The Art of Southeast Asia : Cambodia Vietnam Thailand Laos Burma Java Bali (World of Art)
by Philip S. Rawson

List Price: $16.95
Amazon Price: $13.56
Paperback - 288 pages Reprint edition (October 1990)
Thames & Hudson; ISBN: 0500200602 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.81 x 8.29 x 5.92

An authortative and interesting exploration of SE Asian Art, February 21, 2001
Reviewer: Angus Cranswick from Newcastle, Australia
I actually read a much older edition of this book however I feel sure the contents are much the same.

The author certainly has the credentials of a scholar of SE Asian art and having writtten other titles such as "Indian Painting" and "Indian Sculpture" he has deep knowledge of his subject matter as anyone who bothers to read the biographical details and academeic qualifications .

This is not a coffee table type book, however it would genuinely interest anyone who has visited anywhere in SE Asia and seeks a deeper understanding of the many ancient temples and sculpture they will have seen. Certainly a must before visiting any of the great historical sites of Asia such as Angkor Wat or Bodhgaya.

Rawsons text is quite an easy an entertaining read making the sometimes detailed descriptions accessable and interesting.

The book principally deals with the religious sculpture and architecture of the Khmers, Burma and Java and Bali. Vietnam and Thailand receive a fairly brief summary and Laos gets only a brief mention of a page or two. For those readers looking for information on Thailand,Laos and Vietnam the book is still a valuable read because the culture of Cambodia, Burma and Java underpins much of great artistic achievements of SE Asia. Rawson also explains the immense contribution of India to the art of SE Asia and the historical background of the major kingdoms and empires is fascinating.

I would suggest that this book is an ideal beginning for more detailed study of this subject.

I enjoyed this book principally because the authors writng style, the very relevant and numerous illustrations and photographs and of course the wealth of interesting information that has opened up a deeper understanding of this subject for me.

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Vietnam : Reflexes and Reflections : The National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum
by Eve Sinaiko (Editor), Anthony F. Janson (Editor), National Vietnam veteran

Amazon Price: $45.00
Hardcover (October 1998)
Harry N Abrams; ISBN: 0810939452 ; Dimensions (in inches): 1.09 x 11.83 x 9.37

The Los Angeles Times Sunday Book Review, Gloria Emerson
Compiled with the greatest care and scrupulous respect for the artists and their shared awful history.... an intelligent, lucid history of war rendered by artists...

From Kirkus Reviews
A lavishly illustrated collection of works from the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum. Begun as a collective operating from an old warehouse on the South Side of Chicago in 1981, the museum now has the worlds largest permanent collection of art depicting all aspects of the war in Vietnamall of it created by veterans of the war. Sinaiko, a New York artist and scholar, has collected some 200 such works for inclusion here, along with a foreword by museum director Sondra Varco and an essay by...

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