Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, From Angkor Wat to East Timor is the premier and authoritative reference work covering the history of the region, which consists of Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines, and East Timor. Organized in a user-friendly, A-Z format, with entries ranging from brief descriptions to expansive essays, this comprehensive, pioneering three-volume work covers archaeology and prehistory, politics and culture, socioeconomics, ethno-history, language, institutions and organizations, wars and conflicts, personalities, geography, religions and folklore, and environment.

A list of the book's 130 contributors reads like a "who's who" of renowned Southeast Asianists, including Barbara Watson Andaya, David Chandler, John Gullick, V. T. King, Milton Osborne, Anthony Reid, Nicholas Tarling, Robert H. Taylor, Anthony Milner, Wang Gungwu, and many others. Writing for a nonspecialist audience, their work presents impeccable scholarship and incisive analysis in a style that is both informative and captivating.