New Arrivals at The Penang Bookshelf in October 2019

New Arrivals at The Penang Bookshelf

in

October 2019

(Last Updated 31-10-19)

• Each book advertised below includes a brief description of its contents and condition as well as the price in Malaysian Ringgit. If you want a fuller description of a used book's condition, to look at the scanned contents page, if any, and/or to find out the price in USD, please click on the link in blue for the relevant book. 
• If you click on a link after the current month and find nothing, the book's been sold.  
• Of course, if you want to buy anything you see here, you can either do so from the site or contact me at penangbookshelf@gmail.com. 
• This page will be updated constantly until the end of the month.
• The prices shown here hold good for at least this month, but for out of print books, the prices may change in subsequent months.
• All prices include free postage to anywhere in Malaysia. 
• Orders for Singapore also shipped free, where the order weighs more than 3 kg. Other orders from selected customers in Singapore will also be shipped free, by a refund of the shipping charge.

Malaysia & Singapore - Architecture

Singapore House, 1819-1942 - Lee Kip Lin   RM100

A comprehensive guide to the variety of Singapore domestic architecture from the early 19th century until the outbreak of World War II. The work is sumptuously illustrated with colour and black and white photographs and architectural drawings. Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. First Edition. 231 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.

The Malay House - Lim Jee Yuan  RM170

It's often a complaint of Western visitors to tropical climates that so many buildings appear run down and dirty. Few realise that one of the reasons for this is because the buildings they see are attempts to replicate Western architecture in a climate to which it isn't suited. In this work Lim shows us what Malaysian imitators of Western architectural styles have lost, i.e. a system of housing designed for comfort in Malaysia's environment through the experience of many centuries. 152 pages. Chapters include - 1. Introduction, 2 - The Malaysian Background, 3 - The Houseform, 4 - Design and Layout, 5 - Beutiful Malay Houses, 6 - Adapting to the Climate, 7 - In Harmony with the People's Way of Life, 8 - The Compound and the Kampong, 9 - Building the Malay House, 10 - Extending the House: The Addition System, 11 -Changes, Threats and Constraints & 12 - The Future of the Malay House. There are also copious illustrations, a glossary and a bibliography. Very Good Paperback. First Edition

Malaysia & Singapore - Arts & Crafts

The Crafts of Malaysia - Sulaiman Othman & Others   RM160

A comprehensive review of Malaysian craft work from the past to the present. The authors of each section of the book, who  are recognised authorities in their specialised area of crafts, have chosen both items from various museums in Malaysia, but also pieces that are being produced in workshops in various parts of the country today. Near Fine Hardback in a Near Fine Dust Jacket in a Very Good Slip Case. First Edition. 240 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.

Malaysia & Singapore - Biography & Memoirs

A Curious Life for a Lady: The Story of Isabella Bird - Pat Barr  RM50

This is the travel biography of Isabella Bird, the author of The Golden Chersonese and the Way Thither, who spent much of her first forty years of her life as a pious Victorian parson's daughter studying hymns. It was therefore surprising that she then burst out of such homely confinements to become a tireless international traveller, usually alone. Most of her travels were to parts of Asia where European influence was not well established. In the late 1870s she visited Malaya shortly after the Pangkor Agreement. Good Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1970. 347 pages with a list of sources and an index.



Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters from the Malay Archipelago - J van Wyhe & Anor   RM100

A collection of letters written to and by Wallace on his journey from England to Singapore at the start of his momentous journey around the Malay Archipelago. His correspondents include the naturalists Darwin, Bates and Hookers as well as family and friends. With a Foreword by David Attenborough. 319 pages. New Paperback Reprint  







Frederick Weld - Jeanine Graham  SOLD

This is the biography of one of the more unusual Governors of the Straits Settlements, in that he had been a prime minister, of New Zealand, before taking office in Malaya. He was also one of the longest serving governors. He was also a reasonably accomplished artist. 225 pages with several maps, a bibliography and an index. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. First Edition 

