This is a grand book.
What Grant Evans has done is spectacular. There are many many Lao people that do not know enough about their past, especially their former Royals. For example: Some believe that King Sisavang Vatthana is not the legitimate son of King Sisavangvong because he could no lift up King Sisavangvong's coffin at his funeral, and that the former King of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, is the actual son and holder of the throne to the Kingdom of Laos!
This book clears so much up, for the Lao and so many people. It is extensive, over 400 pages. Black and white pictures line many pages, some that could have been lost in time if Grant Evans himself did not replicate them for this book. Most notably, my favorite, the meeting of King Bumibol Adunlyadej of Thailand and King Sisavang Vatthana of Laos, has photos of the two together. It is possibly the only time I have seen pictures of the two monarchs together.
He also interview many people. Princess Manilai, the last Crown Princess of Laos and in line to become Queen of Laos before the Revolution, was interviewed. Others royals that stretch as far as Australia and France were also interviewed.
There is a huge history of many royals in the book. Specifically focusing on the Monarchy, Evans draws a clear history of its role in Laos of the last century. From the Kingdom of Luang Phrabang, to the Kingdom of Laos, it shows the rise and fall of the Luang Phrabang dynasty.
I enjoy the book. I really love the book. The closes thing a Lao person ever sees today about Lao monarchy is perhaps the Thai one. This book gives the reader a vivid picture of the broken Lao past.