Inside Knowledge: Streetwise in Asia by Michael Backman Published by Palgrave-Macmillan, 2005 Hardcover, 259 pages Inside Knowledge provides readers with a huge range of hard-to-find facts on Asia - the sort to provide readers with a greater than superficial understanding of how Asia works. The scope is wide: there are chapters on China, India, Southeast Asia, and the Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan and the other stans. CONTENTS Chapter 1        Introduction: Getting Streetwise Part I        Places Chapter 2.        You’re Who? Names in Asia Chapter 3         China Triumphant Chapter 4.        China in Crisis Chapter 5.        Asia’s Big New Frontier: The Stans of Central Asia Chapter 6.        The Stans in Detail Chapter 7.        Anwar Ibrahim: Malaysia’s Dark Cloud? Chapter 8.        Guns for Hire: Australian Expatriates Chapter 9.        Nepal: From Democracy to Dictatorship Part II Markets Chapter 10.        Outsourcing: It need not be India Chapter 11.        Asia’s Art Market: For Connections and Investment Chapter 12.        Singapore, Malaysia and the International Arms Market Chapter 13.        Asia’s Great Casino Invasion Chapter 14.        Diamonds, Jews and Jains Chapter 15.        From Starbucks to Coffeebean: Asia’s Coffeeshop Revolution Chapter 16.        The Peculiar Market for Birds’ Nests Chapter 17.        Wheeling and Dealing in Asian Distressed Debt Chapter 18.        The Secrets of Asia’s Five Star Hotels and their Guests Chapter 19.        Who Owns Patpong? Thailand’s Sex Industry Chapter 20.        Flowerhorn Fish, Huanghuali, Zi Beads & Bollywood Chapter 21.        Making Money & Avoiding Prejudice: Asia’s Parsis Chapter 22.        The ‘Exotic East’ and other Nonsense Notes Bibliography Index