Blog Archive

Thursday 3 November 2022

New Arrivals at The Penang Bookshelf in November 2022 (Updated 30-11-2022)

 

New Arrivals at The Penang Bookshelf

in

November 2022

(Last Updated 30-11-2022)
  • 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.

Malaysia & Singapore - Agriculture


Although products of the oil palm are now a major source of Malaysia's foreign exchange earnings, the palm was not cultivated commercially in Malaya until 1917 by Henri Fauconnier, who is better known as the author of one of the best known novels about the country, The Soul of Malaya. This book, originally compiled by three agriculturalists, was therefore probably one of the first attempts at producing a planting manual distilling the experience of what was then a little more than ten years of growing the plant in the country. While the original edition saw the country with 60,000 acres under oil palm, by the time this updated edition was published, the area under cultivation had increased to 200,00 acres.  255 pages including many illustrations, graphs, plans and a fold out map. Near Fine Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. Revised Edition.

Malaysia & Singapore - Architecture


Following on from a wider study of ways of regenerating waterfront cities in the United Kingdom, United States and Korea and Singapore, a group of Malaysian planners set out to use the lessons learned in the Malaysian context. Basing their study on Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Terengganu, Melaka, George Town, Johor Bahru and Kuching, the authors look at how ports, which have often become brownfield sites, can be revived to play their part in the life of the hinterland. New Paperback. First Edition. 175 pages with a bibliography, index, plans and many mainly colour illustrations

Malaysia & Singapore - Armed Forces & Policing


As with many imperial enterprises, the British relied on those they had already subjugated to help them expand further afield to subjugate a few more. Here Harfield details how the British empire in Asia expanded eastwards from its base in India so as to become a major power in the Malay Archipelago. Both British and Indian troops fought side by side so as to threaten the established Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese spheres of influence. Near Fine Hardback in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. First Edition. 411 pages with some maps and black and white plates. For further details please see the scanned contents page


Malaysia & Singapore - Arts & Crafts


The book is a comprehensive survey of the particular type of porcelain made in China to the specifications of the Peranakan or Straits Chinese communities of Malaya. The author has been a collector of the ware for more than forty years. It is illustrated throughout with colour photographs with accompanying text giving technical details and explaining the relevance of each particular piece to different customs of the community. 256 pages including a bibliography and index. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket The book's chapters include 1 - Chinese Export Wares and Trade Routes, 2 - The Peranakan Chinese Community, 3 - Peranakan Porcelain Types and Origins, 4 - Motifs and Colours, 5 - Forms and Functions, 6 - Other Export Wares in Peranakan Homes


Charles Dyce was an amateur artist of the 19th century, making visual and written records of places he visited. This book is a collection of his work from the National University of Singapore Museums and covers his travels in Singapore, Malacca, Penang and Batavia. Among the paintings are views of the land from a ship's deck, trading towns, colonial settlements and beautiful countryside. Near Fine Hardback in a New Dust Jacket 127 pages with appendix, bibliography and acknowledgments

Malaysia & Singapore - Biography & Memoirs


This book covers a little reported aspect of British colonial rule in Malaya, i.e. the operation of the customs service, established at the beginning of the 20th century. Its main function initially was to regulate the opium trade, which, for most of the century, accounted for about 50% of the Government's revenue. From 1946 onwards the service switched to functioning as an ant-narcotics unit, amongst its other duties. The author was a customs officer and bases this history on his own and fellow officers' experiences as well as Government records. Very Good Hardback. in a Very Good Dust Jacket. First Edition 298 pages with some black and white plates and an index.


This book is a a very personal account of the life of a prominent Ipoh lawyer who lived in Malaya from the late 1920s until his death in 1956. His two outstanding qualities were his contributions to poetry and literature and his ability to mix with people from all walks of life, backgrounds and races. He was also the founder and first president of the Badminton Association of Malaya.  The book traces his life from his early years in Dublin, through his practice and life in Ipoh, internment under the Japanese and the resumption of his Ipoh practice after the war. Near Fine Hardback in a Near Fine Dustjacket 218 pages including appendices of his writings.


