Quagmire: Nation-Building and Nature in the Mekong Delta (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)

In the twentieth century, the Mekong Delta has emerged as one of VietnamÕs most important economic regions. Its swamps, marshes, creeks, and canals have played a major role in VietnamÕs turbulent past, from the struggles of colonialism to the Cold War and the present day. Quagmire considers these struggles, their antecedents, and their legacies through the lens of environmental history.

"This work is an original and innovative approach to the contemporary history of Viet Nam." -Environmental History

"Biggs is clearly a major talent, who has written a path-breaking book that enables us to see, experience, and interpret the delta anew." -Journal of Contemporary Asia

David Biggs is associate professor of history at the University of California, Riverside.