New Arrivals at The Penang Bookshelf
in
March 2023
(Last Updated 31-3-2023)
- 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
This book, which is mainly of historical value, was written some 30 years after rubber started being grown commercially in Ceylon and 10 years after it was introduced in Malaya. It is a manual taking the reader through all the steps necessary for the growing of the tree to the eventual production of the rubber product for market. 178 pages with over 30 black and white plates and an index. Good Hardback. Second Edition.
Malaysia & Singapore - Arts & Crafts
This is a catalogue of the first exhibition of pieces belonging to members of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society held in Kuala Lumpur in 1981. There is an essay by Lim Suan Poh on nyonya ware as well as detailed descriptions by the two authors of the items exhibited. Very Good in a Good Dust Jacket First Edition There are 15 pages of colour photos and 78 pages of black and white photos in this 128 page book.
Malaysia & Singapore - Biography & Memoirs
Hose was a noted member of the Brookes' civil service in Sarawak from the end of the 19th to the early 20th century. As with many of his type, he also found time to explore and write about the country and its people. He became a recognised zoologist and ethnologist and became the principal person responsible for encouraging the production of oil in Miri. This book is an account of his wanderings.216 pages including an index and some of his black and white photographs. Good Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1929.
In a follow-up to his best selling, Growing Up in Trengganu, the author now takes us on a tour of his native area, marvelling at its past and trying to come to terms with its present. A book packed full of tales ancient and modern that does this often forgotten corner of Malaysia proud. New Paperback 271 pages.
In this book, part political analysis and part autobiography, one of the country's political rebels, who is also very much part of the establishment, Zaid Ibrahim, muses on how Malaysia could be a very different place. As a country boy who made good by founding the country's largest legal firm and was a Government minister, he is able to pinpoint what he sees as the dangers of the country's political direction while trying to stay connected to the values which formed him. 234 pages. Very Good Paperback. First Chinese Language Edition
The war diaries of a British civilian internee, a civil engineer with 30 years' service in Malaya. Although he managed to record one of the most complete contemporaneous accounts of the experiences of European civilian prisoners at the time, he did not survive to see the liberation of Singapore, dying of cancer in the camp in 1944. Very Good Paperback. 336 pages with some black and white plates and an index.
Lee Kuan Yew: The Crucial Years – Alex Josey RM60
Josey was a prolific British journalist and publicist who eventually settled in Singapore and befriended its first prime minister, the subject of this book. He also eventually became Lee Kuan Yew's publicist and ghost writer. In this book he covers Lee's political career from his student days in Cambridge to 1970. Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket Reprint. First published in 1980. 630 pages.
Borneo
The author, whose writings on Iban culture have been published widely here turns to the community's traditional practices from cradle to grave. The book does not touch on regular activities like fishing or weaving, but rather on activities that mark life and seasonal events. Very Good Paperback. Revised Edition. 74 pages with some black and white plates
The incorporation of the the former territories of North Borneo, now Sabah, and Sarawak into the state of Malaysia not only provoked opposition from neighbouring Indonesia, which was settled after a low level war, but also from the Philippines. Although the Philippine claim to Sabah, being part of the former Sultanate of Sulu, was postponed by Malaysia agreeing to an annual token payment, the claim has not been withdrawn by Manila. In this book a former Malaysian Attorney General, who began his career in Sabah, seeks to demolish the Philippine claim. Very Good Paperback, Reprint. 144 pages.
Most histories of Sarawak skip mention of the inconvenient first son of the second rajah, Charles Brooke, born as a result of his first marriage to a Malay woman, Dayang Mastiah. The son, Esca, was originally bundled out of the way to England and spent most of his life in Canada, cut off from his birth family. This is a dramatisation of a meeting between Esca and Ranee, Margaret, Rajah Brooke's second wife. New Paperback. 99 pages with some black and white plates and supplementary information on Esca's life.
Malaysia & Singapore - Business, Economics & Labour
This is a fairly damning critique of the failure of Malaysia's New Economic Policy which was meant to eradicate poverty in the Malay community. Mehmet argues that the implementation of the policy was left in the hands of ruling elites who, while paying lip service to improving the lot of the poor, mainly enriched themselves. New Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1986. 183 pages with an index.
A group of academics not only assess the economic policies of Abdul Razak Hussein's administration, but also look at how those policies were developed or altered by his successors. The policies are also compared with those of other Southeast Asian countries who trailed behind the area's economic leaders, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. New Paperback. 269 pages with an index.
A history of the Singapore branch of the leading accountancy firm of Coopers & Lybrand, now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers, the second largest such firm in the world. The firm can trace its Singapore roots back to the firm of AJ Gunn & Co., established in 1890. 160 pages with an index and several black and white and colour photographs. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket.