This is the autobiography of a scholar and  resident of Malacca in the 19th century. He was an associate of several East India Company officers, including Raffles, and so provides a rare account, from a local viewpoint, of the time when the British were rapidly extending their influence on the Peninsula. This translation includes the main work, Volume I, and the smaller Volume II, but is only in English with an extensive introduction, many useful notes and a commentary. The book also contains 7 pages of maps of the Peninsula and Malacca at the time, a 27 page introducing, including a family tree and a page of the original text, and also some line drawings . There is also an index. Very Good Paperback First Edition 345 pages with an index and maps. 


Russell, a printer with the prestigious London Illustrated News, was tempted by an offer from the British Government's Crown Agent to set up peninsula Malaya's first printing press in 1890. The result was the publication of the Selangor Journal, the State's first newspaper. Clague recounts Russell's life which gives interesting glimpses of some of the more colourful characters of the time as well as insights into how British entrepreneurship fitted into the developing colonial grip on the country. The book was published by one of Russell's descendants, who allowed the author access to family material. Near Fine Paperback First Edition 215 pages. The book also has some black and white photographs of the time and a skeleton index


A collection of Swettenham's, mainly autobiographical, notes and some observations from his time in Malaya. Near Fine Paperback 216 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details








The book is an account of the work of Pat Noone and subsequently his brother, Richard, amongst the Temiar people of Malaya. At the time Pat went to live with them and found a bride amongst them before World War II little was known about this group of Orang Asli (Indigenous People.) Pat disappeared mysteriously while living with the Temiar, so when Richard was given the task of weaning the tribes away from the Communist insurgents, he hoped he would also be able to find what happened to his brother. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. Book Club Edition. Originally published in 1958 253 pages with some black and white plates.


First published in 1954, this is one of the first more balanced biographies of Sir Stamford Raffles. The author's interest in his subject started when he was based in Singapore as, inter alia, the chairman of the Straits Steamship Company. After he retired, he made a point of collecting everything he could about Raffles, particularly Dutch sources, which had never been consulted in biographies prior to this one. Very Good Paperback Reprint 788 pages.


Borneo


One of the first comprehensive histories of Sarawak under Brooke rule with a preface by Charles Brooke. Fine Hardback. Facsimile Reprint Originally published in 1909 464 pages. with an index, some black and white plates and maps on the inside covers and end papers







Evans was a pioneering ethnographer and archaeologist in North Borneo and on the Malay Peninsula. Originally published in 1922, this book is an enthusiastic account of his experiences and findings in the place he was happiest, present day Sabah. The book is not full of dry academic detail as Evans was an enchanting writer. Near Fine Paperback Reprint. Originally published in 1922 313 pages with a pull out map.





A collection of folk tales and customs of the indigenous peoples of Sabah, formerly North Borneo. They were originally collected by the school's Folklore Club. Very Good Paperback. First Edition 65 pages with some line drawings








Woolley, a career civil servant with the North Borneo Chartered Company, was a noted ethnographer and photographer as well. His legacy includes his work in formalising adat, traditions, of the indigenous peoples. This is one of his publications that deals with the inheritance laws of the Dusun, otherwise known as Kadazan, practiced on the West coast of what is now known as Sabah, close to the capital. Good Paperback. 21 pages.





A collection of essays by both established and younger anthropologists introducing the reader to the social organisation of a number of Borneo peoples. In addition to describing the significant social features of these societies, the monographs also consider certain theoretical problems in the analysis of cognatic societies. Near Fine Paperback First Edition 256 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.






For thirty years prior to the publication of this book the author has visited and lived in Borneo as a geologist, anthropologist and historian. In this collection of essays his focus is on several small tribes living in the MĂ¼ller Mountains in Indonesian Borneo, particularly the Aoheng. Very Good Paperback. First Edition 221 pages For further details please see the scanned contents page.





