Thai Cremation Volumes: A Brief History of a Unique Genre of Literature

Abstract

Scholars who have studied Thai culture have often depended on a literature unique to Thailand-cremation volumes-but to date there has been little scholarly work done on their origins. This paper constitutes an initial inquiry into the emergence of these volumes and their importance in Thai society. These booklets, published and distributed as gifts on the occasion of cremation ceremonies, have been a rich source of literature, folklore, history, and biographical information. It was not until the early 1970s that Thailand put samples of its diverse cremation volumes together in a special collection at Wat Bovornives, Bangkok, where university librarians continue to donate their time to the organization of this valuable collection.

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