The Road to Angkor describes a journey through Indo-China from the ancient capital of Champa (now south Vietnam) to Angkor, capital of the old Khmer empire in Cambodia. Christopher Pym originally went to Indo-China in 1956. He stayed 20 months and during 1957 made the seven-week journey described in this book.
He travelled the 450 miles on foot, seeking to trace an ancient Khmer road, which may have linked Angkor to the coast. Overcoming the hazards of tigers, a blocked frontier and the rigours of Asian life at peasant level, and ignoring rumours of wars in Vietnam, he set off into the jungle with a small group of tribesmen. His picture of rural, Buddhist Cambodia, now independent, is of an interesting and little-known country. He describes conditions there and in Vietnam with knowledge and understanding, and gives a fascinating account of the varied customs of tribes found right off the beaten track.
Philip Coggan is a freelance journalist who spent many years in Cambodia.
He is the author of “An Illustrated History of Cambodia” and “Spirit Worlds: Cambodia, the Buddha and The Naga”, both published by John Beaufoy Publishing.
Stanfords Travel Classics feature the finest historical travel writing in the English language. Each title has been reset in a contemporary typeface to create a series that every lover of fine travel literature will want to collect and keep.
Specifications: • 198 x 129 mm (7 3/4 x 5”) • 232 pages
• ISBN 978-1-912081-32-5 • £12.99 paperback • Publication May 2023
An Identification Guide to Garden Birds of Britain and North-West Europe is a photographic identification guide to 75 species of bird most commonly found in or over the gardens of Britain and North-West Europe. The text combines scientific facts with affectionate descriptions of the birds’ identifying features, including sex and age differences, habits, nest types, eggs and calls.
The introduction contains tips on how to identify birds; how to look after garden birds; which species can be seen through the year; a glossary and anatomy details. For each species there are two or three photographs labelled with distinguishing features where appropriate, a calendar showing the time of year when the adult can be seen and star facts that give further proof of the birds’ fascinating features.
Dominic Couzens is an award-winning nature writer with 40 books and hundreds of published articles to his name. His best-known books include An Identification guide to Garden Insects of Britain and North-West Europe, The Secret Lives of Garden Birds, Britain’s Mammals (WildGuides) and Save Our Species, while he contributes to magazines and newspapers, such as Bird Watching, Nature’s Home, BBC Countryfile and The Guardian. Carl Bovis is a nature photographer with a particular passion for birds. The advent of digital photography has given him the opportunity to capture the birds he sees and share them with the world. He contributes to Birdwatching magazine.
Specifications:• 228 x 175 mm (9 x 7”) • 160 pages • 38,000 words approx. • 200 photographs approx.
• ISBN 978-1-913679-33-0 • £14.99 paperback • Available
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Myanmar is an introductory photographic identification guide to 280 birds found in the most frequently visited parts of Myanmar, with a further 100 related species referred to in the descriptions. The selection covers widespread, endemic and near-endemic species, as well as species that are rare and threatened in other parts of Asia but significant in Myanmar.
High quality photographs from one of Myanmar’s top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitat. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, vegetation, opportunities for naturalists and the main sites for viewing the listed species. Also included is an all-important checklist of all of the birds of Myanmar encompassing, for each species, its common and scientific name as well as its vernacular name, its status in each state as well as its global IUCN status.
Thet Zaw Naing is a birdwatcher and photographer. He is the Bird Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society Myanmar Program, and has wide experience of the natural world in many parts of Myanmar.
Rob Tizard is a Technical Advisor with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Myanmar Program. His interests include community-based, natural resource management and the design and implementation of biodiversity conservation strategies in Myanmar.
Dr Geoffrey Davison has spent all his working life in Southeast Asia, working in teaching, conservation and the environment. His interests range across ornithology, taxonomy and forest ecology, with numerous publications about birds and wildlife in the region, including A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Malaysia and Wild Malaysia, both published by John Beaufoy Publishing.