This is one of the first books that attempts to chart the political emergence of the Malay community between the end of the rule of the Brooke family through to the merging of the state with the Malaysian Union. The community, like many others, was not unanimously enthusiastic about joining the union, although it eventually licked its wounds picked up from internal splits and united in the Parti Bumiputera to accept the new nation state. Good Hardback. First Edition. 166 pages.



This book is an essay on the history of the Ibans based on oral materials. Three themes were discussed chronologically - pioneer settlement in the area of Sarawak's Second Division, a phase of additional Iban settlement and consolidation in the river valleys and contact with coastal societies and migrations to other parts of Sarawak. A great book which outlining the traditions of Ibans. . 134 pages with appendix, notes, maps and photos. Good Hardback First Edition




Runciman, best known for his majestic history of the Crusades, embarked on the more recent history of the Brooke family with some trepidation since many of the characters of the story were either recently dead or still living. Despite being invited by the then Governor to write the book and being given access to Government archives and support from the surviving members of the Brooke family, he manages to produce one of the earliest balanced accounts of the reigns of the three Rajahs. Very Good Hardback First Edition 320 pages including about 10 black and white plates, notes, a bibliography, a glossary and an index.


One of the leading historians of the Brooke period in Sarawak gives a popular well illustrated account of the extraordinary history of this family and the peoples who became their unwitting subjects. 144 pages. Near Fine Hardback in a Fine Dust Jacket For further details, please see the scanned contents page.




Malaysia & Singapore - Business, Economics & Labour


As with every other thriving commercial centre in Malaysia, the role played by Chinese entrepreneurs was and is significant. Here the authors detail the history of the main Chinese commercial association in the country's commercial capital. The chamber was founded at a time when other institutions representative of the community were beginning to weaken and continues to play an important role in the capital city's life today. New Hardback. First Edition. 216 pages with a bibliography, index and many black and white and colour plates.

Malaysia & Singapore - Chinese Community & Culture


In this book the author looks at the Communist insurgency in Sarawak, which began later than the insurgency on the mainland and lasted until until peace accords in 1990. He argues that the existence of the small force was used by the Malaysian Government as a means of punishing the Chinese community, particularly the Hakka Chinese, generally. Research for the book was based on contemporary documents and interviews with survivors. New Paperback First Edition. 242 pages with a biography and an index. 


Malaysia & Singapore - Cinema, Dance, Drama & Music


A catalogue describing the collection of Wayang Siam puppets acquired by the British Museum in 1969 from Awang Lah, perhaps the best known dalang of his time. Near Fine Paperback First Edition 80 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.








A collection of five plays, 'The Corpse,' 'Puppets','Jebat', 'The Chair' and 'The Station' written over a ten year period from the mid 1970s onwards. New Paperback. First English Language Edition. 222 pages,






Malaysia & Singapore - The 'Emergency'


The author became the youngest ever commander of a fort and platoon operating deep within territory controlled by the communist insurgents during the Malayan 'Emergency.' Here he gives his 'no holds barred' account of life in a jungle where wild animals, ants, relentless rain and an unfamiliar environment also did little to make his assignment easy. 208 pages Fine Paperback Second Edition



Malaysia & Singapore - Environment, Nature & Wildlife


This is now the definitive reference work for begonias on the peninsula with all endemic species described and illustrated with a combination of colour photographs and line drawings. New Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket 308 pages.








