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Mad About the Mekong John Keay

Mad About the Mekong By John Keay

Mad About the Mekong by John Keay


$18.99
Condition - Very Good
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Summary

The story of both a dramatic journey retracing the historic voyage of France's greatest 19th-century explorer up the mysterious Mekong river, and a portrait of the river and its peoples today.

Mad About the Mekong Summary

Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia by John Keay

The story of both a dramatic journey retracing the historic voyage of France's greatest 19th-century explorer up the mysterious Mekong river, and a portrait of the river and its peoples today.

Any notion of sailing up the Mekong in homage to Francis Garnier has been unthinkable until now. From its delta in Vietnam up through Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Burma and on into China, the Mekong has been a no-go river, its turbulent waters fouled by ideological barriers as formidable as its natural obstacles. But recently the political obstacles have begun to be dismantled - river traffic is reviving.

John Keay describes the world of the Mekong as it is today, rehabilitating a traumatised geography while recreating the thrilling and historic voyage of Garnier in 1866. The French expedition was intended to investigate the `back door' into China by outflanking the British and American conduits of commerce at Hong Kong and Shanghai. Two naval gunboats headed upriver into the green unknown, bearing crack troops, naturalists, geologists and artists. The two-year expedition's failures and successes, and the tragedy and acrimony that marked it, make riveting reading.

Mad About the Mekong Reviews

`An excellent, fascinating, and timely book.' Spectator

`A breathtaking account of one of the greatest ever feats of exploration.' Literary Review

`Impeccable...Keay tells the story of the expedition's slow unravelling with the quiet and masterly authority that characterises all his books...the book is a splendid piece of travel writing, too...Keay has painted quite brilliantly a portrait of the river and those intrepid Europeans who first ventured onto it.' Sunday Times

`Entertaining...Keay anthropomorphises the Mekong with terrific verve and imagination throughout this delightful book.' Sunday Telegraph

`Told with a gusto that does not cloak the hideous dangers and discomforts encountered by the expedition...Keay writes eloquently and his vivid descriptions are supported by the scrupulous research that is the hallmark of all his work. Whether as a history, a travel book or just a study in group dynamics, "Mad About the Mekong" makes rewarding reading.' Daily Telegraph

About John Keay

John Keay is the author of four acclaimed histories: 'The Honourable Company,' about the East India Company; 'Last Post', about the imperial disengagement of the Far East; the two-volume 'Explorers of the Western Himalayas' and 'India: A History'. His books on India include 'India Discovered', 'Into India' and 'The Great Arc: The Dramatic Tale of How India was Mapped and Everest was Named'. John Keay is married with four children, lives in Scotland and is co-editor with Julia Keay of the 'Collins Encyclopaedia of Scotland'.

Additional information

GOR001224252
9780007111152
0007111150
Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia by John Keay
Used - Very Good
Paperback
HarperCollins Publishers
2006-06-19
352
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - Mad About the Mekong