Historical Atlas of South-East Asia (Handbook of Oriental Studies. South-East Asia)

Rating:
Summary: An Essential Southeast Asia Reference, and Beautiful Book
Review: The first thing that hits you about this book is its price. I got mine in 1996 , and am glad I did. As time goes on, this book will become more and more scarce, so buy it now before the price doubles again in another six years.

Yes, it's expensive, but worth it. This is an invaluable reference, a must-have addition to the library of any scholar of Southeast Asia. The book is a gem, a wonderful combination of cartography, fine book binding, printing and production, and unique scholarly content. For a person like myself who enjoys maps, fine books, and Southeast Asia, this book is a treasure. This is a book that will be a family heirloom 100 years from now, and worth more than it's current purchase price.

The book is large-format, measuring 12 ½ inches high by 9 ¾ inches wide. But, it is not a massive or heavy book. It's actually rather thin, coming in at only about 150 pages.

The introduction is interesting in that it goes on for 51 pages. Pluvier simply uses the introduction to individually introduce each map. He states that his book "by no means (should) be considered a survey of South-East (sic) Asian history." The introduction is very nicely cross-referenced, in terms of time periods and countries/regions.

Following the introduction is a brief alphabetical list of all of the rulers and governors listed in the introduction text. Then follows a "selection of literature on South-East Asian History." Pluvier refers specifically to D. G. E. Hall's 1961 Historians of South-East Asia for pre-European information. The simple bibliography is very well done, providing information on historiographies, and is further sub-divided by modern country names, making it easy to find specific listings.

There are then two separate indices, one of personal names, and the other of geographical names. Both indices are highly detailed and reference both the introduction as well as the maps.

Strangely enough, the list of rulers and select bibliography are not listed in the table of contents, so readers do not know they are there unless they happen upon them inside the book. This is a minor editorial oversight.

The final portion of the book is its heart, a collection of 98 maps, diagrams, and charts in 64 pages. All are full-color, beautifully rendered and easy to follow. Note that the legend for each map is unique to that map alone; there is no overarching legend for all of the maps. Therefore, the reader must be careful to be familiar with the legend of the individual map in question.

In conclusion, this is a must-have reference for the Southeast Asian scholar, as well as a wonderfully well produced book to add to the collection of any lover of fine books. But its price is close to prohibitive, and I recommend its purchase only for those scholars who definitely will have reason to use it and appreciate it on a regular basis.