An introduction to the more common fruits, grown in the country, found in markets in Malaysia and Singapore. 64 pages with a bibliography and index and many colour illustrations together with text descriptions and names in various languages spoken in Malaysia. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. Very Good Hardback







In this, the most comprehensive recent study of the subject, the authors provide information on 160 genera from 27 families that are commonly found in Malaysia. Each of the genera is illustrated by a colour photograph and includes a description of its features and habitat. Just in case you want to collect them, the book also contains information on preserving specimens. New Paperback 195 pages with references, a glossary and an index




Holttum, the Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens in the immediate pre and post war periods, presents this collection of nine studies of common flowers, easily found in Malayan gardens, to introduce the young to the appreciation and study of the country's flora. The book starts with a survey of general characteristics and then covers specific families including orchids, hibiscus, daisies, verbena and water lilies. Good Paperback First Edition. 36 pages including a page of line drawings for each study



A children's guide to Malaysian insects with information on their life cycle, enemies and habits. Very Good Paperback. 41 pages with many colour illustrations









This book is the result of the authors' fifteen years research in the mountains of Malaysia when they managed to record nearly 500 orchid species. This book covers more than half of these species with a colour photograph and information on the species' description, habitat, general distribution and distribution within Malaysia. New Hardback. New Hardback First Edition 216 pages with an index.



While there is a wealth of information published on the wide variety of plants to be found on the island of Borneo, books on the area's fungi and mushrooms are few and far between. The authors, from Universitas Nasional Indonesia, The Sabah Forest Department and from West Kalimantan, have combined their expertise to produce a book covering the whole island. The first 50 pages of the book are devoted to describing the life cycle of the mushroom and its varied uses, where relevant, as well as a section on the classification of fungi with recommended tools for identification. The remainder of the book is a rich collection of colour photographs with information on the each plant's biology and uses. New Paperback First Edition. 145 pages with an index.


Unlike most hunters in the Malayan jungle in the early 20th century, Mayer, a German American, did not chiefly hunt to kill, but to trap wild animals for sale to circuses and zoos. This is his exciting account of his adventures. Good Hardback. 207 pages with eight black and white illustrations.





Malaysia & Singapore - Fiction


A translation of Wyatt's Stories from Shakespeare translated into the Malay language by the noted poet, A Samad Said. Very Good Paperback. First Malay Language Edition. 118 pages.









The English translation of a Malay novel spanning 60 years where personal relationships interact with Western cultural influences and traditional values. Very Good Paperback. 654 pages








A fictionalised account of Raffles' life both in England and in the Malay Archipelago from the perspective of his two wives. His first wife, Olivia, died in Java, before Raffles established the British settlement of Singapore. He later married Olivia on a return trip to England and she too joined him in the East as well. New Paperback. First Edition. 432 pages. 






The English translation of an unusual Malay novel that has Latin America as a backdrop. The book follows the journey of Kasan Kromosuwito as he comes to terms with the history and culture of the Malay race. Very Good Paperback. 176 pages.







Malaysia & Singapore - Geography & Guide Books


This collection of maps of Malaysia from the 1500s to just after World War II, selected from probably two of the most extensive collections in the country, will probably remain a major work on cartography of the area for some time to come. The book is divided into two parts. In the first the authors trace the history of mapping of the area with examples from the collections and from elsewhere and the book ends with an in depth look at the collections with maps ranging from nautical charts to urban maps. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket . 264 pages with many illustrations.

Malaysia & Singapore - History


Thio based her research for this book on this period's British Government documents that were gradually released to the public in the 1950s and 1960s. Comparing these sources with private and public sources already available, she has been able to establish the ups and downs and behind the scenes tussles underlying the creeping expansion of British influence on the peninsula. The work covers the states of Johor, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor and Perak where British interests did not have to take note of Thai influence in the northern states. 288 pages with the following contents I - Redemption of the Forward Policy, II - Negri Sembilan, III - Pahang, IV - Informal Advice in Johore, V - The Need for Administrative Reorganisation and the Pahang Problem, VI - The Colonial Office and Proposals for 'a Union of Federation' of the Protected Malay States, VII - The Federation of Protected States under Swettenham, VIII - The Federation of Protected States under Anderson & IX - Johore: From Advice to Control. There is also a bibliography, 4 black and white plates and 4 maps, a bibliography and an index. Good Hardback First Edition