A history of the Malaysian Rubber Development Corporation (MARDEC) by a former leading figure of the Rubber Research Institute of Malaya. MARDEC's particular achievement has been overcoming the problem of processing small holder produce into high quality products for the market. In doing so it has lifted many out of poverty and set a standard for similar enterprises worldwide. New Paperback. First Edition. 280 pages with figures, tables, some black and white photographs, a bibliography and an index
Malaysia & Singapore - Cinema, Dance and Drama
This book of essays, reflections and performance texts arises from a 2015 conference on the work of the Malaysian theatre director Krishen Jit, who died in 2005. The purpose of the book is to encourage readers not only to gain a deeper appreciation of his work, but to engage with it so that their lives will be positively affected. New Paperback. First Edition. 189 page with several, mainly colour, photographs.
A collection of ten plays, monologues and a film script from Verena Tay, an actor, director and playwright who has been praised for brining a woman's perspective to life in modern Singapore. Good Paperback. 136 pages.
What do Physics, three bears and a stroke have in common? Take a journey with Elaine, a middle-aged Physics teacher, as she explains the theory of relativity using the metaphor of three bears and a train, and devises a plan to turn back time and save her ailing father from physical determination. Good Paperback. 110 pages.
Malaysia & Singapore - Cooking & Food
If you want to pig yourself on the food that Indian Muslims brought to Malaya from the establishment of Penang as a British port onwards, this is the book for you. It is a guide to be the best and not so good Nasi Kandar eateries in Penang. Grease abounding! New Hardback First Edition. 90 pages with lots of colour photographs.
Malaysia & Singapore - Education
This book is not only designed to enable parents and teachers to introduce children to poetry, but also demonstrates how it can be used to break down stereotypes that plague society. For example the authors show how poetry can develop empathy in children through a series of case studies. New Paperback. 142 pages with an index.
Malaysia & Singapore - The 'Emergency'
Chin Peng, decorated as a resistance fighter against the Japanese in Malaya and condemned for his later role in leading the Communist guerilla assault on, first, British, and, then, Malayan Government rule, obviously had a mixed reputation. This book is a record of the fascinating encounter in 1999 between Chin Peng and a group of prominent academics who had studied the party and police and military personnel who had confronted Chin Peng and his followers in the jungle. The aim of the two day workshop was to try and improve the objectivity in writing this important part of Malaysian history. New Paperback. First Edition 413 pages with several appendices of important documents of the period and an index.
An account of the author's experiences with the Suffolk Regiment during the Malayan 'Emergency.' The main focus of the regiment's work was struggling with Liew Kon Kim of the 4th Independent Company of the Malayan Races Liberation Army. Very Good Hardback. in a Very Good Dust Jacket First Edition 215 pages.
Malaysia & Singapore - Environment, Nature & Wildlife
Junaidi Payne has authored a more extensive extensive book on Malaysia's best known animal in the wild. Here she and her co-author give a brief overview of the orang-utan's life, it's interaction with humans and it's life in captivity. Very Good Paperback 88 pages with maps and many colour photographs.
Two leading botanists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew have compiled this guide to the floral diversity of the lowland rainforests of East Sabah The 84 most commonly found seed plants are presented alphabetically with key field characters, scientific descriptions, colour photographs and information for easy identification. New paperback. First Edition. 176 pages with a map, a provisional checklist for Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon and an index.
Malaysia & Singapore - Fiction
An English translation of the Malay language novel which is based around a speech given by the main character, Mr. H, at the Irish embassy. In his speech Mr. H recounts his experiences of walking, where he meets literary greats, such as James Joyce, and others. Very Good Paperback. First English Language Edition. 156 pages.
Yeo, a noted literary figure in Singapore, has collected a few short stories by Singaporean writers in the 1980s and 1990s 'to represent the flowering of short fiction' in the country at the time. Very Good Paperback 144 pages.
A collection of cartoons, poems and short stories by writers based in Malaysia. Please se scanned back cover for details of contributors/ New Paperback. 185 pages.
A collection of 14 short stories and poems depicting different experiences of romance in Singapore. Very Good Hardback. 208 pages.
Bayu, a master criminal on the verge of retirement decides he's going to end his career with a kidnap of a US citizen. What he does not bargain for is that his victim is the grandson of the US Secretary of State, which brings a whole lot of complications. New Paperback 250 pages.
An English translation of the acclaimed French novel set in Malaya both before and after World War II. Boulle was a planter himself and used this experience and his incisiveness and humour to capture the English plantation set attempting to come to terms with change. Good Hardback. First English Language Edition. 321 pages.
Malaysia & Singapore - Folklore
A collection of ten folk tales from the indigenous peoples living in and around Kota Belud, Sabah. Very Good Paperback. First Edition 43 pages with some line drawings.
