1. Introduction Andrew Harding; 2. Thai legal history: a brief literature review Rawin Leelapana, Andrew Harding and Eugenie Merieau; Part I. Traditional law and its modern resonances: 3. Thammasat, custom and royal authority in Siam's legal history Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit; 4. The history of the initial royal command: a reflection on the legal and political contexts of kingship and the modern state in Siam Kongsatja Suwanapech; 5. Buddhist influence on the ancient Siamese legal system, from Ayutthaya to the twenty-first century Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang; 6. A history of the Thai Le`se-Majeste´ law Eugenie Merieau; 7. Blood curse and belonging in Thailand: law, Buddhism and legal consciousness David M. Engel; Part II. Foreign influence and the reform period: 8. British judges in the supreme court of Siam Surutchada Reekie and Adam Reekie; 9. The fundamental misconception in the drafting of the Thai civil and commercial code of 1925 Munin Pongsapan; 10. The modernisation of Thai criminal law: from the 1908 penal code to the 1956 criminal code Kanaphon Chanhom; 11. Thai trust law: a legal import rooted in pragmatism Surutchada Reekie and Narun Popattanachai; 12. The history of Thai family laws: strong women and weak gender equality under the law Apinop Atipiboonsin; 13. The origins of Thailand's bureaucratic state and the consolidation of administrative justice Peter Leyland; 14. Siam and the standard of civilisation in the nineteenth century Krisdakorn Wongwuthikun and Naporn Popattanachai; Part III. Constitutional conflicts 1932–2017: 15. The Thai-style democracy in post-1932 Thailand and its challenges: a quest for nirvana of constitutional samsara in Thai legal history before 1997 Rawin Leelapatana; 16. Permutations of the basic structure: Thai constitutionalism and the democratic regime with the king as head Henning Glaser; 17. The 1991–1992 judicial crisis: personalities or principles? Duncan McCargo; 18. Without account: coups, amnesties and justice in Thailand Tyrell Haberkorn; Glossary; Index.