Articles included in this issue - Raffles, Acheh and the Order of the Golden Sword by C.A.   Gibson-Hill, M.A; The Mat Salleh Revolt (1894–1905) by K.G. Tregonning;  Comment on the Malay Word Count, 1952 by M.J. Manning, B.A.; Ethnographic notes on the Siwang of Central Malaya  by Rodney Needham, B.Litt., M.A., D.Phil;  Chinese Religion and Religious Institutions in Singapore  by Marjorie Topley, B.Sc. (Econ.); Indonesians in Malaya by A.B. Ramsay, M.C.S. (ret’d); On the alleged death of Sultan Ala’u’d-din of Johore at Acheh, in 1613  by C.A. Gibson-Hill, M.A; Chinese secret societies in Malay; an introduction  by Leon Comber, B.A., F.R.A.S; A primary Chinese record relating to Ho-lo-tan, and miscellaneous  notes on Sri Vijaya and Fo-che by William T. Kao. Very Good Paperback. First Edition 223 pages.


Purcell, very much a colonial civil servant with 20 years of Malayan experience, gives us an introduction to Malaya up until the time of the Japanese invasion. The book is meant to be an introduction for either those who had never been to the country or were newly arrived. The 151 page book contains some black and white photographs and two maps. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket. First Edition





This collection of articles forms a socialist analysis of Malayan History from 1874 to independence. This volume was intended to be followed by another, Malaya: Model of a Neo-Colony to demonstrate how colonial policies and class structures were maintained in the post-independence period, but the second volume  was never published. Very Good Hardback  in a Very Good Dust Jacket. First Edition 265 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details





Gullick's written contribution only runs to some 27 pages of this 194 page book, the balance being made up of selections from 36 original sources grouped under the headings of The Planning of Malaysia, Defence Aspects, Indonesian and Philippine Reactions, Economic Aspects and Singapore Withdraws from Malaysia. The book is therefore designed as an aid for the modern historian.at school or university, to study independently the country and its neighbours relations in the period just before and after Malaysian independence. There are also Population Statistics, details of Malaysian political parties, a bibliography and a subject index Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket

Malaysia & Singapore - History (20th Century)


Comber, a former member of the British Malayan police turned academic, picks his way sensitively through the events that transformed Malaysian society and politics. The causes and what actually happened are still a matter of controversy today. The author does his best to make sense of it all. Originally published in 1983. Good Paperback. Reprint. 134 pages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details






The noted jurist and a member of three generations of a Singapore family, recalls the Singapore and the peninsula of the 1930s with a series of anecdotes and vignettes. Good Hardback. Second Edition. Originally published in 1934 205 pages. with 39 illustrations Please see the scan of the contents page for further details





The book was written at the time of independence so as to take a snap shot of what the country, including Singapore, looked like then to these two US academics. The work is interesting because at this time US academic work in the country was limited. The contents include the following chapters 1 - The Malayan Peninsula, 2 - Past and Present, 3 - Demographic Patterns, 4 - Patterns of Settlements, 5- Systems of Transportation and Telecommunications, 6 - Communication in a Plural Society, 7 - The Malays in Malaya, 8 - The Chinese in Malaya, 9 - The Indians in Malaya, 10 - The Economic System, 11 - Political Organisation and Development, 12 - A Recapitualtion. There is also an appendix, bibliography and index together with maps and tables throughout the book. 524 pages. Good Hardback


A well respected review of Malaya's recent political and economic history and current. prospects at the time of independence. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket. First Edition. 234 pages with an index.






Malaysia & Singapore - Humour


Originally published in the Singapore Free Press, this series of anecdotes, supposedly the diary of a visiting American flapper, pokes fun at Singapore expatriate life in the 1920s. With line drawings by JCT Willis. Good Hardback. First Edition. 55 pages.






