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The English governess at the Siamese court - being recollections of six years in the royal palace at Bangkok

by Anna Harriette Leonowens
$11.43
The English governess at the Siamese court - being recollections of six years in the royal palace at Bangkok - Thryft
The English governess at the Siamese court - being recollections of six years in the royal palace at Bangkok - Thryft

Intimate memoir of 19th-century Siamese court life.

If you're intrigued by royal dynamics and cross-cultural exchanges, Leonowens’s memoir could be a good read for you. It offers an authentic peek into 19th-century Siam through the eyes of an English governess. Her unique perspective as an educator and her close interactions with the royal family provide historical enthusiasts and memoir readers with rich, cultural insights that are both educational and entertaining.

The English governess at the Siamese court - being recollections of six years in the royal palace at Bangkok

by Anna Harriette Leonowens
$11.43
ISBN: 9780195888973
Authors: Anna Harriette Leonowens
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Date of Publication: 1988-01-01
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Travel, History, Biographies & Memoirs
Related Topics: Memoir, History, Asia, Historical, Biography Memoir, Memoir, Biography
Goodreads rating: 3.37
(rated by 571 readers)

Description

The English Governess at the Siamese Being Recollections of Six Years in the Royal Palace at Bangkok (1870) vividly recounts the experiences of one Anna Harriette Leonowens as governess for the sixty-plus children of King Mongkut of Siam, English teacher for his entire royal family, andtranslator and scribe for the King himself. Bright, young, and energetic, Leonowens was well-suited to these roles, and her writings convey a heartfelt interest in the lives, legends, and languages of Siam's rich and poor. She also tells of how she and the King often disagreed on matters domestic.After all, this was the first time King Mongkut had met a woman who dared to contradict him, and the governess found the very idea of male domination intolerable. Overworked and underpaid, Leonowens would eventually resign, but her exchanges with His Majesty--heated and otherwise--on topics likegrammar, charity, slavery, politics, and religion add much to her diary's rich, cross-cultural spirit, its East-meets-West appeal.Over the years, that appeal has only increased. Eighty years after it first appeared, this memoir inspired the popular book and film, Anna and the King of Siam , and a few years later the hit musical, The King and I . Now comes yet another version, Anna and the King , the new film starring JodieFoster and Chow Yun Fat. Here, then, is the original tale, presented with many reproductions of the fine drawings that the King had offered as gifts to Leonowens. The English Governess at the Siamese Court remains engaging as a story of adventure, fascinating as a picture of nineteenth-centuryBangkok, and intriguing as an account of life inside King Mongkut's palace.
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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Intimate memoir of 19th-century Siamese court life.

If you're intrigued by royal dynamics and cross-cultural exchanges, Leonowens’s memoir could be a good read for you. It offers an authentic peek into 19th-century Siam through the eyes of an English governess. Her unique perspective as an educator and her close interactions with the royal family provide historical enthusiasts and memoir readers with rich, cultural insights that are both educational and entertaining.