River Road to China: The Mekong River Expedition, 1866-73

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 territory, from the tropical heat of the swamps of Vietnam and Cambodia to the bitter cold of the mountain ranges of southwestern China. Their historic expedition is the dramatic subject of River Road to China by world-renowned Southeast Asia expert Milton Osborne. Selected by The New York Times as one of the best books of 1975 when it was originally published, this edition has been updated to include a new postscript by the author and more than thirty full-color illustrations by the expedition's artist.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0871137526
• ISBN13: 9780871137524
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.3"

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!