Malaysia & Singapore - Language & Linguistics


Malaysia's leading expert on the country's indigenous languages and her colleague, a specialist in Sarawak languages, introduce the reader to a selection of the variety of languages spoken in Malaysia, with an emphasis on Borneo. Contributions include an overview of current language use in Malaysia, the use of language in Bintulu, Chinatown and Little India in Kuala Lumpur, the Narom, Kenyah, Jakun, Hokkien and Bidayuh languages, Singapore Bazaar Malay and a comparative study of the Scots and Bavarian experiences. 250 pages with an index. New Paperback First Edition


This volume contains the original Eh, Goondu! and Lagi Goondu, bestsellers in Singapore since Eh, Goondu! was originally published in 1982. It has been claimed that Eh, Goondu! was the first book written about Singlish, the Singapore patois. 221 pages. New Paperback. Reprint





Malaysia & Singapore - Malay Community & Culture


It is a perception, whether real or not, in Malaysia amongst both Malays and other races, that the Malay community are disadvantaged for various reasons. Since colonial times there have been various attempts to compensate for this including polices of affirmative action in favour of the Malay community. In this book the author, a Malay himself, sets out to tackle this problem head on. Through cultural studies, focus groups, expert panel interviews and psychological research, he concludes that Malays have an 'emphatic... lack of success in business.' He explains why and offers some recommendations to change this. New Hardback. First Edition. 258 pages with a Foreword by Mahathir Mohamad, arguably the architect of the country's affirmative action policies for the Malay community, references and an index.


One of the leading historians of the Malay peninsula and archipelago, not only undertakes a broad ranging review of the people of the area, their history and culture, but also examines the changing nature of Malay identity through the ages. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details. 293 pages. New Paperback 




Melaka


A brief history of Melaka, formerly known as Malacca, from its time as the main gateway into Malaya for foreign merchants up to the date of publication. Hoyt draws on accounts of visitors to the city over the centuries and illustrates the book with a collection of black and white and colour pictures of representations of the city in art. Near Fine Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1993. 84 pages with maps on the inside covers, a bibliography and an index




Penang


Although the exploits of the German cruiser Emden during World War I in the Far East are beginning to be forgotten by many, this is not the first book written about the havoc amongst Allied shipping wreaked by the Emden at the time. However this book is able to throw new light on the debacle amongst the allied fleet at Penang because, for the first time, information from French and Russian archives has been included. 318 pages including black and white plates, notes, a bibliography and an index. Very Good Paperback. Reprint.

Malaysia & Singapore - Poetry


A collection of pantuns, a traditional Malay form of verse, translated into French. The selection contains many well known pieces selected by one of the leading French authorities on Malay culture. The translations are accompanied by the original Malay verse. Very Good Paperback 125 pages with a bibliography.



This is a translation into English from Bahasa Malaysia of two collections of poems: Land of the Fireflies, consisting of contemplations on nature, and The Deepest Desolation, a collection inspired by disturbing aspects of the poet's travels and his own self-examination. The original poems in Bahasa Malaysia are set opposite each English translation. Very Good Paperback. 151 pages.





The anthology brings together what Thumboo, a noted poet himself, considered to be the most important poetry from the two countries in English during the previous 25 years. Thumboo has also provided an introduction tracing the growth of English language poetry in both countries. Very Good Paperback. First Edition. Signed by the Editor. 198 pages.




Malaysia & Singapore - Politics


Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's former Deputy Prime Minister and current opposition leader, is no stranger to the country's courts. His time out of Government office has been market by not one, but two trials for sodomy. In both cases he was acquitted. Here one of his lawyers gives readers an insider's view as to what happened. New Paperback 201 pages.