Malaysia No Problem Lah!: Four Years in Malaysia and Southeast Asia A Diary - Maria and Richard Yates   RM60

The authors' account of their stay in Malaysia while working in Shah Alam, Selangor between 1987 and 1993. It is based on their diaries and letters at the time and gives a vivid account of the joys and frustrations of adapting to a different culture. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket First Edition. 276 pages with some black and white photographs








Six Years in the Malay Jungle - Carveth Wells  RM60

A no nonsense account of a young man's experiences as a surveyor for roads and railways in Kedah and Kelantan between 1913 and 1918. Wells was an entertaining and observant writer mixing stories of recipes for gin slings with lots of information on the flora and fauna, much of which he presumably had to clear out of his way to get his job done. Very Good Paperback Reprint 255 pages with a bibliography. 







Tidemarks: Some Records of a Journey to the Beaches of the Moluccas and the Forest of Malaya in 1923 - HM Tomlinson   RM50

A journalist's account of his travels around Malaya in the 1920s. 318 pages. Fair Hardback. Reprint. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Boats, Fishing & The Sea

The Fishing Industry of Singapore - TW Burdon  RM80

Burdon, a former Director of Fisheries, Singapore, sets out to explain how the market for fish in the city and Malaya generally at that time operates from the fishermen, their boats through to the fish market itself. The book was written at a time when it was thought fish prices were high. Very Good First Edition. Paperback   52 pages.







The Pirate Wind: Tales of the Sea-Robbers of Malaya - Owen Rutter  RM120

This book provides an account of piracy in Malayan seas during the 18th and 19th centuries with accounts of the principal characters disrupting trade at the time. Eventually the pirates' ingenuity was no match for the might of British frigates who after a protracted struggle tamed the seas.A  292-page book including 18 picture illustrations and 5 maps.  Very Good Paperback. Reprint.

Second Copy  RM100
Very Good Paperback. Reprint.



The Straits Steamship Fleets - WA Laxon   RM220

The Straits Steamship Company, based in Singapore, but with subsidiaries elsewhere in the Malay Archipelago, dominated regional shipping in the area for more than 100 years. The author has painstakingly scoured the company's and others' records to compile a catalogue of the history and specifications of each of the vessels used, usually with an accompanying photograph. New Paperback 185 pages with an index

Borneo

A River in Borneo - Peter Gauld  RM220

A moving account of the author's journey upriver on the Temburong River on the borders between Brunei and Sarawak. This is a limited edition, number 77 of 200. 77 pages with 26 wood engravings by the author. Very Good Paperback.








Borneo Jungle: An Account of the Oxford Expedition to Sarawak - Tom Harrisson   RM160

This entertaining account gives us an insight as to what a group of Englishmen get up to in their early 20s amongst Kayans, Punans and other tribes in the Borneo jungle. They also managed to undertake some scientific work on behalf of The Oxford Exploration Club. 254 pages including appendices and index. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.Very Good Paperback. Reprint 






The Borneo Story - Henry Longhurst   RM180

This is a history of the first 100 years of the Borneo Company, not to be confused with the North Borneo Chartered Company. The Borneo Company, with the backing, rather than the participation, of the Brooke family, was established in London in 1856, mainly to exploit mining possibilities in Sarawak. It later expanded to Thailand and Indonesia before merging with what is now Inchcape Plc. Very Good Hardback First Edition 120 pages with some black and white photographs




The Pagan Tribes of Borneo – Two Volumes - Charles Hose & William McDougall  RM400

This collaboration between Hose, a seasoned civil servant in the Brooke administration, and McDougall, an anthropologist, who had visited Sarawak, is based on more than a decade's research. Whereas Ling Roth's earlier The Natives of Sarawak and British North Borneo was a collection of others' research, this work was resulted from research by the authors mainly in the Baram and Rejang Districts. . 211 black and white plates and three maps . . Good Hardback Reprint. Originally published in 1912. 283  and 374 pages and an index 




The Tamu: Sabah's Native Market - Chong Han San & Low Ai Fuah   RM80

For centuries the 'tamu' or market has been a regular place to buy goods, exchange information and maintain friendships in Sabah. In this book the authors take the reader on a colourful photographic tour of the main tamu in the state. 134 pages with an appendix of the main markets and the relevant market days. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. New Paperback. First Edition. 

