A History of Cambodia, 4th Edition

Professor Chandler is well-qualified to write a two-thousand-year Khmer history. I am amazed of what he knows about the details of the incidents throughout our history. The malevolence of the Vietnamese Emperor Minh Mang toward the Khmer race, the conquest of the Thai's kings (Rama I, II, III) to rule over the Khmer's territory and the struggle of the Khmer's kings to defend their shrinking empire from the two powerful neighboring countries are very well written in an utmost account of the Indochina's history, without bias or influence from anyone of the nations involved. The French Emperor Napoleon III's intervention that was requested by the Khmer king, Duang in 1853, saved Cambodia to this present day. But there were other serious disadvantages for the Khmer people from the French's colonization of Cambodia (1863-1954) that lost almost one half of the Cambodian territory to Vietnam in June 4, 1949 and France completely gave up Indochina in just five years later and the mistreatment to the Khmer people under their colonial rules. The selection of King Norodom Sihanouk by the Supreme Commander of Armed Forces of the Vichy government, Henri-Phillippe Patain, in April 1941 had great consequences and impacted the Khmer people in every walk of life in and outside Cambodia to this present day. It is fascinating to read A History of Cambodia with its grandeur whose people built the greatest and most beautiful religious monument of Angkor Wat in the world in the 1100s. Almost nine hundred years later Cambodia lost more than half of its territory to Vietnam and Thailand. In addition, the Khmer Rouge leaders became oblivious of the malicious plan by the North Vietnamese communists who have been carrying out the emperor's ridiculous plot, and they blindly slaughtered approximately two millions of its own people between 1975 and 1979. Ironically, the emperor's name means "retarded" in the Khmer language which is contradictory to his opinion of whatever his subjects told him about the nature of the Khmer people. I am very grateful to be alive to have gone through the most horrific regime of the Pol Pot's clique who was trained by the North Vietnamese communists as their puppets to further the Vietnam's conquest. Look at what they had done to Cambodia in the 1970s and their post-revolutionary era! The majority of the Khmer people continue to suffer a great deal as a result of their actions, greed and the Vietnamese's continuous intervention and influence over the Khmer's internal affairs. To learn more of what I experienced in the Khmer Rouge's regime as a young child and barely survived, read "When Slaves Became Masters" and you will fully understand of what went on inside the close-bordered Cambodia in the mid 1970s. Then you will know the root cause of the catastrophe during the Khmer Rouge regime that became so violent and cruel to the Khmer people who are often thought to be peaceful and compassionate as the Theravada Buddhists. I am very grateful to Professor Chandler who made the commitment with great difficulty and time-consuming efforts in writing and research for a book titles, A History of Cambodia. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in reading the history of Southeast Asia for his/her pleasure, study, and work-related field or to better understand the Vietnam conflict which involved the death of 58,228 U.S. soldiers and servicemen who were deployed there in the 1960s to mid 1970s. I am currently reading Elizabeth Becker's book, "When the War Was Over."

This book is out of date. I've bought all of his books since the first publication came out in 1983. Chandler's research is based on the scholarship of the 70s.Since then there has been a lot of new scholarship, but according to Chandler nothing has changed. His books stay the same. Very disappointed. Just like the history he writes, Chandler is a relic of the past. For example, in the late sixteenth century, he writes "the capture of Lovek is a turning point in Cambodian history, ushering in centuries of Cambodian weakness and intermittent Thai hegemony" (p.100-01), ignoring a research from David K. Wyatt, who writes that before this happened, Cambodia had invaded Siam six times: 1570, 1575, 1578, 1582 (twice), and 1587, "each times sweeping up war captives from the prosperous eastern gulf provinces from Chanthaburi to Phetburi in order to populate their territory." (Thailand: A Short History,2nd Edition, 2003. p. 87). As for "centuries of Cambodian weakness," In 1622 Siam sent five thousand troops to Cambodia and the result was a total disaster and Thai chroniclers did not even bother to record it, but the Cambodian chroniclers and a European trader did. He writes, the Cambodians "lured the Siamese with false guides, attacked the army, and put it to flight. His Majesty lost his brother and four of five [thousand] men. The King of Cambodia captured 450 horses, 250 live elephants, and 700 prisoners."(Van Vliet's Siam, p. 236). After this victory, Michael Vickery writes that "Cambodia had become the equal of Ayutthaya in military force." The King of Cambodia during this period was Jay Jettha II. And this victory belonged to him. Cambodia's quick recovery was attributed to its maritime trade with Japan, China, Europe and other Southeast Asian countries. In 1644 another Cambodian King named Ramadhipati I (1642-58) successfully defended Cambodia against a naval attack by the Netherlands. According to Yoneo Ishii, the Japanese trade with Cambodia during Ramadhipati I surpassed that of Siam, and again in the 1690's when Japanese traders fled Ayutthaya in record numbers to come to Cambodia, which they considered to be more important than Ayutthaya. Ignoring these facts, Chandler writes that after 1626 Cambodia was sealed off from the international trade: "Cambodian isolation, which lasted nearly two hundred years, was unique in precolonial Southeast Asia, with the exception of Laos."(p.112-13). With so much better information available free online, why bother with an inferior work. Just read the free stuff at Michael Vickery's publications. Just google it.

A bit dry, but the best book available on the history of Cambodia. I wish the author had used better maps that actually indicated the places he was talking about, and maybe defined a few terms (such as "Chams", which I can only assume are a tribe somewhere in Indochina). If you want to learn about Cambodian history, this is for you. As a Vietnam War protestor, I was very surprised to find that Prince Sihanouk was actually providing bases, aid and comfort to the North Vietnamese troops, just like Nixon claimed!

The book is clearly written. It avoids jargon and details that are distracting to the non-specialist, allowing the reader to grasp the sequence of historical events that shaped Cambodia. I am enjoying the book very much.

If you are serious about learning the history of Cambodia in great depth, this is the book.I now live in Cambodia and have read several books on the topic. This on deserves to be read again and again as there is so much to absorb. It will truly give you an understanding of the psyche of the Khmer people.Highly recommended for those who really want to learn about the country and it's people.

The chapters on Pol Pot were the best I've read about the Whys and Hows of the killing fields. The professorial arrogance of Pol Pot and his constant blaming of everyone, other than himself, for the failure of his idealized policies. He apparently believed Cambodia would be a Utopia, once his progressive policy were properly implemented and all the dissenters and saboteurs were removed.

Perfect. The book arrived quickly and in the condition I was looking for. This book is being used as a textbook to learn more about the Cambodian culture and history. I will be visiting the area in a few months and so far the content has been very informative.

An absolute must-read for anyone who wants to learn the History of Cambodia from the Angkorian times. Well researched and balanced between the different periods coverend. Highly recommended reading for all people, whether their interests are in society, politics or economics.

Found the book frustrating, throughout David Chandler kept mentioning cities or regions that couldn't be found on the map he had included in the book. Why include a map that was pointless? . By the end of the book all I felt like was that it was one country I didn't want to visit which was unfortunate as I had already booked a holiday to go there!. I decided to read some books written by the French (who probably had a better understanding of the country or perhaps could understand the subtlety of the country better and fortunately came accross the book by Solange Thierry "Les Khmers" and Coedes' book "pour mieux comprendre Angkor" which made me want to visit this country after all.