New Arrivals
Our most recent acquisitions
[CONWAY, Susan] Tai Magic: Arts of the Supernatural in the Shan States and Lan Na
[CONWAY, Susan] Tai Magic: Arts of the Supernatural in the Shan States and Lan Na
Bangkok: River Books, 2014. First Edition. Hardcover. 216 pages. Illustrated throughout with dozens of photographs, most of which are in color. Beautifully bound in off-white cloth with brown titles and design to front. A fine copy in a fine dust jacket. Increasingly scarce.
This is the first book in English to explain the sacred yantra and other images found on magical cloths, manuscript books, and other materials from Northern Thailand and the Golden Triangle area, as well as a detailed history of their origins. Within the context of Thai cosmology and numerology, Therevada Buddhism and spirit religion, this lavishly illustrated book examines how good and bad spirits are formulated to bring good luck and protection or to cause bad luck. Extensive field work studies over a period of four years were conducted in the Shan States (now part of Burma/Myanmar) and in northern Thailand. Using her field notes and photographs, Susan Conway provides a colorful picture of the people who create magic and explains how mystical remedies are prescribed and the rituals involved. She includes material from museum collections in the USA, UK and Thailand.