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In these four volumes, now published in paperback, twenty-two scholars of international reputation consider the whole of mainland and island Southeast Asia from Burma to Indonesia. Each volume has a new preface which points to the relationships with the other volumes. The prefaces also comment on some of the research into and thinking about the subject undertaken since the original contributions were completed for the first edition. Volume 1, part 2 discusses Southeast Asia's interaction with foreign countries during the period c.1500 to c.1800. Of specific interest is increased trade with China, India and Europe. The spread of Islam and Christianity in the period is shown to change Southeast Asia dramatically. A concluding chapter deals with the transitional nature of the late eighteenth century.