Books and Videos

[Steve Canyon]

Thought it might be a good opportunity to share them with fellow bikers and perhaps learn of a few from you guys, same goes for any interesting videos such as the one riders corner will be screening, Bombies, which I'm sure will stir and few feelings whilst watching it....should be a really good night......

One book I would recommend is called Steeling Speed by Matt Oxley ..
He got a few Motorcycling books as well as producing the Faster series of DVD's...

another Video is

http://www.fasterandfaster.net/2010/01/love-speed-and-loss-remembering-kim.html


Riders corner has a few books in the Bar, you still lending them Phil?.

I know all you bikers love a Manual, is there one that everybody should have??

 

[Steve Canyon]

Check it out Hass...

 

[Hassman]

Cheers Chris, and a few books listed below for Laos related history:

The Ravens -An account of forward air controllers working clandestine for CIA in Laos during the Vietnam war.

Air America -has a good portion of Laos related interest but also covers a lot of stuff in Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Nepal and elsewhere, both these books by Christopher Robbins and available in Asia Books (but check them out in the second hand book shops before as last I was in Asia books they were not there).

Shooting at the moon (previously issued under the name "Backfire") -a story about the CIA led war against the communists in Laos -a very good read, by Roger Warner.

Out of Laos -also by Roger Warner.

Tragedy in Paradise -Covering the above from a doctor's perspective, by Dr. Charles Weldon, he lived in Chiang Mai for many years after the war, not sure if he is still around.

Fighting Dirty -covering CIA actions around the world -such as when Dole (the canned pineapple company) hires CIA to stop a labour uprising in Latin america so that they will still be able to buy cheap pineapples -true story!
It covers a bit of Laos, Vietnam etc. -by Peter Harclerode, this is a bit of a "brick" probably 5-600 pages long.

Da Nang Diary -an account by forward air controller Col. Tom Yarborough -it has a few references to the Laos war but mainly covers Vietnam but it is a very good read.

Chickenhawk -By army Huey pilot Robert Mason is a truly good book too, not related to Laos but still a must read book!

Hope you find most of these books, my copy of Shooting at the moon got wet and destroyed and I am struggling to find a new one... I think I will take a trip to the second hand bookshops today....

Cheers,
Hassman

 

[Steve Canyon]

Chickenhawk -By army Huey pilot Robert Mason...read it Great book...Thanks for the info, will get down the book shop...

 

[KTMphil]

Hass --- Fantastic list, I'll try buy them all & keep them at the bar, maybe George at Gekko books has some of these, i'll check with him.

Cheers Chris, and a few books listed below for Laos related history:

The Ravens -An account of forward air controllers working clandestine for CIA in Laos during the Vietnam war.

Air America -has a good portion of Laos related interest but also covers a lot of stuff in Vietnam, Cambodia, Burma, Nepal and elsewhere, both these books by Christopher Robbins and available in Asia Books (but check them out in the second hand book shops before as last I was in Asia books they were not there).

Shooting at the moon (previously issued under the name "Backfire") -a story about the CIA led war against the communists in Laos -a very good read, by Roger Warner.

Out of Laos -also by Roger Warner.

Tragedy in Paradise -Covering the above from a doctor's perspective, by Dr. Charles Weldon, he lived in Chiang Mai for many years after the war, not sure if he is still around.

Fighting Dirty -covering CIA actions around the world -such as when Dole (the canned pineapple company) hires CIA to stop a labour uprising in Latin america so that they will still be able to buy cheap pineapples -true story!
It covers a bit of Laos, Vietnam etc. -by Peter Harclerode, this is a bit of a "brick" probably 5-600 pages long.

Da Nang Diary -an account by forward air controller Col. Tom Yarborough -it has a few references to the Laos war but mainly covers Vietnam but it is a very good read.

Chickenhawk -By army Huey pilot Robert Mason is a truly good book too, not related to Laos but still a must read book!

Hope you find most of these books, my copy of Shooting at the moon got wet and destroyed and I am struggling to find a new one... I think I will take a trip to the second hand bookshops today....

Cheers,
Hassman

 

[Hassman]

Another book: Here there are tigers by Reginald Hathorn; about FAC Nails operating in Southern Laos, not to the same standard as The Ravens but still a good book!

Cheers,
Hassman

 

[LivinLOS]

If you want to go a bit further back 2 totally different styles that dovetail neatly are

The Burma Rd - Donovan Webster
http://www.amazon.com/Burma-Road-Story- ... 0374117403

Which catalogues the creation of the Ledo Rd.. 'Vinegar Joe' Stillwell.. Chenaults 'Flying tigers'.. and how they got air supplies over the hump to Chiang Kai Shek.. Also some of this touches (lightly) onto the 93rd regiment and the Chinese who ended up into DMS. It also highlights what characters the men behind the campaign were and what cowboys and free reign they had to lead. Cheanault especially with his privateer air force is a story itself, apparently theres a monument to him / them somewhere here in Chiang Mai ??

If its got a downside its that its a book for the history types and not a narrative page turner. Lots I didnt know and gave me a much better understanding of the Burma theater for WWII. At the opposite end which is total narrative is

Quartered Safe Out Here by George MacDonald Frasier (the flashman papers Author of course).
http://www.amazon.com/Quartered-Safe-Ou ... 015&sr=1-1

This covers the same period, and similar officers names pop up at points, but this is from the total perspective of the footsoldier, its a narrative and easy read but has little of the historical big picture but all of the grit and roughness of on the ground in the mud and humidity experience.

The two go perfectly together. I probably still have both of these packed up at home somewhere and if I ever manage to go back home I can dump them into the bar one day.