During the early twentieth century, Vietnam was a cosmopolitan country, influenced not only by its Chinese and Khmer neighbors, but also by the French and other Europeans. This fascinating book is among the first in English to document the output of Vietnamese craftspeople and manufacturers from this period. Lacquer work, carvings, textiles, and ceramics are among the wonderful crafts illustrated in 302 color photographs. These are placed in their cultural context with a detailed text and insights from the author, who has lived in the region for many years. Collectors of Southeast Asian artifacts finally have a reference to help identify Vietnamese craft items, their meaning in the Vietnamese culture, and their current values._x000D_ AUTHOR: William C. (Mitch) Mitchell is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina. A longtime teacher of English as a Second Language, he has lived in Senegal, Saudi Arabia, and The Philippines. Refugee work with the United States Orderly Departure Program from 1992 to 1999 kept him on the road between Bangkok, Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City awhere he has lived with his wife, Evangeline, and their two young daughters, Diwa and Mithi. He has continued to teach and, of course, to collect.
