Description

As a young man, French naturalist Henri Mouhot (1826-61) taught languages in Russia and travelled widely in Europe with his brother Charles, sketching people and landscapes, and taking photographs. The brothers both married descendants of the explorer Mungo Park (whose journals are also reissued). Soon afterwards, possibly inspired by Bowring's 1857 book on Siam (also reissued), Henri decided to explore South-East Asia. He travelled in Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, noting the landscapes, historic sites (including Angkor) and local customs, and meeting several kings and a handful of European missionaries. When he died of a fever in a remote district, his local companions returned his specimens and papers to his family via contacts in Bangkok. The author's brother brother published in 1864 this two-volume account based on Henri's notes and letters. It contains a biographical note by their Dutch friend J. J. Belinfante and many illustrations based on Mouhot's sketches.