Vietnam: Spirits of the Earth grew out of an unusual collaboration between noted author Frances FitzGerald (Fire in the Lake) & photojournalist Mary Cross. FitzGerald & Cross, both of whom have traveled repeatedly to Vietnam, revisited the country together in 1999, & from their extensive experience created this vivid & insightful look at Vietnam today. FitzGerald's Fire in the Lake is a classic work about Vietnam; winner of the Pulitzer Prize as well as the National Book Award, it has been continuously in print since 1972. In this new text, almost thirty years later, FitzGerald is no longer looking at Vietnam from the standpoint of the war, but delving back into the hidden Vietnam, to the villages where--she demonstrates--traditional culture is returning. Her substantial chronicle of cultural life in today's Vietnam is an eye-opening & fascinating read for anyone intrigued by this troubled & beautiful country. Of equal significance to this text is the portfolio of 100 color photographs by Mary Cross--photographs that cover all three regions of Vietnam (north, central, & south) & document the richness of the varied landscape, religious practices, customs, & modern life. From village festivals in the North to imperial tombs in Hue, from the urban landscape to the eternal landscape of the rice paddies--Cross's images explore both the accessible & inaccessible facets of this complex country.