Exploring for gemstones on the Upper Mekong - H Warington Smyth

Exploring for Gemstones on the Upper Mekong-Northern Siam and Parts of Laos in the Years 1892-1893 is H. Warington Smyth's account of a six-month journey from Bangkok to Luang Prabang and back through Nong Khai and Korat. His mission was to explore the regions, opposite Chiang Khong, on the left bank of the Mekong a region whose possession was disputed by France's colonialist zealots— for deposits of rubies and sapphires.

Smyth's work was part of a wider assignment to produce an overall survey of the mineral deposits of the kingdom. His geological report is admirably supplemented by his observations on the environment and the customs of the peoples he met on his journey. His love of ordinary people, the countryside and the jungle life that was both his ordeal and his delight for so many months is demonstrated in the scores of sketches that illustrate the book.

An unusually detailed map of Central and Northern Thailand considerably enhances the value of this book.

• Condition: Used - Good
• Type: Paperback
• Dimensions: 15 x 21 x 1cm