This is the story of how a motley succession of near-deranged Scotsmen developed and managed a fleet of steam packets on Burma's inland waterways, often against impossible odds.  If you are looking for an engaging overview of the country's colonial era, this is probably not the book for you.  If instead you have a passion for medium-speed engines and scotch boilers, this catalogue of futility in the sub-tropics should never leave your bedside.

• Hardcover - 195 pages