As the preface to this work states, before the writing of this book most literature on the British colonial period tended to focus on anyone but the Malays. This book, it was claimed, was the first book written in English with more of a Malay centric approach. It traces their history on the peninsula and in Singapore from the arrival of the British to the arrival of the Japanese. 297 pages whose contents include 1 - The Malays and the British: Initial Impact, 2 - The Malayo-Muslim World of Singapore, 3 - Kaum Muda-Kaum Tua: Innovation and Reaction, 4 The Malays and the British: The Middle Years, 5 - The Growth of an Autochthonous Intelligentsia, 6 - Voluntary Associations and Political Development & 7 - New Elites and National Organizations in the 1930s. There is a glossary, bibliography and an index Very Good Paperback. Reprint


This is a collection of he late prime minister's articles for the Star newspaper for which he wrote after he retired from mainstream politics. The articles cover various aspects of his career both before and after independence. He was writing at a time when the 'young Turks' had taken over the UMNO ruling party from him and he wasn't too happy with the consequences. Good Paperback 239 pages including many black and white photographs and an index.


Malaysia & Singapore - World War II


Sybil Kathigasu was perhaps the most famous icon of resistance to the Japanese occupation of Malaya. Her reputation was no doubt helped by the fact that she was swept up by the British propaganda machine, shipped off to the UK to be treated for her horrendous injuries from Japanese torture and awarded the George Medal before she died from those injuries. This book incorporates her famous personal account, No Dram of Mercy, the account of Chin Peng, the guerilla leader who worked closely with her, and "Exploring the Legend' by Norma Miraflor & Ian Ward, looking at why Sybil Kathigasu's work was so important. New Paperback 239 pages including some black and white photographs which have not been previously published.

Although Shenton, Governor of Singapore at the time of the fall of the city to the Japanese, was an experienced civil servant and had been at his post for nearly ten years, that counted for little in the heat of battle. This book, based on the former Governor's private papers details how his views were sidelined by the military so that he became a scapegoat for defeat. Unlike many senior military officers, he allowed himself to be taken prisoner by the Japanese but survived to set the record straight. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket First Edition The book has 218 pages with an epilogue, bibliography and index.

Asia


Up to the publication of this book the museum had acquired approximately 3,000 ceramic pieces, either as donations, purchases from Sarawak dealers or from excavations. The majority are naturally from China, although there are pieces from Southeast Asia, Japan and Europe as well. This book showcases a sample of the more outstanding pieces in the collection from the 10th to the 19th century. As New Paperback. First Edition with a bibliography and many colour plates.




The authors, one a professor from Stanford and the other a professor from Taiwan, amalgamated their separate strands of work on the same subject to collaborate in writing this book. Their purpose was to add an economic dimension to the study of Chinese communities in Southeast Asia, to supplement the mainly anthropological and sociological studies that had preceded this work. Their particular focus is examining why resource poor countries such as Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong have seen rapid development, when it has not been matched by resource rich countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Guess the answer!  Good Hardback. First Edition 219 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.


I-Tsing was a Chinese Buddhist monk who, dissatisfied with Chinese interpretations of Buddhism, decided to travel to India to collect authentic Pali Buddhist texts to translate into Chinese. He travelled for 25 years before returning to China, collecting texts, learning languages and translating on his way. In this book he records his experiences of visiting scholars in present day Indonesia, the Malay Peninsula and Indochina. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. Reprint. Originally published in 1896. Translated from the original by J. Takakusu. 240 pages with an index and a fold out map. For further details please see the scanned contents page


An introduction to a craft which has been part of a metalworking tradition for more than 3,000 years. The author looks at the traditions in each of the countries singling out their unique characteristics despite foreign influence. Very Good Hardback. First Edition 124 pages with several black and white and colour photographs and line drawings. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.





After rubber seeds had been smuggled out of South America, seedlings were distributed to various countries including Malaya and the Netherlands East Indies. By the start of the 20th century rubber cultivation was well established in Southeast Asia. In this book the author charts the early development of the industry in the area, concentrating mainly on Malaya and what is now Indonesia with occasional references to developments in neighbouring countries. Very Good Paperback. First Edition. 210 pages with figures, tables, a bibliography and an index.