A Maritime Vietnam

Li Tana is Honorary Senior Fellow, School of Culture, History and Language, College of Asia and Pacific Studies, ANU.

• Introduction; 1. Maritime formations; 2. Aromatics, Buddhism and the making of a south seas emporium; 3. Aromatic forests, sea trade, and the rise of Linyi, 200–700 CE; 4. Maritime resurgence and the rise of Dai Viet; 5. Winds of trade from the Middle East: 6. Muslim trade and the conquest of the coast: the mystery of the Topkapi vase; 7. Silks and society: Tongking in the age of commerce; 8. Seventeenth century Dang Trong: a maritime entity; 9. The rise and fall of the water frontier; 10. Ships and the problem of political integration: the cost of Tao Van and shipbuilding; Conclusion: some reflections on a maritime Vietnam.

'In chronological breadth and originality, this book surpasses even Prof. Li's now classic Nguyen Cochinchina. This latest meticulous research provides not only for Vietnam, but for the region at large an unprecedented model of a large-scale, longitudinal thematic study. A Maritime Vietnam will only enhance Prof. Li's reputation as one of most assiduous and persuasive scholars ever to have worked in precolonial Southeast Asian history.' Victor Lieberman, University of Michigan