Wanderings in the Great Forests of Borneo - Odoardo Beccari  RM150

Beccari was an Italian botanist who roamed about Borneo at the end of the first Brooke's time there. While the book is mainly concerned with recording Borneo's unique wildlife habitat before the developments of the 20th century, it also gives useful insights into life in Sarawak at the end of the rule of the first Rajah Brooke. This is a facsimile reprint of the original with over sixty black and white plates and line drawings and three maps. Although there's obviously lots of botanical information in the account of his wanderings that forms the main part of the book, Beccari ends the book with a 40 page appendix on the Bornean Rain Forest itself.Very Good Paperback  424 pages including an index.

Malaysia & Singapore - Business, Economics & Labour

A Geography of Trade and Development in Malaya - PP Courtenay  RM150

The main focus of this book is an examination of the development of a regionally specialised export economy where there was little Government intervention and how that changed with increased Government planning after World War II.  Please see the scan of the contents page for further details. 286 pages.Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. First Edition 

The Economy of Malaya: An Essay in Colonial Political Economy - TH Silcock   RM70

When Silcock wrote this book he was Professor of Economics at the University of Malaya. The purpose of the book was to give the general reader a survey of the economy with suggestions as how the Malayan economy stood when the book was written and what might happen in the future. In doing so Silcock was not shy in expressing his political views. 57 pages. Very Good Paperback First Edition






The War of Oils - K Gurunathan   RM100

This book chronicles the dastardly plot by the American Soybean Association in the 1980s to brand palm oil, Malaysia's major export, as injurious to health. The Malaysian palm oil industry produced research findings to dispute this, resulting in a dismissal of the claim by the US Food and Drug Administration. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket.  First Edition 88 pages. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Chinese Community & Culture

Tales of Chinatown - Sit Yin Fong  RM50

The author was the first Asian to be a news editor of an English language newspaper in Singapore or British Malaya. In the 1950s he wrote the Week-Ender column introducing readers to Chinese life in Singapore at the time. This book is a selection of those articles illustrated by TH Peng on subjects such as 'Fortunes Made from Nothing', 'Magic Medicine is Cat and Mouse Game', Posh Mahjong Parlours Are Resorts of Love' and much more. 246 pages. Good Paperback. Reprint.

The Chinese in Malaya - Victor Purcell   RM200

Purcell, drawing on the experiences of his twenty year career in the Malayan Civil Service, including being Principal Adviser on Chinese Affairs immediately after World War II, produced the first study of the Chinese community in the country. 327 pages. The book is divided into the following parts I - Early History, II - Special Aspects of the Chinese in Malaya & III - Recent Developments, 1939-46. There is an appendix on the Baba Language, two appendices on population statistics, one on the sex ratio amongst the different races, another on Chinese clan divisions, a bibliography, index and two pages of maps including a pull out one.. Very Good Paperback. Reprint of the 1948 edition

Malaysia & Singapore - Cooking & Food

The “Mems” Own Cookery Book - WE Kinsey   RM300

If there was ever an example of trying to preserve 'home standards' by the good expatriate ladies of empire, this is it. Almost all the 420 recipes are good old English stodge with hardly a trace of spice or chilli and all have been tried and tested  in Malaya - with 'no scales required.' The main purpose of the book, as stated in the preface, is to get 'mems' cooking so as 'to combat the pernicious policy of the native cooks who not only overcharge, but generally will not produce (these dishes), or attempt to raise non-existent difficulties.' 171 pages with a few advertisements of the period. Good Hardback. Third Edition. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Education

