Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia
by John Keay
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Description
A dramatic journey both 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 till 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 show more 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. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
The adventures of Frenchman Francois Garnier, and his Mekong expedition of 1865-1867, are re-told by John Keay in “Mad about Mekong”, where he retraces (some of) the steps of the expedition. Keay is a gifted writer of popular history, combined with his own travel experiences – highly recommended. Unless, of course, you want the real thing, the original reports of the expedition, not only Francois Garnier’s two volumes, but also those of other members, have been published by White Lotus in Bangkok.
This is historical non-fiction at its best! Keay eloquently brings to life a little known and long forgotten south-east Asian expedition combining both a modern and historical perspective of the Mekong and its surrounding countries. Mad About the Mekong is a rewarding read for anyone interested in the region or just wanting a good adventure story.
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Global Reads: Books Set in East Asia
139 works; 12 members
Author Information
38+ Works 4,906 Members
John Keay is a historian write, and world-downed South Asia expert. He is the author of nineteen books, including Into India, India Discovered, and China: A History.
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia
- People/Characters
- Doudart de Lagree; Francis Garnier
- Important places
- Mekong River, Vietnam; Vietnam; Mekong River
- Dedication
- For Alexander
- First words
- Foreword
In the great age of exploration, while momentous expeditions in Africa were grabbing the English-language headlines, a French initiative through the heart of south-east Asia was arguably more ambitious ... (show all)than any of them.
1
Apocalpyse Then
In early June the Mekong in its more remote middle reaches is at its lowest.
Classifications
- Genres
- Travel, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, History
- DDC/MDS
- 915.970444 — History & geography Geography & travel Geography of and travel in Asia Southeast Asia; Indochina; Mekong River Vietnam 1949- 1975-
- LCC
- DS522.6 .K43 — History of Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Asia History of Asia Southeast Asia
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 79
- Popularity
- 400,158
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.90)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
