Orchid Press Publishing - Forthcoming Releases

Forthcoming Releases
New Releases	Recent Releases
Orchid Press Publishing has a wide collection of well illustrated books, appealing to both the layman and the scholar, and written by specialists. Forthcoming releases are available in the libraries below.
Individual Titles	Asian Portraits	Central Asian Studies
Bibliotheca Asiatica		Bibliotheca Himalayica

ORCHID BOOKS

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Buddhist Monasteries of Nepal:
A Survey of the Bahas and Bahis of the Kathmandu Valley
by John K. Locke, S.J., photography by Hugh R. Downs
2011, 540 pp., 334 duotone plates, 2 folding maps, bibliography, 29 x 21 cm., hardcover.
ISBN-10: 974-524-108-3 Price To Be Announced
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-108-4

A definitive survey of the rich legacy of some 360 Buddhist architectural structures and remains in and around the Kathmandu Valley, including both the urban centers of Kathmandu, Patan and Baktapur, as well as surrounding villages. The study examines, for each site, its history, extant sacred images, details of torana, and caitya as well as the overall mandala represented in the monastery structure. The author also surveys such ethnographic details of Nepalese monastic life as daily and annual rituals, initiations, governing structure and economics.
First photographed and published in the mid 1980s.
Lineage deities, economics, history, governing body, initiations, annual festivals, daily rituals, mandala, caitya, torana, sacred images.

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Ikat from Tanimbar
by Marianne van Vuuren
2011, 180 pp., 107 col. and 50 b & w pl., 35 figs and over 250 line drawings, 4 maps, 2 tables, 1 chart, appendix, glossary, bibliography, 23 x 22 cm., softcover
ISBN-10: 974-524-093-1 Price To Be Announced
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-093-3

The textiles of Indonesia are widely appreciated by textile specialists, both professional and amateur; however, the intricate ikats produced in the Moluccas, at the easternmost end of the archipelago, prove to be an exception, in that little attention has been paid to this genre to date.
   The present book, the result of eight years' study by the author, herself an expert hand weaver, serves admirably to bridge this gap in our knowledge. The author provides the framework for the study by describing the techniques, materials and dyes used by the Tanimbarese weavers, as well as the social and ritual significance of the resulting cloths.
   The book concludes with an in-depth description and analysis of the iconography of the ikats of Tanimbar, cataloguing over 250 motifs employed by local weavers.
   Richly illustrated with new and historic photographs and numerous sketches and line drawings, Ikat from Tanimbar is an important and welcome contribution to the literature on Southeast Asian textiles.

INDIVIDUAL TITLES

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Cloud Hands:
The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch’uan
by Tew Bunnag
2011, 112 pp., 7 b & w plates, 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-121-0 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-121-3

A series of essays by a T’ai Chi master who has practiced the art for some 40 years and taught it to others, both to those in need of therapeutic help and to future trainers, for over 30 years. Through insightful essays on such topics as the Buddhist and Taoist ‘roots’ of T’ai Chi, on T’ai Chi as prayer, meditation, and martial practice, and on the essential need to combine physical with spiritual practice, Bunnag offers insight into the essence of this ancient and powerful art to all levels of interest.

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The Development of Paper, Printing and Ink in Asia
by Berthold Laufer
2011, 122 pp, 3 b & w plates, bibliography of the author, index, 21.5 x 15 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-110-5 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-110-7

An essay on the development of paper and printing in China, and a history of the development and use of various forms of ink in Asia, reprinted from sources long out of print and now very hard to find.
Berthold Laufer (1874-1934) was one of the earliest and most erudite Western scholars of Asian culture. Fluent in many Asian languages, and leader of four major exploratory expeditions to Asia, he was the author of over 200 anthropological studies, books and papers. Includes a summary of Laufer's illustrious scholarly career, and a detailed bibliography of his writings.

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The First Lady
by Frederick Lees
2012, 356 pp., 21 x 14 cm., softbound
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-146-6 $26.95

The corrupt and despotic rule of Antonio Floresco, longtime dictator of the Carolines, seems finally to be unraveling. The economy is in shambles, the people have been reduced to desperate poverty, a communist insurgency is rapidly making gains in the countryside. Even the Church has turned its back on the regime.
   Meanwhile, scheming members of the aristocracy, as well as Floresco’s most trusted cabinet ministers and sinister forces from abroad, actively plot the downfall of this brilliant and still charismatic, if deeply flawed, leader. His only remaining allies seem to be his Oxford-educated daughter, Conchita, and his wife, the First Lady.
   History, though, has demonstrated that if there is one creature more venal, ambitious and self-serving than a despotic ruler it is likely to be the despot’s consort. And the First Lady of the Carolines is no exception to the rule.
   In the midst of this explosive mixture, Conchita has fallen in love with the wealthy nephew of one of Floresco’s most vocal critics. While Floresco himself has a rare soft spot in his heart reserved for his daughter, the First Lady has no such weaknesses…
   A gripping and unforgettable tale of lust and intrigue, love and redemption—and particularly recommended reading for the world’s remaining dictators.

