This book contains twenty essays on Siam in the seventeenth century, principally on Europeans in Siam, but also Siamese in Europe, the extent of the kingdom, and a review of old books and illustrations of the era. Some articles introduce hitherto unknown source material, while others subject different and sometimes conflicting accounts to careful scrutiny. The cast of characters includes the scheming Jesuit, Guy Tachard, a young cadet Beauregard who died in obscurity in Pegu, and Robert de Challe who wrote works on Siam without every visiting the country.