New releases

 The Living Mekong

By Delia Paul

Photography by Joe Garrison

Published by Silkworm Books

Available at Asia Books, Bt850

 The Mekong - known as the Lancang to the Chinese - is a river in transition, as construction projects upstream skew seasonal fluctuations in water levels. How are the millions of people living downstream to cope if the situation gets worse?

 Jeremy Bird, chief executive officer of the Mekong River Commission (which endorses this book), says the Mekong countries must balance their hunger for economic progress with rural livelihoods, so that everyone can benefit in a sustainable way and maintain the river's fragile ecosystem.

 While exposing man-made threats to the river, "The Living Mekong" captures its natural rhythm and beauty, from its origins on the Tibetan Plateau all the way through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

 A true visual feast, the book is copiously illustrated with photos of people depending on the river for their livelihoods. There are colourful festivals, rituals - and river creatures as well.

 It's worrying that the populations of some fish species are dwindling because of changes to the ecosystem. The Mekong giant catfish is famously endangered, the Siamese giant carp now rare. Their decline is a warning.

Essential Visual History of the World

By Detlef Berghorn and Markus Hattstein

Published by National Geographic

Available at Kinokuniya Books, Bt499.

 What did Ramses II look like, or a typical woman of ancient Sumeria?

 Here's a book that covers the whole world and its entire history, lavishly illustrated with photos, paintings and drawings from museums, libraries and galleries that bring to life historical figures whose faces we'd never seen before.

 Each chapter is enhanced with the exceptional graphic work for which the National Geographic team is renowned. The main text is accompanied with a useful timeline, informative sidebars and numbered picture references.

 The prehistory chapter covers the early empires of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the ancient-world section deals with Crete and Mycenae and the flowering of culture in Greece, Arabia and Judea.

 In the Middle Ages there are the Germanic kingdoms, the Frankish empire, Burgundy and the Netherlands, along with the Crusades, the Mongols and the pre-colonialism Americas.

 You encounter rarely seen images of Theodoric the Great, the Goths and Richard III of York - having his nephews murdered.

 In Early Modern History you learn of the origins of modernity and the Holy Roman Empire, as well as Oceania, and images of the French and industrial revolutions illustrate the Modern History section.

 Arriving at the present, the book visits the 9/11 attacks, the 2004 tsunami and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 As for Thailand, our ancestors are tracked from Yunnan, evicted by the Mongols. This is disputable, since recent finds show that Thais have grown rice in Isaan for much longer.

 There are interesting highlights about the country, though, right up to the 2006 coup, described as having taken place "perfectly peacefully".

Reviews by Manote Tripathi, The Nation