River road to China: the Mekong River expedition 1866-1873.

By Milton E. Osborne

Book Overview

In 1866, six Frenchmen set out on a dangerous mission to seek a trade route up the Mekong. During the two years that followed, they would journey through more than four thousand miles of unmapped... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• ISBN: B001U3LLTA
• Release Date: January 1975
• Publisher: Liveright
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Beyond the imagination

Osborne's book is an excellent account of the first European expedition up the Mekong River, from Saigon into the Southwestern region of the Chinese empire. As it is based on official and unofficial records of the exploration, written by the actual members of the French team, the account is both vivid and accurate, and conveys so much of the hardship and heartache experienced by the Frenchmen and those who accompanied them. It is also a profound and readable introduction to the history of Southeast Asia, its relation to China, and its position as the centerpiece of a colonial competition for trade, conquest, and scientific discovery. Great book!