Featured Book
The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen
The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen is a non-fiction collection of some 70 essays and articles which describe rarely written-about Asian people, places and events; most have appeared in the International Herald Tribune, Wall Street Journal, CNN Traveller, Geographical, Travel and Leisure, Destinasian and other leading publications.
Meet the last elephant hunter of Vietnam, who has reached Michael Jordan-like status through a very Asian-accented product endorsement. Understand why 19th century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, who spent eight years in Asia, has a better claim to the theory of natural selection than Charles Darwin. Meet the homeless man in Hawaii who has the résumé to prove he’s the real last emperor of China. Learn why isolated Indian villagers are angry at the Monkey God Hanuman for not returning their sacred mountain. Bargain for good luck on the Philippines “amulet island”. Learn why the white elephant is being used by Burma’s generals to try to justify their hold on power. Ponder the disappearance of Bruno Manser, a Swiss Robin Hood who vanished in a Borneo jungle while trying to help the downtrodden Penan tribesmen stand up for their rights. Play golf on the world’s highest course. Speak with the Sultan of Yogyakarta and learn about his love affair with the Mermaid Queen.
Featured Photos
Featured Articles
“Are You Strong Enough to Go Through with This?”
This true personal journey is one of dozens of true stories published in: Curious Encounters of the Human Kind – Borneo and Dead, But Still Kicking “ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH TO GO THROUGH WITH THIS?” Encounters with female vampire ghosts in a city built on a ghost story. PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan The […]
News & Events
10 November — Opening of COP 30 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Ah, yet another international gathering to discuss progress in addressing the problem of climate change. This year it will be held in Belém, Brazil, and the participants will also focus on nature conservation in the country, including the vast Amazon region. I’ve been following Victorian naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace for some 50 years, including a […]
Intro to a speculative biography of Ali
My speculative biography of Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s assistant, was honored as the Best Historical Book of 2024 by the United States Peace Corps Writers. Here’s an excerpt from the book’s introduction. Look Here, Sir, What a Curious Bird Intro to a speculative biography of Ali, Alfred Russel Wallace’s assistant in the Malay Archipelago […]
Alfred Russel Wallace and Things That Go Bump in the Night
Alfred Russel Wallace is best known for his scientific achievements — collecting and documenting hundreds of new species of “natural productions,” major insights into biogeography, island endemism, and cultural anthropology, and notably, his development of a theory of evolution by natural selection independently of and prior to that of Charles Darwin. But Wallace was also […]