Specifications • 180 x 128 mm (7 x 5”) • 176 pages • 40,000 words approx. • 300 photographs
• ISBN 978-1-909612-72-3 • £12.99 paperback • Available
New Zealand’s Biggest Year is an epic birding tale of how two friends become rivals and set out to break the all-time record for the most Aotearoa New Zealand bird species seen in one calendar year. Their rivalry results in more birds being spotted in a single year than ever before and two national records are broken. However, which of these two birders will take the title and become the all-time biggest year lister Aotearoa New Zealand has ever seen?
From the first day at the top of South Island to the sprint finish on the Chatham Islands, this is Harry Boorman’s personal account of his epic, year-long adventure. Full of twists and turns, unexpected sightings, pandemics and trip cancellations, including the addition of a species (the Emus) to the official bird list on the very last day, Harry’s story gradually unfolds to its nail-biting conclusion.
Harry Boorman, originally from Britain, has been birding since the age of 5. He now lives in Auckland, New Zealand, where he plays an active role in the birding community.
Specifications • 229 x 152 mm (9 x 6”) • 264 pages • 53,000 words approx.• approx. 100 photographs
+ 30 maps • ISBN 978-1-913679-39-2 • £19.99 / NZ$39.99 paperback • Available
Great Railway Journeys in Europe covers fascinating routes in North-West, Nordic, Central, Southern and South-East Europe. The journeys range from international mega-trips to short, nostalgic excursions on steam trains. There are journeys through stunning scenery, such as the trip on The Rauma Line in Norway; tracks that defy the terrain, such as the routes through the Swiss Alps, and journeys that link famed cities in France, Spain, Austria and Italy. Photographs illustrate the spectacular routes, remarkable locomotives and unique station architecture. For each journey, details cover technical information on the track, descriptions of the scenery the trains pass through, notable facts about the destinations and factual information on ticketing. Each journey is plotted on a route map.
Whether you are planning a special trip by train or delighting in discovering Europe’s best railway journeys from the comfort of your armchair, this fully updated second edition is an informative and entertaining read.
David Bowden is a freelance journalist based in Malaysia, specializing in travel and the environment. While Australian, he’s been living in Asia longer than he can remember, but travels extensively. He has a particular enthusiasm for Swiss railways. He is the author of Great Railway Journeys in Australia and New Zealand, and Great Railway Journeys in Asia as well as several titles in the Enchanting series, all published by John Beaufoy Publishing.
Specifications • 260 x 215 mm (10¼ x 8½”) • 160 pages • 45,000 words • 150 photographs +
34 route maps • ISBN 9781917879101 • £25.00 hardback • September 2026
A Field Guide to the Birds of Singapore is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 422 bird species of Singapore, as well as ‘escapees’ not formally accepted as ‘wild’ birds. The species are clearly illustrated in over 100 plates, with many variants. The main identifying features of each species are described and key facts cover size, voice, range and status, habitat and breeding. The book also includes information on taxonomy and nomenclature, observing birds, climate, habitats, the breeding cycle, migration and conservation as well as a section on 25 key birdwatching sites with maps.
Specifications • 210 x 148 mm (8¼ x 6“) • 280 pages • 55,000 words approx. • c.100 full colour plates
• ISBN 978-1-913679-50-7 • £24.99 paperback • Available
A Naturalist’s Guide to the Reptiles & Amphibians of New Zealand is an introductory photographic guide to all 141 reptile and amphibian species of New Zealand.
High-quality photographs from the author and the regions’s top nature photographers are accompanied by detailed species descriptions, which include nomenclature, size, distribution, habits and habitats, and conservation information. There is also a distribution map for each living terrestrial species. The user-friendly introduction covers geography and climate, habitats, reptiles and amphibian identification and a glossary. The final section contains an all-important checklist of all of the herpetofauna of New Zealand encompassing, for each species, its risk category and New Zealand conservation status.
Samuel Purdie is a herpetologist, science educator and award-winning wildlife photographer from Rotorua. He received a BSc in zoology and ecology and a PGDip in wildlife management from the University of Otago, and is currently pursuing an MSc in wildlife management. He spends much of his time researching native alpine lizards and advocating for New Zealand’s lesser-known wildlife.
Specifications: • 180 x 128 mm (7 x 5”) • 176 pages • 36,000 words • 235 photographs; 131 maps.
