Exploring for Gemstones on the Upper Mekong

This is the account of a six-month journey from Bangkok to Luang Prabang and through Nong Khai and Korat. The author's mission was to explore the regions opposite Chiang Khong, on the left bank of the Mekong, for deposits of rubies and sapphires, Smyth's work was part of a wide assignment to produce an overall survey of the mineral deposits of the kingdom. His geological report is admirably supplemented by his observations on the environment and customs of the peoples he met on his journey. His love of ordinary people, the countryside and jungle life that was both his ordeal and his delight for so many months is demonstrated in the scores of sketches that illustrate the book. An extraordinarily detailed map of central and Northern Thailand considerably enhances the value of this book.