In order to publish updates of the Griffith Asia Institute's (GAI) Burma (Myanmar) bibliography, it was necessary to keep a close eye on announcements and reviews of newly-published books about the country. It was also useful to monitor the lists posted online by Myanmar watchers and others, intended to guide the reading of those less familiar with the field. This was useful in part because the GAI's bibliographies themselves included an essay on the best books to read before visiting Myanmar for the first time.

Many Myanmar watchers tap into the websites of major booksellers from time to time, to see what is being written about the country and to find out what titles are finding favour among both the scholarly community and general public. Some also like to keep an eye on those lists, compiled mostly by travel writers and journalists, of books recommended to people who wish to learn more about Myanmar, or who plan to make a visit there.

By monitoring such websites over the years, it has been possible to identify some staple choices and discern a number of interesting trends.

Early Lists

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, both kinds of lists were rather short. This reflected the low level of public interest in the country (then known as Burma) and the limited number of works available. Most compilations included overviews like Hugh Tinker's The Union of Burma (first published in 1961) and F.S.V. Donnison's Burma (1970), or histories such as Dorothy Woodman's The Making of Burma (1962) and Frank Trager's Burma: From Kingdom to Republic (1966). More specialised information could be found in the US Defence Department's Area Handbook for Burma (1968).

For lighter fare, there were travel books like Somerset Maugham, The Gentleman in the Parlour (1930) and Norman Lewis's Golden Earth (1952). Myanmar-related fiction was usually represented by Tennyson Jesse's The Lacquer Lady (1930) and George Orwell's Burmese Days (1934). Curiously, despite their popularity, few lists included Maurice Collis's histories, or his four volumes of autobiography, namely Trials in Burma (1938), The Journey Outward (1952), Into Hidden Burma (1953) and The Journey Up (1970).