A fitting tribute to the crafts of Indonesia

In Indonesia, a country made up of 17,000 islands, a population of 230 million and a number of ethnic tribes, craftsmen will never be a dying breed, despite the advent of modern technology.

A Mix of Insight and Bromides
ean Wilentz has produced a massive tome of American political history called The Age of Reagan (HarperCollins, New York, 2008, 458pp) which covers the years from 1974 to 2008.

Up and atom
The man 'Time' magazine named Person of the Century is a topic as big as the universe

NO, NOT JUST ANOTHER BARGIRL NOVEL EXTOLLING DECADENCE
David Young has written six bargirl novels.

Legends of staying power
Opening the doors of Asia's grandest old hotels to reveal a century's flow of fascinating characters

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The sound of Slowhand clapping

Turning 63 in March, Eric Clapton surveys his sober domestic bliss and recalls, amid poignancy and pain, the wild ride that got him there

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The wisdom of the little town

Richard Russo, the sage of upstate New York, explains six decades in a life that never graduated from high school

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Love Love

Teenagers in or out of love should make a date with this issue. It offers updates on all the entertainment news, both local and global.

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A tribute to the tusker
As India's pachyderm population declines, there's a nostalgic yearning for the long-lost mystique of this noble vehicle
Plugging that brain drain
The Wisdom Paradox By Elkhonon Goldberg Published by Pocket Books, 2007 Available at Asian Books, Bt450
Meet Keller the lizard killer
More Living Thai Ways Part III By Michael Keller Published by Bangkok Books, 2006 Available at Asia Books, Bt225
Contact Wounds
By Jonathan Kaplan Published by Picador, 2007 Available at Asia Books

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Chronicles of a rich heritage
Joop Ave shares his passion for Indonesian handicrafts in his new coffee-table book
Symbolism Decoded
A new book by a former National Museum volunteers unlocks the secrets behind the motifs of Chinese art
A City of Contrasts
An art historian takes a long, hard look at the Venice of the East in a new cultural guide
'Dead' writer talking
Author Peter James, whose tales of a fictional British police detective sell in the millions, is quite at ease with reallife cops and criminals too

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Richard A Engelhardt
Background: Unesco regional adviser for culture in Asia and the Pacific and coauthor of the recently published “Asia Conserved”.
John Whitehead
Background: director of the British Council in Thailand