Demokrasi Pendidikan: Dilema Sekolah Kecil dan Sekolah Berpusat - Mohd Yusoff Mohd Nor & Sufean Hussin   RM60

Buku ini adalah karya dalam bidang Kajian Analisis Dasar, satu bidang yang terarah kepada penghasilan ilmu, falsafah, teori, dan gelagat manusia dalam arena sosial-politik untuk pencapaian hasrat, matlamat, dan kerpertuan hdup. Ribuan dasar telah dicipta oleh manusia dalam pelbagai latar masyarakat sejak zaman-berzaman bagi mentadbir dan menguruskan urusan keperluan hidup manusia dalam pelbagai hal; dari hal agama hinggalah ke hal alam sekitar. New Paperback. First Edition. 224 pages with a bibliography and index.

Malaysia & Singapore - Fiction

The Tiger and the Leopardess - Ho Khong Ming  RM50

Set in the bucolic past of rural Malaysia, this novel traces the events that followed the attack of an old tiger on a boy. The reactions of the villagers and the animal kingdom play on each other eventually reaching a climactic clash. 194 pages. New Paperback. First Edition.

Malaysia & Singapore - Guide Books

Street Smart Singapore - David. Brazil  RM80

A tongue-in-cheek look at Singapore's history, using various buildings and monuments as starting points. Originally published in 1991 and subsequently published as 'Singapore Savvy.' Very Good Hardback. Reprint. 288 pages with a bibliography and index

Malaysia & Singapore - History (20th Century)

May 13:Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969-Kua Kia Soong   RM120

The banning of a book or, as in this case, the threat of banning can never be bad for sales. As a result one of the most important works on Malaysian post-independence history has been republished. The significance of the book is that through use of British documents, declassified under the 30 year rule, the author has been able to overturn the myth that the riots were spontaneous. Instead the author postulates that they were the result of darker political maneuverings within the governing party. 152 pages. The Chapters include - 1 - The Alliance Racial Formula, 2 - The 1969 General Elections, 3 - Record of The Riots, 4 - Foreign Assessments of The Regime Change, 5 - The New Malay Ruling Class. There are also notes and a selected bibliography. Near Fine Paperback. First Edition 

Malaysia & Singapore - Journalism

The Straits Times Annual for 1960   RM400

The annual review of life in Malaya by the country's leading newspaper  at a time when the 'Emergency'  was simmering and the country was taking stock of the People's Action Party's decisive election win in the previous year . With numerous black and white and colour photos, 118 pages of  which 80 are articles by well known writers of the time. The remainder are advertisements.  Please see photo of the contents page for a list of the chapters. Very Good Magazine




The Straits Times Annual of 1961   RM600

 The annual of the premier newspaper of Malaya and Singapore in the 1960s where a selection of authoritative figures contributed well illustrated articles about the country, its culture and peoples. 80 pages with colour and black and white photographs and 36 additional pages of advertisements. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. Very Good Paperback. First Edition 

Malaysia & Singapore - Malay Community & Culture

Kongsi Gelap Melayu Di Negeri-Negeri Utara Pantai Barat Semenanjung Tanah Melayu - Mahani Musa

Kajian penting ini asal usul dan pekembangan kongsi gelap Melayu di bahagian utara Semenanjung Tanah Melayu antara tahun 1821 dan 1941. Pengarang menumpukan perhatian kepada berberapa buah pertubuhan, termasuk Bendera Merah dan Benderah Putih di Pulau Pinang, Perak dan Kedah.   New Paperback. Reprint 








The Kris: Mystic Weapon of the Malay World - Edward Frey  RM300

The Malay kris (keris) is probably unique among weapons in that it is fairly useless in combat because of an inherent design fault. Nevertheless for many Malays it is a symbol of their culture because of its supposed supernatural powers and place in Malay legend. In this amply illustrated book, Frey not only looks at the knife's origins and varieties of design but also explains why and how it came to assume this semi-hallowed status. Very Good Hardback. Second Edition Reprint of the 1988 edition 74 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.

