Cambodia Past: Explaining the Present

An original English language translation of Etienne Francois Aymonier’s 1875 French Language “Notice Sur le Cambodge”. Aymonier presents a succinct view of Cambodia in the mid-nineteenth century, as seen by an expatriate who actively observed and studied it for several years.  It is a valuable informative record of that time and place, and in describing Cambodia’s pre-colonial past, its culture, customs and traditions, it is also useful in explaining present day Cambodia.  The historic photographs of Cambodia captured by French photographer Emile Gsell between 1866 and 1875 have been added to illustrate the text and to describe Cambodia in the first dozen years after it became a French Protectorate.