This is a really fascinating account of heritage, travel and memory in Cambodia. The analysis of its post-conflict patterns is exemplary and will provide pointers to developing similar analyses of the role of heritage and tourism in other zones blighted by mass death and destruction.

John Urry, Lancaster University, author of The Tourist Gaze

In this persuasive, strenuously argued book Tim Winter skilfully fits the sumptuous   medieval city we know as "Angkor",  now visited by nearly  two  million tourists a year, into recent thinking about heritage and tourism, and into the baleful context of  globalisation. The way this heritage area has been treated, he suggests, also forms part of  the often misguided, insensitive "generosity" that continues to flow into this peculiarly haunting, desperately poor, severely damaged country.

David Chandler, Monash University, author of A History of Cambodia.

All heritage practitioners and academics should read Tim Winter's book about the restoration of once-mighty Angkor. This is not the usual heritage study focused on restoration or management techniques. Rather, it sets out to show how a cultural heritage site can become a vector for national and local economic development and an icon with a powerful role in nation-building. Beyond this, Angkor's World Heritage listing leads to enormous tourist pressures and much crass commercialization in the adjacent town, Siem Riep. This is a heady mix of forces and one that could easily lead to damaging impacts on the physical and social fabric. Winter brings out the intricacies of the situation in intelligent and accessible prose, careful documentation and appropriate illustrations.

William Logan, UNESCO Chair and Director of the Cultural Heritage Centre for the Asia Pacific, Deakin University

Pre-Release Reviews