Describes the changes in society over 600 years as Lan Xang was gradually dismembered and became a French colony. Most importantly, it shows the essence of the Lao and why, despite all that has happened, they possess their own social and cultural values that mark them as distinctive.

Chronicles the history of Laos, discussing such topics as its early kingdoms, French rule, the Royal Lao Government, and the impact of the Vietnam War.

This book is an account of Peter and Sanda Simms' travels in the Kingdom of Laos, way back in 1955. It captures the culture, tradition and the atmosphere of a time when the people there were still fully immersed in their centuries of colourful customs, folklore and rituals.The outside world had left the kingdom on their own for centuries, but there were already signs of profound and destructive changes to come.The book brings to life the every-day world of the Laotians and their attitude of helpful curiosity towards the authors. The landscape that they travelled through described vividly, comes to life as they walk, ride horses or are given lifts by the Royal Laotian army. Their eye for humour added many light-hearted moments during their journey, but these were also interleaved with some more serious episodes. Much of the danger was in trying to avoid the Pathet Lao and Vietminh forces who were very trigger happy.Reading the book, you will feel like you are there; experiencing the excitement, joy and a few tribulations too.Peter and Sanda were journalists and their publications, jointly and singly, have been well-known for many years. Their astute knowledge of the politics of Southeast Asia will add background understanding to the turmoil that followed in later years.

Authoritative and original, Dreams of the Hmong Kingdom is among the first works of its kind, exploring the influence that French colonialism and Hmong leadership had on the Hmong people's political and social aspirations.

A history of the great Lao kingdom that flourished in the middle Mekong region between the 14th and 18th centuries. Chapters deal with prehistory of Laos, the Tai-Lao migrations, Vietnamese and Burmese invasions and the arrival of the first Europeans, the breakup of the Lao kingdom, the significance of the Lao-Siamese war of 1827-28, and the French annexation of Lao territories in 1893.

This authoritative and wide-ranging 1997 history traces events in this little-known country from ancient monarchy, through its establishment as a French colony, to independence in 1953, the People's Democratic Republic, and the present one-party authoritarianism. The book highlights Laos' complex and shifting political alliances. The struggle for independence from France was followed by a struggle for unity and neutrality in the face of persistent foreign intervention, as the country was drawn into the war in Vietnam. Only with the end of the Cold War and the withdrawal of Vietnamese troops has Laos been able to reassert its neutral foreign policy and develop a market economy. This book is an impressive political, social, cultural and economic history. It will be essential for anyone wanting to understand Laos as it joins ASEAN, faces great economic challenges and struggles to maintain its cultural identity.

Karen Coates and Jerry Redfern spent more than seven years traveling in Laos, talking to farmers, scrap-metal hunters, people who make and use tools from UXO, people who hunt for death beneath the earth and render it harmless. With their words and photographs, they reveal the beauty of Laos, the strength of Laotians, and the commitment of bomb-disposal teams. People take precedence in this account, which is deeply personal without ever becoming a polemic.