Muay Thai: A Living Legacy

Paperback – December 15, 2005
by Kat Prayukvong (Author), Lesley D. Junlakan (Author)

Kindle Edition
by Kat Prayukvong (Author), Lesley D. Junlakan (Author), Surachai Sirisute (Foreword), Vichian Poosiri (Photographer)

Paperback – September 5, 2001
by Kat Prayukvong (Author), Lesley D. Junlakan (Author)

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Introduction

In 2002, without any fanfare, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy appeared on bookshop shelves, and for us the up-hill struggle began, trying to market it both here in Thailand and overseas. However, slowly but surely people started not only to buy copies, but also to spread the news that here, finally, was the in-depth book on the subject that they had been waiting for. It was given very positive reviews by martial arts magazines, trainers and practitioners of Muay Thai, especially in the USA, and became a best-seller on the subject on Amazon: in brief, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy turned into something of a cult book among martial arts fans, who gave us a great deal of support and feedback. In fact, judging from all the positive and enthusiastic comments, it seemed that we had done such a good job on researching and writing the book that some readers could not believe that it was the work of two women outside Muay Thai circles.

The success of the book was a justification of all the time, experience and wisdom that so many people shared with the two of us after we met for the first time in May 2000 and agreed to collaborate on the project. Many of those same people must have quietly wondered how we could possibly succeed in the compilation and writing of a comprehensive book on Muay. Certainly, it must have seemed a little strange: two women, and one not even a Thai, with very little previous knowledge or experience in the field, entering what was then the almost exclusively male world of Muay Thai. However, being relative outsiders had its advantages. We were able to tackle the subject without preconceptions and probe in-depth, trying to answer all those questions which were waiting for detailed answers: Why are women not allowed to enter most Muay Thai rings? What are the origins of Muay? Why do Muay Thai fighters perform the Wai Khru Ram Muay before each bout? and so on.

Since that first edition appeared, many other Muay Thai books have been written and published and, believing that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we like to think that Muay Thai: A Living Legacy helped pave the way for a resurgence of interest in not only the techniques of Muay Thai, but also in its history and traditions. Over two decades have passed since then and we have both gone our separate ways, while remaining close friends. The world has also changed in those years, with the book market shrinking in tandem with the growth and spread of information technology-- smart phones, Kindle and all the other 'soft' options. We there- fore felt the time was right to make a slightly updated version of Muay Thai: A Living Legacy available on Kindle. Our book was a game-changer when it first appeared and remains a pace-setter in the field, so we hope that, in this format, it will reach an even wider audience than ever before and will continue to promote interest in the unique martial art and cultural legacy that is Muay

About the Author

Pitsaporn "Kat" Prayukvong
Born in Bangkok, Kat has always had a love of reading and when growing up spent many hours at a city-center printers, absorbing the process of turning words into books. She studied Communications at Illinois State University, being a President of Thai Students Association from 1997-8. After graduating with a B.Sc, she returned to Thailand and embarked on her first project, Muay Thai: A Living Legacy doing all research, supervising studio sessions and generally being at the helm of the whole project. She hopes to follow this up not only with two further volumes in the same series but also with cultural oriented books.

Lesley D. JunlakanMs.
Junlakan is a British native, with an M.A. in English Literature from Manchester, England. She came to Thailand and was lecturing at Thamasat University, Bangkok. Lesley met her husband, Wilat in Thailand, then spend 10 ½ years in Japan, where Lesley taught English and Cross-Cultural Communication at the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kagoshima Prefecture. Lesley has lived in Asia (Thailand and Japan) for 16 years and was a price winner in the ANA Short Fiction Contest in 1993.

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