Angkor the Magnificent - The Wonder City of Ancient Cambodia

by Helen Churchill Candee, Kent C. Davis (Editor)

"The tale of it is incredible; the wonder which is Angkor is unmatched in Asia." So begins Helen Churchill Candee's classic tale of Asian adventure. Today, readers can again experience the mystery of Cambodia's vast jungle temples through her eyes. Although Helen Candee is best known for surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic, she walked with kings, presidents, the wealthy and the powerful. entertaining, educating and influencing them. This independent woman championed feminine equality and fought tirelessly for woman's rights. And, as a single woman, she traveled the Far East with a keen eye for detail, an inquisitive mind, and a sensitivity for local culture. Helen Candee's travelogue remains one of the most evocative English language accounts of the ancient Khmer capital. This expanded hardcover edition marks the first reissue of her complete 1924 work with more than 100 antique illustrations, an index and bibliography. For the first time in print, this edition also features an original biography of Helen Candee by historian Randy Bryan Bigham, and a reprint of Candee's original account of the Titanic disaster itself.

376 pages, Hardcover

First published May 28, 2008

About the author

Helen Churchill Candee was a survivor of the RMS Titanic tragedy in 1912. She was also an author, journalist, interior decorator, feminist, and geographer.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written over 80 years ago, the author used all her senses in taking the reader on this journey with her to Cambodia. I hope to travel to the temples of Angkor one day to discover the mystery and the magic of the place.

[Sarath Thampi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angkor the Magnificent was written by a century ago by a socialite who was also a journalist, an interior decorator, a feminist and a geographer. On the top of it, she survived the sinking of Titanic. But what makes the book so interesting to read is none of the above. The prose which carry forward the style of writing that predominated Victorian era coupled with the astute observation of the archaeological significance of the Angkor Wat temples of the Cambodia makes the book a good read. In a time before national geographic channel, the travel books must have been one of the greatest sources of entertainment for those down with the wanderlust. Helen Candee's detailed description of Angkor Wat along with the other temples in Angkor gives us a picturesque tour of the splendor of the begone times of the Khmer dynasty.