History of Thailand: A Captivating Guide to the Thai People and Their History

Like the concise overview, but a little superficial. Would like to know more about why the country so frequently oscillates between democratic rule and authoritarian rule. Want to know more about the cultural development of Thailand

Very informative and well written. If covers all the major details of the Thais and their land. Would definitely recommend.

This is about the 4th book i've read in this label and like the previous ones, a compressed history is given concerning the title. This suits me fine as I don't want to go in depth or too much details due to time constraints, plus this way, I'm also able to read more books . I will continue to purchase these books which are also very reasonably priced, sometimes even free. I have already downloaded "HIstory of South East Asia" which is free and "The Silk Road" which cost .99 cents.

This book goes deeply into Thailand's political history. The author tells how the decisions of great men in its past protected it from the colonialism that happened to neighboring countries.

I liked the authors simplified way of explaining Thai history. Never got bogged down in the droll of impertinent factoids.

Yet another well-researched contribution from 'Captivating History'.In spite of the (usual) valiant endeavor to maintain the readers' attention through a chatty type of presentation: in wading through the minutia of detailed information, the reader can become bogged down said detail - chapter 7 in particular can stretch one's patience to persevere.The time frame can jump back-and-forth here and there; and there's not much about the average Thai person.The first and last chapters are redundant really, as the first is a précis of the content and the last summarizes the text.Typing some of the people's names must have driven the writer's spell-checker to distraction?Thailand certainly has a troubled history over an extended period - with rapidly cycling leaders (some for only a few months), which the book details.Still - it's a great country to visit - wonderful people, fascinating monuments and great cuisine.

__________________________________________________________________________________I am fascinated with history and that is why I am drawn to this series “Captivating History”. However, I knew very little about the history of Thailand before reading this informative book. The name Thai translates into "free". Thailand was previously named Siam. In many ways, the development of Thailand was born out of its trade and adept diplomacy with hostile neighbors. I would definitely recommend this book and I found the Thai revolution of 1932 and the subsequent dictatorship imposed to keep the monarchy from regaining control somewhat different from traditional dictatorships in the sense it never seemed to be absolute and the country was in a constant state of transition. This made the book a page-turner for me. A good read.

I have no familial or cultural ties to Thailand and my only exposure has been through the stereotypical lenses that our culture has defined for this region.Happily, Captivating History has released a brief read that brushes the history of the local people thousands of years ago and brings us forward in time as the region evolved to its current state.It may be argued that Thailand is the home to Southeast Asia's oldest known agrarian society and one of the world's oldest farming communities. At the same time, this area had one of the most advanced metallurgy industries.History of Thailand quickly walks the reader from before the Common Era, into the period of the Tai people, through the Mon-Khmer Civilizations.The publication is rich with depictions of culture, events, and personalities as it walks us forward from Thailand's prehistory through its beginning connections to European contact. Midway through the book, Matt Clayton focuses on the power struggles between those that would rule and the military dictatorships.At end, History of Thailand tells us that the country has never been able to strike a balance between its two radical forms of government. An extensive bibliography is provided for further reading.

Not enjoyable, if you already don't know Thai history.

I learned a lot from this book about Thailand'spolitical history and the roots of it's culture. A great introductory book for someone with little context about the history of Thailand.