Mad about the Mekong

The main focus of this book is the 1886 French Mekong Exploration Commission, and their journey from the mouth of the Mekong to explore and map the path of the Mekong to its source. While this journey is being recounted, Keay adds in prior history, as well as subsequent history of the relevant area.

This is a mostly successful method of examining the Mekong, but it does take some concentration, as one can be suddenly thrust from 1886 twenty years ahead to the game between Britain and France in attempting to provide some distance between British Burma and French Indochina - using the Shan states (now divided amongst Myanmar, China and Vietnam).

It is also noted that there is no travel associated with this book - something I had mistakenly thought was to happen in this book - you know, modern travel along the same route to provide comparison and modern context to the historical travel. No, this is desktop history.

I struggled to maintain my own momentum in reading this book. I looked back, and I have read around a dozen other books between starting and finishing this book. It isn't that it is not interesting, but I found the pace didn't vary, and it didn't really build up towards an ending. There were a number of passages I found excellent, but an even greater number that that moved through the story.

One of the interesting aspects for me was mentioned in the introduction. The Mekong Exploration Commission out-marched David Livingstone, and out-mapped Stanley, and out-shone them in their display of sociological categorising, economic sleuthing and political effrontery. Despite all of this, the French don't celebrate their explorers the way the British do. After they return to France, the members of the commission, while being rewarded with new positions, were not heralded. There were no statues, no commemorations or museum displays. Ironically, the (British) Royal Geographic Society awarded Garnier the Victoria Medal.

In balance, for me, this sits around 3.5 stars, but rounded down, as it didn't hold me to the task of reading as it should have.