A leading student of Cambodia's history considers a range of themes and problems including the leper-king myth at Angkor, post-Angkorean normative poems, nineteenth century perceptions of the moral order, and royally sponsored human sacrifices in rural Cambodia in the 1870s. Other essays deal with aspects of the colonial period and the revolutionary era (1975-1979). This collection closes with two essays, written 16 years apart, that deal with what the author calls "the tragedy of Cambodian history."David Chandler is professor of history and research director at the Center of Southeast Asian Studies, Monash University.