Melaka

The Conquest of Malacca (Trans. Edgar Knowlton) - Francisco de Sa de Meneses   RM300

This is not so much a historical account of Albuquerque's conquest of Malacca, but rather a poem written just over a hundred years after the event. The main purpose was to inspire Portuguese of the 18th century to emulate the feats of their ancestors. 234 pages including a bibliography and glossaries. Very Good Hardback in a similar Dust Jacket.

Malaysia & Singapore - Nature, Wildlife & The Environment

Wasted Lives: Radioactive Poisoning in Bukit Merah - Consumers' Association of Penang  RM50

This is the story of residents' action in Bukit Merah, Perak, Malaysia, following the discovery in 1982 that Asian Rare Earth, a multinational, partly owned by Mitsubishi, had been dumping radioactive waste in open spaces in the area for years. The book traces the effects on the residents, their legal case against the company and a ten year struggle to overcome 'corporate culpability and government indifference. New Paperback. First Edition. 132 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. 





Wild Mammals of Malaya - Lord Medway   RM130

A listing of the 199 species of wild land mammals known to be in the Malay peninsula and off shore islands, including Singapore at the time of publication. Information on distribution, identification, habits, voice, breeding, life history and subspecies are given together with their English, Malay and Latin names. 127 pages with a bibliography, index and fifteen colour plates Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket. First Edition. 

Malaysia - Orang Asli/Indigenous Peoples

Healing Sounds from the Malaysian Rainforest Temiar Music and Medicine - Marina Roseman   RM140

Blending her skills as an ethnomusicologist and anthropologist, the author explores the interaction between Temiar music and healing. Although primarily an academic work, Roseman's evocative style is sufficiently rich and evocative to enable the reader to better understand the cultural logic of an effective therapeutic system that sustains the reclusive forest dwellers in Perak and Kelantan. 233 pages with some black and white plates, a discography, a bibliography, glossary and index.  Near Fine Hardback in an As New Dust Jacket. First Edition

Tradition in Tension: Carving in a Jah Hut Community - Marie-Andree Couillard   RM150

The author went to live with and study a Jah Hut  Orang Asli/indigenous community for her master's thesis in the late 1970s. What she found was a community which was trying to cope with the loss of their former forest habitat through carving figures for tourists and other outsiders. This occupation had started some 20 years earlier and Couillard hoped to discover what effect this new source of income had on the lifestyle of former hunters and gatherers.135 pages. There are chapters on The Craft of Carving, The Religious Background, The Healing Ceremonies, The Iconography, Relationship to Natural Resources, Relationship to the Wider Jah Hut Community, Jah Hut Carvers and the Outside World. There are also line drawings, black and white photographs, maps, a bibliography, a glossary and an index. Near Fine Paperback. First Edition

Penang

Penang Thaipusam – A Journey of Faith - N Arumugam & Others  RM150

Penang is at its most vibrant and colourful during the annual celebration of Thaipusam by Hindus from both the city and many other parts of Malaysia. This book not only chronicles the history of the celebration on the island since the arrival of Indians in the wake of the establishing of a British outpost there in the 18th century but also outlines both the significance of the celebration and the rituals observed. New Hardback First Edition. 164 pages with many contemporary and historical photographs For further details, please see the scanned contents page

Perak

Social Relations of Dependence in a Malay State: Nineteenth Century Perak - Patrick Sullivan  RM250

At the time this book was published it was hailed as a novel approach to Malayan history in general and Perak history, in particular. Sullivan adopts a mixed historiographical and and anthropological approach to study the functioning of slavery and debt-bondage in the state prior to their abolition by the British in 1883. 88 pages with maps tables, appendices and a bibliography. Very Good Paperback. First Edition. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Peranakan/Straits Chinese

