misc. scholarly update from Vientiane

I'm expecting a dedicated work on Shan script and its historical
interaction with Pali to arrive in the mail "any day now" --it is, I
believe, by a Shan author, and printed locally (thus, obscure).

Reading various (extremely impressive) articles by Michael Vickery
lately, I noticed that he had written a "Part 3" to his "Piltdown Man"
series (i.e., not included with the collected articles in the Siam
Society volume on the RK inscription), with a special focus on the
development of orthography in Thai & Khmer epigraphy (viz., with a
view to RK) and, apparently, a supplemental thesis on the neglected
importance of Cham script in the evolution of written Thai.  HOWEVER,
neither the EFEO nor Michel's private collection had a copy of the
issue of the J.S.S. in question.

I also found a copy of that work on legal texts of S.E.A. (viz., Palic
Dharmashastras of Burmese, Mon, Thai, and Khmer ancestry) --I believe
the editor of that volume briefly contributed to this list?  In any
case, it contained several excellent articles, foremost among them the
editor's own contribution and also an exceedingly detailed study by
Vickery.

My copy of Jit Phumisak's _The Real Face of Thai Feudalism_ (in
translation) arrived from Chiang Mai (thanks to M.L., EFEO).  The
introduction by Craig J. Reynolds contains a great deal of useful
information, however, I must confess that I find the style of the
prose excruciating to read (and this is from someone who can "enjoy" a
mathematical study on epigraphic calendrical systems!).

I had also my second meeting with Mme Filliozat; much useful
information and "scholarly gossip" shared.  In return for a CD-ROM of
materials I had given her, she offered me her various catalogues in
digital format --viz., a potentially priceless resource, but one that
I am unlikely to ever use, as I have no plans to travel to Paris,
Taiwan, London, etc., nor even Bangkok!

From a garret in Ban Haisok,

E.M.