangkok 2012
Bamboo Sinfonia
Size 135 x 190 mm
ISBN 9786167235646

Talk-2-Me-Thai Thai-4-Sweethearts

By Ajarn Thomas A. Lamosse Ph.D

Award winning language program from the USA!

Talk-2-me-Thai is the only DVD Thai language program that will get you speaking Thai in minutes.If you have tried to learn Thai from other books or programs and have failed, now is the time to try Talk-2-me-Thai!

This program contains 2 DVD discs! Disc 1 is overview of Thai vowels, tones, tips on how to learn a second language and an introduction to our award winning phonetic system. Disc 2 will teach you words and phrases that will help you express your feelings to your Thai sweetheart.

Professor Thomas over delivers again! 8 chapters with more than 3.5 hours of HD video tutorials!

See what our students think about Talk-2-Me-Thai

Dear Professor Thomas

First of all I want to thank you for the way you teach Thai language, it is excellent. After 30 years of contact with the Thai culture only you gave me the answers to correctly pronouncing Thai words and accurately using all 5 Thai tones.

The way you build up the teaching material is very good. Seeing your face along with the text on the left side of the screen makes it easy to follow.Your pronunciation of each word is slow and your voice is very crisp.Your body language and movement makes it easy for the observer to try the same... and it works!Now everyone is complementing me on how well I speak Thai.Thank you!

Geza Bruendl
IT consultant, Germany

2 x DVDs
Thailand 2011
Bamboo Sinfonia
Size 135 x 190 mm
ISBN 9789745934818

Talk-2-Me-Thai English/Thai Dictionary

By Ajarn Thomas A. Lamosse Ph.D

The Talk-2-me-Thai "Easy Thai Dictionary" is the only Thai Dictionary that will get you speaking Thai in minutes!

Learn the easy, common sense phonetic system, then speak your new Thai words with confidence!

This dictionary will help you increase your Thai vocabulary.

The Talk-2-me-Thai method is one of the easiest way to speak Thai with the correct tone and pronunciation.

Be sure to see all the other Talk-2-me products available.

"The system is so simple that anyone can learn Thai"� W.S. - American Translators and Interpreters Association.

Paperback Book and DVD
Thailand 2011
Bamboo Sinfonia
Size 135 x 190 mm
146 pages
ISBN 9786167111117

Speaking Thai: The Fastest Way to Speak Thai

By Dhirapol Polsawasdi and Chanchai Boonhao

This book aims to do what the title the title suggests and get foreigners up to speed quickly in speaking Thai in common situations.

Paperback
Bangkok 2009
B.E.C. Publishing & Communication
Size 145 x 210 mm
217 pages
ISBN 9789749178935

Thai: An Essential Grammar

By David Smyth

Thai: An essential Grammar is a concise and user-friendly guide to the basic structures of the language.

Grammatical forms are demonstrated through examples, given in both Thai script and romanised transliteration, with clear, jargon-free explanations. Itis designed for use both by students taking a taught course in Thai and for independent learners, and includes guidance on pronunciation, speech conventions and the Thai writing system as well as grammar.

Topics include:

Sentence particles
Negation
Questions
Numerals and quantification
Location markers and prepositions

With numerous examples bringing grammar to life, this unique reference work will prove invaluable to all students looking to master the grammar of Thai.

David Smyth is Lecturer in Thai at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

Paperback
UK 2010 Edition
Routledge
Size 155 x 255 mm
234 pages
ISBN 9780415226141

East River by Derrick Jeffrey

East River by Derrick "John" Jeffrey

A thriller from inside the United Nations

From New York to Bangkok to Cambodia

New York City 1968

A woman of no importance enters the United Nations headquarters in New York City one morning in mid-autumn. She walks up to the UN's director of public information, pulls out a handgun and calmly blows him away. She jumps through the shattered plate glass window into the New York East River and disappears below the surface of the murky water.

The only witness to the event is a Cuban-American freelance journalist who is told that what he saw never occurred, but instead, the senior UN official committed suicide.

What follows next is the rest of the story in exciting page-by-page narrative, spanning more than two decades in a saga of murder, money laundering, corruption, witchcraft and the sincerity of an older woman's love of a younger man.

Paperback
Bangkok
Three Pagoda Press
Size 110 x 180 mm
422 pages
ISBN 9789744801203

Killing Plato by Jake Needham

A Jack Shepherd International Crime Novel

Set In Thailand

Welcome to Phuket.

It's a paradise.

For the rich,
the beautiful,
and the heavily armed.

