In 1898, the 23-year-old Guillaume Henri Monod traveled to French Indochina to seek his destiny in the exotic Kingdom of Cambodia. Located at the crossroads between the great civilizations of India and China, the fabulous Khmer Empire blossomed here more than a millennium ago.

Monod befriended many Cambodians while pursuing his passionate study of their ancient culture. One friend, Governor Khieu of the Pursat Province, shared his land's rich legends with Monod, inspiring him to record them for future generations in 1922.

In this new edition--translated to English for the first time...