{"product_id":"land-of-a-million-elephants-tudor-finneran-9798298154024","title":"Land of a Million Elephants: The Comprehensive History of Laos","description":"\u003cp\u003eEver wondered what happens when you mix a forgotten kingdom, a million (or maybe eleven) elephants, CIA agents disguised as Buddhist monks, and a river that swallows your phone twice before breakfast? Welcome to Laos-the history book even history teachers pretend they've read.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLand of a Million Elephants\u003c\/b\u003e is not your average parade of dusty facts and polite reverence. Tudor Finneran drags you off the beaten path and straight into the humidity-soaked chaos of Southeast Asia's best-kept secret. Pack your mosquito spray and your skepticism-the official story is going to need both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eDiscover how a place smaller than Kansas managed to host world wars, revolutions, and the most quietly stubborn people on the planet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eMeet kings who couldn't keep crowns, colonizers who couldn't keep count, and freedom fighters who didn't really like fighting (but loved a good parade).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrown gloriously in the Mekong's current and the region's truly impressive collection of mystical, breathtaking, and occasionally very drunk elephants.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom ancient myth to modern statehood-bombs, baci parties, clandestine CIA \"help,\" and the world's most laid-back communists.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want a slow, sacred, scholarly march through Laotian history... try Wikipedia. If you want to laugh, gasp, and learn more than you bargained for while Finneran gleefully pokes, prods, and pan-fries every sacred cow (and elephant), this is your book.\u003c\/p\u003eWhy read this history?\u003cp\u003eBecause no one else will tell you why UNESCO tastes like lemongrass, why monarchies are allergic to good luck, or what it's like to be outwitted by a rice farmer with a seventh-grade education and the patience of a Buddha.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIdeal for: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eArmchair adventurers\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eHistory buffs who hate being bored\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eTravelers with a taste for the weird, the wild, and the occasionally warped\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLand of a Million Elephants\u003c\/b\u003e-in Asia's forgotten kingdom, irreverence is the only honest guide. Grab a copy, grab your hat, and don't blame us if you end up booking a ticket to Luang Prabang. This isn't just history-it's an adventure for your mind (and your funny bone).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tudor Finneran\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9798298154024\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Independently Published\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/14\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 102\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.32lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.21d","brand":"Tudor Finneran","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":47580118155519,"sku":"9798298154024","price":11.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_26fa318c-525f-4c85-a6fa-75939b1087b6.jpg?v=1763878923","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/land-of-a-million-elephants-tudor-finneran-9798298154024","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}