Guide Books in English, in French
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Thai society, Living in Thailand

Hangman's Point
By Dean Barrett
If Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey and Maturin ever got as far as Hong Kong in 1857 on their world travels, the aged sea dogs would feel right at home in China expert Dean Barrett's totally convincing novel of high adventure. Like O'Brian, Barrett mixes in just the right amount of arcane details on everything from ship handling to social customs, creating an accessible world despite the distances of time and miles. Andrew Adams, who centers the story, is an interesting rogue with a social conscience. He's an American seaman, smuggler, and gambler who has settled down to running a buzzing bar called the Bee Hive Tavern in the Chinese section of Hong Kong--a long way in every respect from "the Peak," where the wealthy and powerful Europeans who control the island's destiny live. These people aren't above using Adams to do their dirty work, blackmailing him into tracking down pirates who have beheaded 11 foreign visitors. Barrett also uses several Chinese characters to give readers other points of view on a city that seems able to take on all the worst characteristics of those who exploit it. As Adams and his cohorts chase pirates of various stripes and uncover a plot by Chinese bakers to poison all the Europeans, you'll find out things you never knew you could be interested in--such as why calling someone a turtle's egg was a serious insult and how the invention of the cage crinoline changed sexual habits. Like O'Brain, Barrett knows that the best way to impart information is to disguise it as fun. --Dick Adler

USD 24.95 on Amazon.com
EUR 24.41 on Amazon.fr

Thailand Land of Beautiful Women
By Dean Barrett
For several years, Thai women have been well on their way to becoming international celebrities. The cheerful attitude, the graceful movement, the charming smile, the gentle nature, the lovely figure, the total lack of self-pity. All this and more seems to have combined into a Siamese bewitchment captivating men of almost every nationality. For many, the mention of Thai women conjures up the stereotype of unbridled sensuality in the lush Tropics. But in pictures and in text, Thailand: Land of Beautiful Women attempts to delve deeper into the reasons for their phenomenal popularity. The author concludes that, from classical dancers to construction workers, from go-go dancers to rice farmers, their charm is far more than merely physical. Thai cultural values and the teachings of the Buddhist religion have endowed the women of Thailand with confidence, grace and intelligence. Their attraction involves a vivaciousness, a well-developed sense of humor, and, perhaps, above all, the intelligence to deal with life’s problems while maintaining an almost childlike ability to delight in living. In other words, an attitude toward life which understands that life is meant to be enjoyed.

USD12.57 on Amazon.com
EUR 17.56 on Amazon.fr

Murder in China Red
By Dean Barrett
From Publishers Weekly Liu Chiang-shin, whose name means "a mind as sharp as a sword," was raised in Maoist China, where he saw his father murdered by the Red Guards; 30 years later he's a private detective in New York City investigating the brutal killing of the woman he loved. Dean Barrett's (Kingdom of Make-Believe) Murder in China Red follows the man everyone calls Chinaman as he grapples with cops, bad guys and his own inner demons in a classically toned and sometimes cliched whodunit.

USD 9.56 on Amazon.com
EUR 11.69 on Amazon.fr
Free to read on the author's website

The Boat Girl and the Magic Fish
By Dean Barrett
Eight-year-old Lai Kum-choi has lived on board her father’s fishing boat all her young life and enjoys sailing the South China Sea. But Hong Kong is changing and the traditions of the fisherfolk are slowly disappearing. One day her father tells her she must leave the family’s butterfly-wing junk and go to school on land. When her tears of sadness fall into the water, the Magic Fish reappears and assures her it is all for the best. But the boys and girls living on the land make fun of the little boat girl because she is so different from them. But when a fierce storm arrives and threatens to drown several of her schoolmates, it is the boat girl and the magic fish who save them. This is a story of a way of life of the South China Sea. Yet its application is universal, as children learn not to ridicule someone simply because he or she is different.

USD 6.95 on Amazon.com
EUR 6.80 on Amazon.fr

Mistress of the East
By Dean Barrett
Captured by Taiping women warriors in China, a young lieutenant, Thomas Rowley, is flagellated into a docile and obedient slave. As he becomes immersed in the exotic world of the Taiping warriors, he witnesses the carnal needs of these fiercely powerful women. He becomes enraptured with the beautiful and indomitable Sweet Little Sister, and is introduced to new realms of erotic pleasure.

USD 7.95 on Amazon.com
EUR 7.78 on Amazon.fr

Memoirs of a Bangkok Warrior: A Novel
By Dean Barrett
Rick Taylor is a Specialist 4th Class, US Army is a frequenter of mid-1960s Bangkok, Thailand brothels and prone to clashing with his military superiors, falling in love with Thai women, and embellishing tales of the legendary Whore House Charlie -- his hero and godhead. Dean Barrett's Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior satirizes military justice (especially as it applied to enlisted men), and through satirical human, raises questions of a soldier's role in war and peace. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior suggests that the clash of cultures and values between American officers and enlisted men often exceeded that which existed between Thais and Americans. Memoirs Of A Bangkok Warrior is recommended reading for anyone who ever donned a uniform and found themselves far from home..

USD 9.56 on Amazon.com

Kingdom of Make-Believe: A Novel of Thailand
By Dean Barrett
Drawing on his Vietnam experience and on his 17 years in Asia, Barrett has tried to create a novel of one man's midlife crisis, an adventure story, a exploration of Thailand's exotic delights and an inquiry into the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

USD 9.56 on Amazon.com