Armonk, New York & London: M. E. Sharpe, Inc. (1990) dj. Hardcover first edition - A book which is a combination of the history of Laos from 1959-1984, travelogue, diary and love story. From Publishers Weekly: the author "recounts the tragedy of a gentle people caught up in factional conflicts led by three Lao princes. He records the chaotic history of Laos in its last years and the struggle by shaky coalitions representing outside interests to maintain the country's independence and neutrality prior to the communist takeover in 1975. A keen, sympathetic observer, the author evokes the storybook charm of the former French colony as he quotes letters written home during his romantic courtship of and subsequent marriage to one of the princes' daughters. He also depicts a bewildering, multinational cast of characters, including Americans who, according to the policies of successive administrations, alternately supported the kingdom or speeded its downfall." Map frontispiec, photographs, index. 227 pp. ISBN: 0-873326172.