Thailand: A Short History

Wyatt's first edition of this book was, for many years, the standard introduction to Thai history for English speakers. It was written for an academic audience and although Wyatt is more readable than the average academic, it really isn't a good choice for people who want a little history to go with their guidebook. A more readable history is Pongpaichit Pasuk & Chris Baker's "Thailand: Economy and Politics". Wyatt undertook this second edition in part because he felt that his earlier edition gave insufficient attention to Thailand's diversity and the different worldviews of its Lao, Chinese and other minorities. The book is only somewhat successful in this respect, although it's one of the few books to avoid the "happy peasants down on the rice paddy" view of Thailand that mars social histories of the country by Thai and foreign scholars (including Pongpaichit & Baker) and tends to betray the limits of what these academics really know about the country. This book should appeal to people who want a fairly in-depth introductory history to the country and probably should be read with Pongpaichit & Baker's volume, which does more with Thailand's social and economic history. Wyatt is very weak on the last three decades of Thai history even though he would have had ample opportunity to know and understand it in-depth. He provides inadequate introductions to key figures such as General Prem, Chatchai Choonavan, Chuan Leekpai and Taksin Shinawatra (all major Prime Ministers of the last few decades). He is very coy in discussing prostitution in Thailand and neglects the AIDS epidemic, while giving a distorted view of Thailand's great success in implementing family planning programs (Wyatt completely neglects the role of the government). The maps are poorly laid-out and make it difficult to see some of the points made in the text. Still and all, this is a good introduction to Thai history for someone who wants a fair degree of depth and is willing to look beyond the weak treatment of recent history.

This book by Wyatt gives a good introduction to Thai history for everyone who wants to know more than just what is found in Lonley Planet. It is also well written, and if not planning for a Ph.D in Thai history, all you need to grasp the major point in the history of modern Thailand.

I am a very frequent traveller to Thailand, where I have business and many good friends. Over the years I got some knowledge of its history, piecewise. This book provided me with an excellent overview of Thailand's history. Too bad it is a little short in maps and pictures. Missing is the comparison of Sukottai's, Chng Mai's and Ayudahaya's world view, which is expressed in the way the cities were built, art and architecture.

This book is great for college level studies and came in very handy for a paper I wrote on Ayudhya. David Wyatt used many primary sources in creating an easy to read overview of this fascinating countries history. Most westerners will be surprised to find that South east Asia had a thriving system of commerce that untill the nineteenth century and the coming of the industrial revolution the Europeans had a difficult time competing with. The book is particularly effective in explaining how Thailand managed to be the only Southeast Asian country to avoid colonisation.The emphasis on military conflicts may prove tedious to some readers, but I found it interesting and it is important to learn about the pendulum of domination that swung between both Burma and Thailand. The book is essential for anyone who wants to know what makes the Thai people and culture unique and why I think the future should be even brighter

The title says it all, "A short history." Overall not a bad read, though one walks away feeling somewhat less than satisfied. Particularly interesting is the history of palace intrigues during the 18th and 19th centuries. One wishes the author had devoted as much effort to the chapters concerning 20th century Thailand as he did to these era, particularly World War II era Thailand, and Thailand struggles with democracy (and the many coups) in the latter half of the century. Still, this is one of the better books of a limited number devoted to the fascinating history of the realm.