Cambodia: A Journey Through The Land of the Khmer with Kraig Lieb (2014, 2nd Edition 2019)
Cambodia: a Journey through the Land of the Khmer, the country’s bestselling illustrated book in 2018 & 2019, throws the doors to this small Southeast Asian kingdom wide open and invites both visitors and armchair travelers on a trip through the history and landscape of Cambodia while introducing the country s people, their unique and resilient culture and colorful festivals. Cambodia s temples are legendary the Angkor Empire ruled much of Southeast Asia from the 10th to the 15th century and its ancient monuments left to us today are a sublime dream in stone, a Herculean effort in craftsmanship and a tour de force of the imagination. From the world famous Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world, to the gigantic capital city of Angkor Thom and to lesser known ruins of Beng Melea and Ko Ker, hidden deep in the Cambodian jungle, acclaimed Lonely Planet photographer Kraig Lieb has scoured Cambodia s architectural treasures for more than twenty years to cover all aspects of one of Asia s greatest civilizations and most intensely productive cultures. But there s more to Cambodia: a Journey through the Land of the Khmer than architectural splendour. The book is also a journey through the kingdom s countryside which is almost as dreamlike as its monuments traditional farm and river life carries on as it has done for hundreds of years, people live by the rhythms of nature and season. Cambodia’s smaller cities and towns as well as its beaches, stretching from Thailand in the West to Vietnam in the East, have been barely discovered. Beyond the temples, Kraig Lieb takes us on a visual journey to the most attractive corners of Cambodia s capital Phnom Penh, called the Pearl of Asia by the French – a bustling, attractive city crammed with colonial and modernist architecture, busy temples and thriving street markets. Cambodia: a Journey through the Land of the Khmer brings the kingdom to life, presenting festivals and lively street scenes, sumptuous rural vistas and a close look into the country’s tragic recent history. Asia-based writer Tom Vater wrote an insightful text to accompany the images.
Buy Cambodia: A Journey Through The Land of the Khmer here.
Burmese Light – Impressions of the Golden Land with Hans Kemp (Visionary World 2013)
Burma, or Myanmar, is an ancient land across which many cultures have flourished throughout the ages, and in which many continue to live to this day. Its history in the last 60 years has been one of repression, conflict and need, but the signs are now good that the nation is set to enter a new and happier phase. Photographer Hans Kemp has created a book of superb quality that vividly captures the varied textures of this amazing land and its people. Writer Tom Vater travelled through Burma with Hans and recorded their often arduous journey in fascinating style. This is a book of stunning images that will remain in our hearts for a very long time. They live and breathe Burma and draw us towards it. Essential for anyone with even a vague interest ; the more so if a visit is planned.
Buy Burmese Light – Impressions of the Golden Land here.
Sacred Skin – Thailand’s Spirit Tattoos with Aroon Thaewchatturat (Visionary World 2011, 2nd Edition 2017)
Sacred tattoos, called sak yant in Thailand, have been around Southeast Asia for centuries and are said to bestow protection from accidents, misfortunes and crime. Every day, young men and women gather in temples and countless tattoo masters’ studios around the country to get inked: Tens of thousands of teenagers, motorcycle and taxi drivers, construction workers, night club bouncers, street vendors, factory employees, boxers and working girls – an entire strata of Thai society – are having a second, magical skin applied. Indian mythology, Buddhism, Brahmanism, animism and common superstition make for a colorful hotchpotch of religious ideas embedded into skin. For the wearers, the tattoos serve as reminders to follow a moral code endorsing positive behavior. Sacred Skin is the first English language introduction to the sak yant, Thailand’s spirit tattoos, and the men and women who bring them to life on their skin.
Buy Sacred Skin – Thailand’s Spirit Tattoos here.
Read a review of Sacred Skin in TIME Magazine here.
