Temples & Elephants

Few Eurpoeans ventured into unknown Asia in the 19th century, and even fewer wrote so vividly and candidly about their travels or describe the results of their explorations. Carl Alfred Bock, a Norwegian natural scientist, was one of these intrepid travellers who published such an account.His most famous work is 'The Head-Hunters of Borneo' published in 1881 in both Dutch and English. In Temples & Elephants he records his journey to northern Thailand and Laos which had the support of H.M. King Chulalongkorn, to whom the book is dedicated.Most of the material that Bock collected, described in the book, is in London museumswhile some items, including some rare bronze statues, are kept in the Ethnographic Museum in Oslo. This is a fascinating account of travel in a remote part of Thailand at a time when few westerners were exploring the area, although Bock was among the pioneers who made the area and the items he cllected there, of worldwide interest. This book is a reprint of a popular classic and is sure to captures the hearts of a new generation of readers.