Title page of Nai Mot’s printing of the Three Seals Law in 1849/50

In 1849, Nai Mot Amatyakul started to print the Three Seals Law for the first time. King Rama III had the books seized and destroyed. Only one volume survives in the National Library. This is the generally accepted story. Early this year, we discovered another copy in Paris, and have placed a digitized version in The Siam Society library. We then noticed that the accounts of this incident by historians – Ishii, Prince Damrong, Lingat, Burnay – vary greatly in the details, and none has any reference to the sources for their account. There are also several competing theories on the reasons for the king’s seizure.

Dr Chris Baker and Prof Dr Pasuk Phongpaichit decided to review the contemporary sources – government archives, family histories, missionary records – to clarify what happened and perhaps to show why. This search turned up some surprises. In this session of The Siam Society Literary Lounge, both of them will present what they found, and how this illuminates an axial moment in Siam’s confrontation with the West and modernity.

*This event will be conducted in English and will be reserved for only 30 participants.