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Kingship and Law in Early Konbaung Period (1752-1819) of Myanmar:
A Study of the Manugye Dhammathat
by Ryuji Okudaira
2011, 216 pp., 4 colour and 1 b & w illustr., 9 tables, bibliography, glossary, index; 24.5 x 17.5 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-117-2 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-117-6

A scholarly study of the Buddhist legal system as it evolved in late 18th century Myanmar (Burma). The author, a specialist in Myanmar’s precolonial legal history, has discovered and analyzed a longforgotten revision, dated 1782, to the country’s then-governing legal authority, the 1760-65 original edition of the Manugye Dhammathat. He reveals the relevance of the revised code in the context of the efforts by the Royal Court to steer the country’s political philosophy in a direction supportive of the legitimacy of the Konbaung rulers and the supremacy of the Theravada Buddhist state under their sovereignty.
An important new study on historical Southeast Asia’s most sophisticated Pali-based legal system, of relevance to all with interest in Southeast Asia’s legal and political history.
Professor Okudaira, a former Japanese diplomat having served in Myanmar and the United Kingdom, is currently Professor Emeritus at the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.

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Precious Materials in Asian History:
Essays on Turquoise, Amber, Ivory, Diamond and Gold
by Berthold Laufer
2011, 275 pp., 2 col. & 24 b & w plates, index, 24.5 x 17.5 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-109-1 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-109-1

Essays on the sources, usage, social significance and folklore of some of the most prominent precious materials in the history of China, South Asia and the Himalayas. A rich source of information on the anthropological implications of these materials, and the sometimes subtle links that developed between East and West in the quest for these treasured substances.
Berthold Laufer (1874-1934) was one of the earliest and most erudite Western scholars of Asian culture. He was the primary contributor to the great collection of anthropological material now preserved at the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, a collection he curated for some 26 years. A world renowned expert on jade in China, his writings on which remain important references to the present, the current collection of essays summarize his writings on precious substances other than jade.

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The Trial of the Honey Thief
and Other Tales from Mandalay
by Various
2011, 224 pp., 18 b & w sketches, 21.5 x 14 cm., softcover.

ISBN-10: 974-524-122-9 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-122-0

Mandalay, an ancient center of Burmese culture with rich traditions of music, dramatic and plastic arts and painting, was also, over its colonial period, an inspiration for many foreign writers and poets. Yet seldom have the voices of Mandalay’s own writers managed to have been heard. The present collection of 18 short stories are translated from the original Burmese writings of some of central Burma’s most eminent comics, essayists and authors. They speak eloquently, sometimes humourously and at times philosophically, about the lives of the common people of Burma today—the joys and trials of the young and old, of the denizens of city and country, of wives and husbands and lovers.

CENTRAL ASIAN STUDIES

BIBLIOTHECA ASIATICA

ASIAN PORTRAITS

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Letters from a Burmese Grandfather
by Randolph O'Hara
2011, 103 pp., 20 x 13 cm., softbound.
ISBN-10: 974-524-119-9 Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-119-0

In the waning years of his life, an elderly Burmese gentleman, a retired Court official in the early 19th century, writes letters to his young grandson. In the sixteen messages that comprise the chapters of this book, the old man, drawing examples from his deep knowledge of the country’s recent history, its folklore and religion, attempts to convey to the boy the wisdom and most important lessons that he can distill from his life. Partly historical, partly philosophical, enjoyably readable, there is something for all generations in this delightful work of historical fiction.

BIBLIOTHECA HIMALAYICA

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Wanderings of a Naturalist in India,
the Western Himalayas and Cashmere
by Andrew Leith Adams, MD
Second imprint 2011 (first edition 1867). 344 pp., 1 ill., index, 21.5 x 14.5 cm., softbound
ISBN-10: 974-524-113-X Price to be announced.
ISBN-13: 978-974-524-113-8

A vivid and early account of the birds and animals, both wild and domesticated, insects and plants of the north India and the western Himalaya, as sighted by Adams in his various expeditions through these regions. The author, in addition, has a keen eye for the landscape through which he conducts us, as well as for fascinating anthropological detail about the indigenous human inhabitants.
Adams, an army physician, served with British forces in India and Kashmir, as well as in the Middle East and Canada, between 1848 and 1873; he was an avid student of natural history over the course of his postings. Following his retirement, he assumed a professorship of natural history at Trinity College, Dublin.