Krairoek Nana spent over one year collecting accounts of King Chulalongkorn's royal visits to Europe from 1897 onwards, using news reports and clippings from old magazines he had been gathering for around 30 years.
french lesson: 'La Diplomatie' on Sept 20, 1897, features King Rama V on the front page and writes about the reasons for his grand European tour that year.
The historian was fascinated by the first-hand descriptions of King Rama V's time in Europe, accompanied by old newspaper illustrations. "They showed the real implications of King Rama V's visit to Europe," said Mr Krairoek.
Official statements of the time generally described the reasons behind King Rama V's first tour to Europe in 1897 as being based in his wish to see Western civilisation and also to improve diplomatic relations with such countries.
However, letters between King Rama V and the Queen reveal that he did not only aspire to see the grandeur and prosperity of Europe. He explained his intentions in more detail with the Queen when he returned from his trip.
With limited available literature, historians continue to debate his intentions.
Several believe that his visit was mainly to draw inspiration from the West's modernisation to apply to Siam.
Last year Mr Krairoek released his latest book titled Siam and the World, exploring the rationale behind Rama V's visit to Europe, which he described himself as a "major political turning point" for Siam.
The picture book contains a variety of old illustrations that Mr Krairoek collected from old bookstores in Europe.
"If the owner has only one copy of an old magazine, he would not sell it to me. But sometimes some let me have a rare journal once they realise I'm a writer. I've been acquainted with many old book owners for many years."
These original copies have turned brown over time. Mr Krairoek keeps them under a plastic cover to protect the fragile pulp paper, which is over a century old.
These antique journals served as accounts of King Rama V's first trip to Europe, marking a drastic shift in political strategy from playing offence to seeking out political allies.
historic meeting: 'L'Illustration' shows a photo of King Rama V and Tsar Nicolas II of Russia taken in Saint Petersburg on Sept 11, 1897.
At the time, Siam's independence was facing threats from British and French powers who were expanding colonies in Asia to seek out precious resources.
"It was unusual for a king to travel outside his country [at that time], except to lead a war battle. Palace traditions required the king to stay in the country for security reasons," said Mr Krairoek.
However, King Rama V travelled extensively during his reign from 1868 to 1910.
In 1871, he became the first Siamese King to travel abroad during peacetime by visiting Singapore and Batavia/Java for orientation trips.
When the king was 35 years old, he began travelling abroad for more political reasons. He visited the northeastern states of Siam in 1888 and Singapore in 1896, setting the stage for his grand European trip one year later.
The French media at the time was critical of his tour, as shown in several articles. For instance, in La Revue de Paris newspaper, Henri Benoit wrote that the Thai king's tour was based on his sheer desperation to resist the expansion of French power in the region.
Mr Krairoek said the timing of the trip was directly linked to the 1893 crisis when France sent two warships called L'Inconstant and Comet to the Chao Phraya River in July, leading to a battle.
Siam was forced to cede territory along the eastern border towards France and paid a massive indemnity of three million francs.
It was then that the king realised it was impossible to fight Western troops by force. He began to seek out diplomatic allies to prevent future confrontations.
Chasing history: Krairoek Nana provides the geopolitical context for King Chulalongkorn's tour of Europe, in contrast to official statements from that time.
In 1896, the British and French governments agreed to keep Siam as a buffer state. When the king learned of the agreement, he thought that Siam should adjust its diplomatic stance by bridging relationships with monarchs in Russia and Germany to counter the influence of the British and the French.
The king's tour of Europe gained a great deal of attention from the European media.
On Sept 11, 1897, L'Illustration ran an image of King Rama V and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia on its front page. In the same month, The Illustrated London News published a picture of King Rama V meeting with Prince Bismarck in Germany.
Featured in Mr Krairoek's rare collection is the Sept 20, 1897, edition of La Diplomatie, a French-language newspaper that published an image of King Rama V on its front page, accompanied by a story saying the king was trying to address the disadvantages that the Siamese faced from the agreement with the French in 1893.
Mr Krairoek saw similarities between King Rama V's European trips to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej's visit to Western countries in 1960s. King Rama IX ascended the throne in 1946, one year after World War II ended. The Southeast Asian region, however, faced the Cold War afterwards.
"King Bhumibol also wanted to show the world that Siam was an equal partner with the others and had a long history as a nation," said Mr Krairoek.