A Baba Wedding - Cheo Kim Ban    RM60

The Babas and Nyonyas, or Straits Chinese, are the descendants of early Chinese immigrants and their Malay host community. In the course of time their culture has evolved into a heritage distinct from their Chinese and Malay compatriots in Malaysia and Singapore. One of the central features of this culture was the wedding which used to take place over several days, but now occasionally takes place in an abbreviated form. This book is the result of of oral and written research by the author so as to reconstruct such weddings through informed text and colour illustrations. 110 page. Very Good Paperback. Reprint 

Malaysia & Singapore - Politics

Malaysian Political Myths - Kua Kia Soong    RM120

A collection of previously published articles by one of Malaysia's leading political activists and trenchant commentators. The general theme is an examination of what the author saw as the myths underpinning the Malaysian politics at the end of the 20th century. Very Good Paperback. Reprint. This book was originally published in 1986 with the title 'Of Myths and Mystifications.' 292 pages 

Malaysia & Singapore - Race Relations

Racism & Discrimination in Malaysia: A Historical and Class Perspective - Kua Kia Soong   RM60

Although Malaysia can give the appearance of being a company at ease with its pluralism, this book argues that this is far from the case. Backed up by meticulous research the author takes us through the history of racism from pre-colonial time up to the present day. In his conclusion and a subsequent appendix he provides suggestions as to how the racism that he states pervades the economy, politics and society can be stopped in its tracks. New Paperback. First Edition  321 pages with a bibliography and index. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Religion

Islamic Statehood and Maqasid al-Shariah in Malaysia: A Zero-Sum Game? - Beng Phar Kim  RM90

An interesting analysis of the discussions about establishing an Islamic state in Malaysia, where the author argues that each party 'tries to out-Islamise' each other with a very feeble grasp as to what shari'ah law is all about. Instead of being a vehicle for punishing and policing Muslims, shari'ah is in fact dynamic and has been and still is subject to constant interpretation. New Paperback  64 pages with a bibliography. 

Malaysia & Singapore - Transport

Singapore: A History of Its Trams Trolleybuses and Buses: 1880's to 1960's v. 1 - FW York & A.R Phillips   RM150

It was not until 1886 that Singapore had the benefit of the beginnings of a tram system, powered by steam, although there probably were a few buses before this. In this book a couple of enthusiasts have compiled what must be the most comprehensive account of public transport on the island during this period. 256 pages . Near Fine Hardback. First Edition For further details, please see the scanned contents page

Malaysia & Singapore - World War II

Malay-Muslims, Islam, and the Rising Sun: 1941-1945 -Abu Talib Ahmad   RM200

In what is arguably the first in depth study of the Malay community's reaction to the Japanese occupation, the author relying on both oral and documentary accounts produces a nuanced picture of the   Malay experience. Amongst other topics, he tackles resistance to and collaboration with the occupation and the role of Islam during the period. 276 pages with a bibliography and index. Very Good First Edition Hardback 





Singapore to Freedom – Oswald W Gilmour  RM150

A first hand account of the last days before Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942. This is followed by the author's account of his escape to Sumatra. The author was a civil servant serving in Singapore. Good Hard Back in a Fair Dust Jacket. First Edition. 128 pages with 22 black and white photographs and a list of other civilians who either escaped, were captured or were missing. 

Asia

A New Deal for Asia - Mahathir Mohamad   RM120

This book is Mahathir Mohamad's recipe for revitalising Asia after the financial crisis at the end of the twentieth century. He appeals for a united front to challenge some of the fundamentals of globalisation. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket . First Edition.








Armoured Warfare in the Far East 1937 - 1945 - Anthony Tucker-Jones   RM120

This a mainly photographic record of armed warfare in Asia during World War II, where it was more common for tanks to act as support for the infantry rather than going into battle against other tanks. The battle areas covered include Burma, China, Malaya, Manchuria and Mongolia. New Paperback, First Edition. 144 pages. 