‘Needham certainly knows where a few bodies are buried.’ Asia Inc

‘100% Unadulterated Attitude’ The Straits Times (Singapore)

Paperback
Bangkok 2006 Edition
Prime Crime Press
Size 110 x 180 mm
450 pages
ISBN 9789749375068

Arrival of Dawn by Pensri Kiengsiri

A Thai novel of family conflict and politics

National Book Prize Runner Up

"Arrival of Dawn" vividly describes three generations in a Thai-Chinese family living in Bangkok as they interact with each other over the course of twenty years. Pressured by her mother, the narrator takes on the role of family caretaker, and later in life realizes that her sacrifices, instead of helping, have bought harm to herself and others. In a distinctly Buddhist way, she gradually reaches serenity and understanding. - Frances Siranovic, Writer, Editor

Pensri Kiengsiri's "Arrival of Dawn" gives a glimpse into the domestic lives of contemporary Thai Families, who despite their modernism still tend to adhere to customs of old where matters of family and male dominance are concerned. It's a story of self sacrifice, love and the ultimate happiness derived from a solid familial nucleus and the knowing of one's own heart. I found the story to be highly enlightening thanks to its in-depth portrayal of the dynamics of Thai life, it gave me an understanding I would not have otherwise had access to. It is a compulsory read read for anyone seeking closer familiarity with the Thai people's everyday way of life. Ines Ehrkich, Writer, Editor, Translator

Paperback
Bangkok 2009
Praphansarn Publishing
Size 125 x 198 mm
213 pages
ISBN 9789743196737

The Murder Case of Tok Iman Storpa Karde

By Siriworn Kaewkan

Translated by Marcel Barang

Who killed the old Imam and why?
The novel every Thai, Everyone concerned with the situation in Thailand's Deep South should read.
If only to ponder on the country's drift into collective madness.
-- Marcel Barang

What I mean to say is that I don't side with anyone whatsoever. whether led by American or Islamic civilization.

Because in my view both civilizations are utopias, but they are utopias resting on different concepts, utopias that inhabit different worlds.

Therefore, when these two utopian worlds derived from different concepts come into contact, our planet turns instantly into a giant brazier.

Shortlist South East Asian Write Award 2006

Paperback
Bangkok 2010
Pajonphai Publishing
Size 110 x 185 mm
176 pages
ISBN 9786169019718

A Prayer Before Dawn

Prayer before Dawn by Billy Moore

A Nightmare in Thailand

This is the true story of one man’s unbelievable journey, from recovering heroin addict in the UK to professional competitor in the devastating martial art of Muay Thai boxing in Thailand. In the poverty-stricken back streets of Chiang Mai, he was introduced to methamphetamine � known as ya ba � the crack cocaine of SE Asia and a drug which has destroyed countless lives. He was imprisoned inside the notorious ‘Bangkok Hilton’, a place of filth and horror that very few will ever experience and none would want to see again.

Fighting Muay Thai, teaching, and taking part in the filming of a major Hollywood picture in northern Thailand provided a stable and comfortable life. However, the demons from his past proved still potent, and in a moment of madness he relapsed, his addiction resurfacing to rob him of the new life he had built.

The dangers he encountered in Laos and Burma, and his arrest and incarceration in one of Thailand’s most barbaric prisons, eventually opened his eyes. Drugs, death and corruption were common behind the satanic walls of Klong Prem prison, where life had no value. The overcrowded cells were a breeding ground for HIV, TB, dengue fever and hepatitis. The conditions were putrid and inhumane; inmates struggled to stay alive on the slop they were fed. His fight to survive in a place where the heart must either break or turn to ice took more stamina and grit than any of his boxing matches. If you thought nightmares weren’t real, then you haven’t been banged up in Klong Prem prison, a place no one should visit alive.

Paperback
Pattaya 2011
Bamboo Sinfonia
Size 130 x 187 mm
205 pages
ISBN 9786167111209

If You Can't Stand the Fun

If You Can�t Stand the Fun, Stay Out of the Go-Go by William Peskett

And Other Perspectives on Everyday Life in Pattaya, Thailand's Extreme City

Go-go bars as a cultural asset, chicken’s feet, going to the dentist, soapy massage, tattoos, interpreting dreams, breast enhancements, and being a foreigner�these are just some of the aspects of living in Pattaya, Thailand’s most exciting city, that come within range of this lively and revealing book of humorous essays.

Originally published in the leading fortnightly Pattaya Today, each chapter takes a light-hearted but incisive look at the quirky side of living in a city that is unusual even by Thai standards. Local characters come and go, but none receives closer attention than the author’s long-suffering wife whose innocence provides the perfect foil for her husband’s merciless wit.

For those who want to know what it’s really like to live in paradise, or for those fellow residents who wish to compare notes with an ex-pat filled with wonderment, joy and occasional confusion, If you can’t stand the fun, stay out of the go-go is the perfect Pattaya primer.

Paperback
Pattaya 2011
Bamboo Sinfonia
Size 130 x 187 mm
197 pages
ISBN 9786167111247