David Henley

The beautiful old walled city of Chiang Mai, set amid the forested mountains and fertile valleys of northern Thailand, is the historic capital of the former Lanna Kingdom. Founded in 1296 by King Mangrai the Great, it did not become fully part of... Lire la suite

The story of the 47 Ronin is perhaps the most popular and best known legend of traditional Japan. Set in the early 18th century, it tells a tale of honour and bloody revenge as the brotherhood of 47 masterless Samurai pursue the ruthless killing of... Lire la suite

Between 1866 and 1868 the celebrated Japanese artist Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, in collaboration with his colleague Utagawa Yoshiiku, produced a series of images of graphic horror and cruelty entitled '28 Famous Murders with Verse'. The series of 28... Lire la suite

Clay is universally recognized as a medium of creative expression, and it also has great potential for therapeutic application. These two properties of clay are celebrated together in a book that explores the history, theory and techniques of... Lire la suite

Utagawa Hiroshige’s ‘One Hundred Famous Views of Edo’, actually composed of 118 woodblock landscape and genre scenes of mid-19th century Tokyo, is one of the greatest achievements of Japanese art. The series, which includes many of Hiroshige’s most... Lire la suite

The Tacuinum Sanitatis is a medieval handbook on Health and Well Being. First produced in Italy around 1380, it was aimed at an educated secular readership and offered concise and sensible advice on how to live a long, healthy and enjoyable life.... Lire la suite

An illustrated version of Okakura Kakuzo’s classic ‘The Book of Tea’ with an introductory biography of Okakura and a chapter on ‘Tea - The Serviceable Herb’. 22,000 words, 75 images Perhaps the most universal of all drinks but water, tea enjoys a... Lire la suite

Suzuki Harunobu was a celebrated 18th century Japanese ukiyo-e artist who produced thousands of exquisite woodblock prints illustrating aspects of life and society in old Edo - today's Tokyo. His subjects extended from Kabuki actors and courtesans... Lire la suite

The story of the 47 Ronin is perhaps the most popular and best known legend of traditional Japan. Set in the early 18th century, it tells a tale of honour and bloody revenge as the brotherhood of 47 masterless Samurai pursue the ruthless killing of... Lire la suite

Sun Tzu’s Art of War has been read and appreciated by a host of military men and philosophers down through the ages. More recently, it has become popular as a manual for business success and guide to boardroom battles, seen by many as a lodestar in... Lire la suite

For much of the second half of the 20th century Cambodia was racked by war and famine. Considered a sideshow in the Vietnam War, the country was nevertheless invaded by both North and South Vietnam, bombed to smithereens by the United States, and... Lire la suite

Bardo Thodol or 'The Tibetan Book of the Dead' is a mystical funerary text rooted in the Tibetan Tantric and Vajrayana Buddhist teachings. Composed by the guru and sage Padmasamhava in the 8th century, the Bardo Thodol is recited by a Buddhist lama... Lire la suite

During the latter half of the twentieth century the little-known and often lawless region where Laos, Burma, Thailand and China meet has become known and widely romanticised as ‘The Golden Triangle’. Originally a Western designation applied to the... Lire la suite

The Tao Te Ching or ‘Canon of the Way of Virtue' is a classical Chinese text generally dated to the 6th century BCE. It has traditionally been attributed to Laozi (or Lao Tzu), the ‘Old Master', said to have been a scribe at the court of the Zhou... Lire la suite

The antique Silk Road that connected the Chinese and Mediterranean Worlds for more than a millennium, facilitating the exchange of both goods and cultures, is widely known and celebrated. Less familiar is its more southerly equivalent, the ‘Ancient... Lire la suite

There can be few people in the world that do not know the name, location and recent history of Vietnam. Yet beyond the period of US involvement in what Americans call the 'Vietnam War' how much is really known? Almost no Vietnamese bear a grudge... Lire la suite

The beautiful old walled city of Chiang Mai, set amid the forested mountains and fertile valleys of northern Thailand, is the historic capital of the former Lanna Kingdom. Founded in 1296 by King Mangrai the Great, it did not become fully part of... Lire la suite

The beautiful old walled city of Chiang Mai, set amid the forested mountains and fertile valleys of northern Thailand, is the historic capital of the former Lanna Kingdom. Founded in 1296 by King Mangrai the Great, it did not become fully part of... Lire la suite

In 2011 former US Rebublican Senator Rick Santorum stated that: 'All the people that live in the West Bank are Israelis. They are not Palestinians. There is no Palestinian'. This was echoed by another former Rebublican Senator, Newt Gingrich, who... Lire la suite

Why have South-East Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam been so successful in reducing levels of absolute poverty, while in African countries like Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, despite recent economic growth, most people are still... Lire la suite