Malay Seals from the Islamic World of Southeast Asia - Annabel Teh Gallop   RM450

Consulting this book helps the reader understand the importance of the 'chop' - usually the ubiquitous rubber stamp today - in many parts of Southeast Asia. Seals in this region, as well as elsewhere, were a vital guarantee of of a document's authenticity. In this meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated book, the author, the head of the Southeast Asia section at the British Museum, catalogues more than 2,000 of such seals from present-day Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand from the 16th to the 20th centuries. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket. 785 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.



Muslim Jurisprudence and the Qur'anic Law of Crimes - Mir Waliullah   RM100

A text book by the former principal of the Law College at Peshawar University for students of Islamic law. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket. Reprint. 160 pages.










Southeast Asian Plays - Cheryl Robson & Aubrey Mellor (eds)  RM140

A collection of modern plays originally in or translated into English from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. New Paperback. First Edition. 348 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.

China

Red-Color News Soldier - Li Zhensheng    RM60

A unique and, at times, disturbing account of the Chinese Cultural Revolution through the lens of a professional Chinese newspaper photographer. He was based in Harbin in China's northernmost province, Heilongjiang, where most of these photographs were taken. Very Good Soft back. First Edition. 316 pages with a chronology and index. 

India

Cornwallis in Bengal - A Aspinall   RM330

Although Cornwallis' term as Governor of the Bengal Presidency was short, less than a decade, he oversaw considerable changes that cemented British control in India and began to extend its influence further East. There was a permanent settlement of the land revenues of Bengal, Tipu Sultan of Mysore was defeated, the Indian Civil Service was created, Penang was founded and the first English embassy was sent to China. In this book, Aspinall concentrates on his internal reforms and ends the book with a look at the British East India Company's trade and the establishment of Penang. Good First Edition Hardback. 210 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. 



Diversities in the Indian Diaspora: Nature, Implications, Responses - N. Jayaram  RM130

A collection of contributions looking at the diversity of the Indian diaspora. One principal divide is, of course, 'the old diaspora' mainly of indentured labour, but not always so, and 'the new diaspora' which is often middle class and university educated. The contributors look at both the diaspora generally and individual groups e.g. Brahmins, Jains, Punjabis and Sikhs, and areas of settlement, e.g. French Overseas Territories, Malaysia, Mauritius and Southeast Asia generally. 250 pages with some figures and tables. New Paperback Reprint.





The Ministry of Utmost Happiness - Arundhati Roy  RM50

Arundhati Roy's follow up to the Book Prize-winning God of Small Things. A novel that brings out India's rich culture interwoven with fantasy.  Very Good Paperback. 445 pages.

Philippines

The Sulu Zone, 1768-1898 - James Francis Warren   RM100

With its focus on the Sulu Sultanate from the mid eighteenth century to the end of the following century, this classic work reveals the effects of increasing Western interference and the China trade on the last autonomous Malayo-Muslim maritime state. The book is unusual in that contemporaneous records have been used not only to examine state actions and structures, but also to bring to light the effects of change on farmers, fishermen, traders and slaves in the area. The book is divided into three parts - I -Patterns of Trading, II - Patterns of Raiding & III - Slavery. New Paperback 390 pages with appendices, notes, a glossary, a bibliography and an index. New Paperback Reprint of the 2007 Second Edition

Thailand

Love, Money and Obligation: Transnational Marriage in a Northeastern Thai Village - Patcharin Lapanun   RM120

This interesting study looks at what the effect of Thai women marrying foreigners has on the brides' home villages. Based on in depth research in one village, the author demonstrates not only the changes such marriages bring to local class structures, but also dispels the myth that such marriages are generally little more than sex trafficking. 198 pages with a bibliography, index and some black and white plates.  New Paperback. First Edition.