The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future - Milton Osborne - Google Books Search Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More » Sign in Books Try the new Google Books Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features Try it now No thanks Try the new Google Books Try the new Google Books My library Help Advanced Book Search Buy eBook - $15.99 Get this book in print Amazon.com Barnes&Noble.com Books-A-Million IndieBound Find in a library All sellers » The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future Milton Osborne Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, Dec 1, 2007 - History - 320 pages 0 Reviews A “remarkable” history of the great river of Southeast Asia (Jill Ker Conway, author of The Road from Coorain).   The Mekong River runs over nearly three thousand miles, beginning in the mountains of Tibet and flowing through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam before emptying into the China Sea. Its waters are the lifeblood of Southeast Asia, and first begot civilization on the fertile banks of its delta region at Oc Eo nearly two millennia ago.   This is the story of the peoples and cultures of the great river, from these obscure beginnings to the emergence of today’s independent nations. Drawing on research gathered over forty years, Milton Osborne traces the Mekong’s dramatic history through the rise and fall of civilizations and the era of colonization and exploration. He details the struggle for liberation during a twentieth century in which Southeast Asia has seen almost constant conflict, including two world wars, the Indochina War, the Vietnam War, and its bloody aftermath—and explores the prospects for peace and prosperity as the region enters a new millennium.   Along the way, he brings to life those who witnessed and shaped events along the river, including Chou Ta-kuan, the thirteenth-century Chinese envoy who recorded the glory of Angkor Wat, the capital of the Khmer Empire; the Iberian mercenaries Blas Ruiz and Diego Veloso, whose involvement in the intrigues of Cambodia’s royal family shook Southeast Asia’s politics in the sixteenth century; and the revolutionaries led by Ho Chi Minh, whose campaigns to liberate Vietnam from the French and unify the nation under communism changed the course of history.   “[A] pathbreaking, ecologically informed chronicle . . . A pulsating journey through the heart of Southeast Asia.” —Publishers Weekly   Preview this book » What people are saying - Write a review LibraryThing Review User Review  - jakkrits - LibraryThingThroughout the book “The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future”, Milton Osborne details the experiences of the early Mekong explorations of the French expedition team back in the colonial era ... Read full review The Mekong, turbulent past, uncertain future User Review  - Not Available - Book VerdictThe author admits that the enormous power and potential of the Mekong River is his obsession, begun when he was a foreign service officer and subsequently cultivated through four decades of traveling ... Read full review Selected pages Page Page Page Title Page Table of Contents Contents Maps and Illustrations Beginnings Discovery and the Colonial Years War Failed Peace and Plans for the Mekong War Victory and Defeat along the Mekong Tragedies of Peace Dams Plans and Controversies I Present Epilogue Sources Notes and Acknowledgements Index Copyright Other editions - View all The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future Milton E. Osborne Limited preview - 2000 The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future Milton E. Osborne No preview available - 2000 Common terms and phrases Angkor Wat Angkorian Asian Australian Bangkok banks boat bridge Buddhist building built Burma Cambodia capital Carné China Chinese claim Cochinchina colonial communist construction countries country’s course court Dali dams Delaporte Despite Doudart de Lagrée downstream early European expedition’s explorers finally fish flow France France’s Francis Garnier French French Indochina Funan Grandière gunboats Henri Mouhot Indochina Jinghong journey Khmer Rouge Khone Falls kilometres king Lagrée’s Lake later linked Luang Prabang major Malraux Mekong Delta Mekong Expedition Mekong River metres modern navigation nineteenth century Norodom officials once pagodas palace Paris party Pavie Phnom Penh plans Pol Pot political population Portuguese possible provinces rapids reached recorded region royal Ruiz ruler Saigon Sambor season settlement Siam Siamese Southeast Asia southern Laos southern Vietnam temples territory Thai Thailand Theun Tonle Sap tributaries Veloso vessels Vientiane Vietnamese Wat Phu Yunnan About the author (2007) A compelling, lively narrative history of the peoples and cultures of the great river of Southeast Asia, The Mekong spans two thousand years--from the dawn of civilization on the Mekong Delta to the political and environmental challenges the region faces today. Beginning with the rise of ancient seafaring civilizations at Oc Eco and moving on to the glory of the Cambodian empire in the first millennium, through European colonization and the struggle for independence in the twentieth century, Osborne traces the history of the region that comprises the modern nations of Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, and China. Vibrant, insightful, and eminently readable, The Mekong is a rousing history of a dynamic region that has fascinated readers the world over. Bibliographic information Title The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future Author Milton Osborne Publisher Open Road + Grove/Atlantic, 2007 ISBN 0802196098, 9780802196095 Length 320 pages Subjects History  › Asia  › Southeast Asia History / Asia / Southeast Asia Nature / Ecosystems & Habitats / Rivers Travel / Asia / Southeast     Export Citation BiBTeX EndNote RefMan About Google Books - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Information for Publishers - Report an issue - Help - Google Home