• ISBN 978-1-913679-31-6 • £12.99 / NZ$29.99 paperback (including GST) • Available
A Photographic Guide to the Wildlife of Seychelles covers the inner and outer islands of the Seychelles archipelago, and includes photographs of over 220 species of flora and fauna, including birds, mammals, butterflies and other insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, molluscs and crustaceans, with descriptions, information about where to find them, and their conservation status.
Although the Seychelles islands only amount to an area of 455 km2 and are spread across 115 islands in the Western Indian Ocean, they support a diverse catalogue of flowering plants, at least 100 of which are found nowhere else. The introduction covers the geography, historical background and climate of Seychelles, as well as travel practicalities.
The guide also features a selection of 16 of the best nature trails on Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette, La Digue, Curieuse, Aride and Cousin Islands, with route maps and details of what can be seen.
Christophe Mason-Parker has lived in Seychelles since 2009, where he is an active member of the conservation community. With a passion for wildlife and photography, his articles and images regularly appear in national and international media outlets. He is the author of Underwater Guide to Seychelles (2015), Underwater Eden (2019) and Reef Fishes of Seychelles (2021), all published by John Beaufoy Publishing. More of Chris’s work can be viewed on his website at www.archipelagoimages.net.
Specifications: • 192 x 135 mm (71/2 x 51/4”) • 196 pages • 32,000 words approx. • 300 photographs
• ISBN 978-1-913679-28-6 • £16.99 paperback • Publication October 2022
Great Railway Journeys in Asia showcases 34 of the best rail journeys in South, Southeast and North Asia. The journeys chosen by David Bowden, an avid rail traveller, range from quirky trains used as essential travel for locals, such as the North Borneo Railway, to trains on which passengers can experience 5 star luxury as they travel through stunning scenery, as, for example, the opulence of India’s Palace on Wheels. Other journeys are chosen for the marvel of their engineering, Thailand’s Death Railway for instance, features the 300 metre-long Tham Krasae trestle bridge or for the length of a country that they traverse, like the Trans-Mongolian Railway that connects Beijing with Moscow via vast plains and steppes. Some are slow trains and some travel at super-high speeds.
For each journey, there is historical, technical and practical information as well as interesting details on the places accessible from the main stations. Each is accompanied by a route map. Whether you are planning a special trip by train or delighting in discovering Asia’s best railway journeys from the comfort of your armchair, this book is an informative and entertaining read.
David Bowden is a freelance journalist based in Malaysia, specializing in travel and the environment. While Australian, he’s been living in Asia longer than he can remember, but returns frequently to his home country and has a particular enthusiasm for the revived railways there. He is the author of Great Railway Journeys in Australia and New Zealand, also published by John Beaufoy Publishing.
A Photographic Field Guide to the Dragonflies & Damselflies of Singapore is a fully comprehensive field guide to the 136 species of dragonfly and damselfly found in Singapore. With stunning, close-up photographs from the authors, each species is illustrated with multiple variants.
The general introduction provides a comprehensive overview of dragonfly anatomy, feeding habits, courtship and reproduction; also dragonfly research and conservation in Singapore, plus the best places for dragonfly watching in Singapore. Detailed coverage of every species includes key features for field identification; telling apart similar species; habitat and habits; presence in Singapore; etymology; wider distribution; national and IUCN conservation statuses; and larval features. Additionally, a QR code links to detailed larvae images from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum website. The final section gives a checklist of the country status and conservation status of all of Singapore’s odonates.
Robin Ngiam is a biodiversity consultant who has worked on odonates since 2005, spanning taxonomy, ecological surveys, conservation policies, environmental impact assessments, training courses, outreach and guided tours. He has extensive publications from Singapore and Borneo (Sarawak). In his pursuit of happiness, Robin continues to chase dragonflies around the world.
Marcus Ng is a writer, researcher and curator. His interests and research areas include the natural histories of Singapore and Malaysia; insects of Southeast Asia (in particular, dragonflies and moths); and the natural and human histories of Singapore’s islands and coasts.
Specifications: • 210 x 148 mm (8¼ x 6”) • 340 pages • 78,000 words approx. • 700 photographs approx.
• ISBN 978-1-912081-40-0 • £39.99 hardback • Publication October 2022