Rare Pali editions at the EFEO, Vientiane

I spent about three hours at the E.F.E.O. library in Vientiane, today,
and I have the following observations on some of the rare Pali
editions in their stores.  Generally, I am delighted that such
resources exist in Vientiane; the E.F.E.O. has a basic but important
collection of the fundamental textbooks for Pali (yes, including A.K.
Warder) available to the public --this is likely the only public
institution with such books in Laos, as the National University no
longer has anything on Pali (I am told) and the Sangha College is
closed to the public.

(1) Contrary to earlier statements by Dr. Justin McDaniel, I observe
that at least three volumes of the (ill-fated) Luang Phabang edition
of the Tipitaka were printed.  As I wrote in 2005, I have strong
reason to suspect that the complete text was prepared, and at least a
single copy was published of most/all volumes of the Tipitaka.  Last
year I reported in some detail the edition I "discovered" in Luang
Phabang (but could not lay my hands upon) and its binding/covers were
identical to the three volumes now found at the E.F.E.O.  This is,
again, an odd contradiction of the descriptions I've been sent (of the
binding) from Dr. McDaniel.

The E.F.E.O. has the following on the shelves:
     -  V.P. Mahaa-Vibha'nga 1 (viz., the text McDaniel already attested to?)
     -  S.P. D.N. Vol. 1 (printed in the same year)
     -  A.P. Dhammasa'nga.ni Vol. 1 (printed in the same year)

Thus, at a minimum, the first volume of each Pitaka was simultaneously
printed in this edition.  All of these are publications of
photo-duplicated hand-written Pali text in Lao-Tham script, with
occasional footnotes on textual variations.  The density of text per
page is low, and the script is clear and legible (but not very
beautiful).  The heraldic seal of the royal family of Luang Phabang is
featured on the cover, title-page, etc. (viz. a three-headed elephant
bearing the wheel of the dhamma).

The yellow, hard-bound volumes are each wrapped in a white paper cover
with blue (Lao-Tham) text on the spine --i.e., identical to the
(complete?) edition I spotted at Luang Phabang.  As the binding seemed
incorrect to him at the time, McDaniel suggested (in response to my
initial observation) that this might just be a non-Lao edition wrapped
in a Lao cover.  I would now tend to re-affirm my earlier speculation
that at least an early "proof" was completed of all volumes and kept
at the palace --where it remains.

(2) It seems that the sequel to Maha Silaviravong's work on Pali
orthography/grammar did emerge: the EFEO has a Xerox copy of a very
tiny volume (pocket-sized) that is apparently the promised "Second
Part" of the better-known (and reprinted in 1996) work on the
1933-standard Lao-Pali script (*not* Lao-Tham).  This book declares
itself as a grammar, but, like the volume that preceded it, I will
remember it mostly for its typography; it is an extremely brief and
incomplete grammar.

(3) The E.F.E.O. has the complete set of the (more commonly seen)
texts titled "hLak-sutra-hyan-bali", i.e., numbered exercises for
learning Pali.  These are the large, sloppy-looking texts reproduced
from hand-written facsimiles of 1933-75 standard Lao-Pali script
(*not* Lao-Tham) and pre-revolution spellings in the Lao text
throughout.

(4) Of considerably more interest than the above is a tiny book (or
pamphlet) titled "béb-hyan-bali", providing a similarly brief overview
of orthography and grammar, but with really excellent Lao-Tham
handwriting, and charts comparing it to both Burmese & Khom/Khmer
script --as well as occasional French and Romanization provided, e.g.,
for grammatical terminology.

E.M.