I’m here permanently (unless something strange happens). But like others here, I have friends visiting as well as moving to Thailand for work.
Before I moved to BKK, I knew about the Bangkok Guide because I was a member of this forum before arrival (googled to find out the best place to learn about living in Thailand and this was it). I bought other books on the advice of this forum.
A group of my friends/work colleagues (three families + a single) are arriving in the spring for work. They do not utilize the internet (as far as I know), so I wanted to compile a reading list from those on the ground.
This is the list so far…
101 Thai Forms
A Child of the Northeast, by Kampoon Boontawee
Atomised
Bangkok, by William Warren
Bangkok 8, by John Burdett
Bangkok Inside Out, by Daniel Ziv and Guy Sharette
Bangkok Blondes
Bangkok Haunts, by John Burdett
Bangkok People, by James Eckardt
Bangkok Tattoo, by John Burdett
Bangkok Then and Now, by Steve Van Beck
Buddha in the Landscape
Culture Shock Thailand, by Robert Cooper
Do’s and Don’ts in Thailand, by Kenny Yee and Catherine Gordon
Elephants in Thai life and legend
Firm Plus Focus on your Health
Four Reigns, by Kukrit Pramoj
Genders and Sexualities in Modern Thailand
Good Food Guide Bangkok, by Roseline NgCheong-Lum
Heart Words, by Christopher Moore
Inside Thai Society, by Niels Mulder
Knofs Thailand (guidebook)
Lady Boys, Tom Boys, Rent Boys, Male and Female Homosexualities in Contemporary Thailand, by Peter A Jackson/Gerard Sullivan
Letters from Thailand by Botan
Lonely Planet Bangkok
Losing the Plot, by Chuck Wow
Money Number One, by Neil Hutchison
Monsoon Country, by Pira Sudham
My Thai Girl and I, by Andrew Hicks
Phra Farang, by Phra Peter Pannapadipo
Private Dancer, by Stephen Leather
Reflections on Thai Culture, William J. Klausner
Siam Mapped, by Thongchai Winichakul
Siam Smiles, by Hugh Watson
Spiritual Abodes of Thailand, Barry Broman and William Warren
Thai Hawker Food, by Clive Wing
Thailand, a Short History, by David Wyatt
Thailand Confidential, by Jerry Hopkins
Thailand Fever
Thai Ways, by Denis Segaller
The Bangkok Guide (Australian New Zealand Women’s group)
The “Falcon of Siam”
The Spirit Houses of Thailand, by Peter Reichart and Pathawee Khongkhunthian
Vatch’s Thai Kitchen
Very Thai, everyday popular culture, by Philip Corawel-Smith
Who am ‘I’ in Thai?, by Voravudhi Chirasombutti and Anthony Diller
Working with the Thais’, by Henry Holmes
World Food Thailand, the Food and the Lifestyle, by Judy Williams
For moving to Thailand (BKK as a base), these are my top picks to get into the flow of the country quickly…
Inside Thai Society, by Niels Mulder
Thailand, a Short History, by David Wyatt
Thai Ways, by Denis Segaller
The Bangkok Guide (Australian New Zealand Women’s group)
Very Thai, everyday popular culture, by Philip Cornwel-Smith
Working with the Thais’, by Henry Holmes
Agree? Disagree? More to add?
And even though I haven’t read either, I believe Thailand Fever or Private Dancer would also be advised (?)
All, thank you for your help (and please keep them coming). I’m not sure about my friends, but my bookshelf is going to get quite full…
https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/217017-must-have-books-on-thailand-and-thai-culture/?page=2
Very Thai, everyday popular culture, by Philip Corawel-Smith
This book rocks! Easily in the top 3 books to pick up if moving to Thailand. I don’t know what the other two are. Seems to be hard to get a hold of these days. MAKE THE EFFORT
[note: it’s still easy to get hold of. The poster was writing while a new printing was being done.]