'… a valuable and stimulating exercise in inserting the region into global history … a masterly synthesis of the evolution of mainland South East Asian States … this is an impressive and ambitious book, the product of great scholarly maturity, wide reading and considerable thought over many decades.' South East Asia Research

'This remarkable and original book will certainly become one of the most seminal and thought-provoking studies written in recent years on the history of pre-modern mainland Southeast Asia … This unique and ambitious approach has never been attempted before in such a consistent and comprehensive way.' H-Soz-u-Kult

'Lieberman has written an impressive work of great importance in the field of Southeast Asian history. It is certain that this book will stimulate further debate among historians specialised in the region and, probably, also in world history. His work has opened a new window of approaches to Southeast Asian history, and deserves to be highly recommended.' IIAS Newsletter