“What is Bangkok like?” asked an American visitor rhetorically around the turn of the last century. Some sought to answer the question by evoking its “oriental” atmosphere or by relying on clichés like “Venice of the East”. Others insisted its contrasts and contradictions made an easy description impossible. Bangkok in the early decades of the 20th century was indeed a city in transition, mixing (as it did) east with west and tradition with modernity.

In Bangkok, published by River Books in autumn/fall 2024, is a collection of texts and images which reflect the foreign experience of Siam’s capital at a time of often unsettling change, the foreigners in question being both long-term residents and short-term visitors.

In this illustrated talk, Graham Jefcoate (the editor) will introduce the book. He will discuss the choice of topics and texts and some of the issues they raise. He will also emphasise the importance of the Siam Society’s collections in his research.