31 December 2017
An Angkor Roundabout: Being a Five-Day Tour of the Main Monuments at Angkor in Cambodia Described in the Order in which they were Built
This would have been the first guide to the monuments of Angkor in English, if it had been published at the time it was written in the early 1970’s, as the guides published up to then were in French. It would also be the first guide written by an art historian, rather than architects or conservateurs who had written the earlier guides. More unique was that this was the first guide to propose visiting the monuments “in the order in which they were built,” rather than, as with all other guides, according to their proximity for the convenience of the visitor. This historical approach allowed the visitor to better appreciate the stylistic evolution of the monuments. This guide is published some forty-five years later as a tribute to its author, William Willetts‡, and commemoration of his unique historical approach to
visiting Angkor.
This would have been the first guide to the monuments of Angkor in English, if it had been published at the time it was written in the early 1970’s, as the guides published up to then were in French. It would also be the first guide written by an art historian, rather than architects or conservateurs who had written the earlier guides. More unique was that this was the first guide to propose visiting the monuments “in the order in which they were built,” rather than, as with all other guides, according to their proximity for the convenience of the visitor. This historical approach allowed the visitor to better appreciate the stylistic evolution of the monuments. This guide is published some forty-five years later as a tribute to its author, William Willetts‡, and commemoration of his unique historical approach to
visiting Angkor.