Malaysia & Singapore - Geography & Guide Books
A useful guidebook for visitors to Mount Kinabalu. The contents cover the following subjects - Legends and People of Mt. Kinabalu, Geology, Plant Life , Animal Life, The Summit Trail, Poring Hot Springs, Accommodation and Other Places of Interest. New Paperback. 66 pages with many colour photographs and 2 maps
Nearly 3% of Sabah's land area is within the state's 6 national parks offering residents and visitors a wide variety of experiences. This handy little guide gives a brief introduction to each park. New Paperback. 62 pages with many colour illustrations and maps
Malaysia & Singapore - Guide Books
From the 1920s onwards the British colonial publicity machine was keen to extoll the triumphs of British administration in prewar Malaya. It would appear this is the last of several editions that were published before the Japanese invasion of Malaya. With lots of statistics and black and white photos as well as informative text. Good Hardback .201 pages. There is a 1937 map of Malaya in an inside pocket on the back cover and a further fold out geological map of the same date bound into the volume. Over 100 black and white plates. Please see the scan of the contents page for further details.
A booklet, small enough to fit in a soldier's uniform pocket, probably issued by the British Military Administration which responsible for government in Malaya before the return of the civil authority. This guide, written in a fairly upbeat style, provides the basics to get to know the country and its people. 58 pages with some line drawings and black and white photographs. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. Very Good Paperback
Malaysia & Singapore - Health & Medicine
The author, a psychiatrist, tackles the grim subject of suicide among the elderly in Singapore, which is not common, but may well become more so as the proportion of the aged among the population increases. He not only makes reference to suicide notes to determine the states of mind of the deceased, but also advises on how best to help families left behind in coping with such tragedies. Good Paperback. First Edition. 111 pages with references, an index and figures and tables.
Malaysia & Singapore - History (Pre-18th Century)
This important volume brings together archaeologists, bioanthropologists, geneticists, archaeo-chemists and a range of other experts with experience of deciphering prehistoric skeletons to review almost all the osteological and dental evidence that has been excavated in Malaysia since 1863. For further details, please read the scanned contents pages. Near Fine Hardback. First Edition. 491 pages with tables, figures, an index and many black and white and colour photographs.
Malaysia & Singapore - History (20th Century)
The Cruiser Emden was probably the most effective of German efforts to disrupt its enemies in the Indian and Pacific Oceans during the First World War. The author has, from German, French and English sources, pieced together the exploits of the ship and its crew from its sinking of 19 merchant ships and destroying two Allied warships, to its own sinking by an Australian cruiser, until the Emden's survivors' escape through Asia to Constantinople where they were reunited with their German comrades. Near Fine Hardback in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. 321 pages with maps, some black and white plates and a bibliography.
Malaysia & Singapore - Indian Community & Culture
The author examines the role of the mainly Indian immigrant labour in developing Malaysia's plantation industry during the 20th century. He argues that they are a 'forgotten people' or 'persistent poor' and seeks to show how this came about. He also offers suggestions for improving their lot in future. Good Paperback First Edition 374 pages with maps, diagrams, tables, a bibliography and an index.
Kedah
This is an edited edition of a very early history of the state of Kedah in what is now Malaysia. The manuscripts on which the history is based were translated by the British East India Company officer, James Low, and published in Volume 3 of the Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia in 1849. He surmises that they were originally written in an Indian script and later translated into Arabic. New Paperback. Edited Edition. 187 pages
Malaysia & Singapore - Language & Linguistics
A collection of Malay proverbs in both Malay and English with an introduction by the compiler on the nature of proverbs generally and the probable provenance of many Malay proverbs from Arab, Buddhist and Sanskrit influences. 85 pages. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust jacket. First edition.
The author, Hungary's ambassador to Indonesia, spent more than a decade in Indonesia using his spare time and his linguistic training to puzzle out the connections between the Malay language and Hungarian (Magyar.) He discovered at least a hundred words is early Malay with similarities to languages spoken over three thousand years ago in his home country. New Paperback. 118 pages with a bibliography and a map.
Although a civil servant, Wilkinson will probably be best remembered for his contribution to Malay lexicography, having compiled extensive dictionaries in the Jawi and Rumi scripts. In this book the original works have been reduced a more pocket edition. The original edition was revised by AE Cooper and Mohd Ali bin Mohamed Very Good Hardback. Reprint Originally published in 1963. 477 pages.
The standard work of its time in the Rumi script before the spelling changes. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket 390 pages
Orang Asli/Indigenous Peoples
The Menraq, also known as Semang or Negritos, are one of the indigenous tribes that existed for thousands of years as foragers on the Malaysian peninsula. In 1972 they were resettled by the Malaysian Government. Gomes brings together more than 30 years of research into this group to assess the effects of their introduction to modernity. Near Fine Paperback. First Edition. 200 pages with a bibliography, index and some black and white plates.
This dictionary is the first comprehensive dictionary of one of the most endangered languages in Malaysia, spoke by about 600 people of the most southerly branch of this indigenous group. Based on 10 years' research, the author has gathered around 4,000 words here, providing Malay and English translations. Near Fine Paperback. 401 pages.
A collection of papers looking at current issues facing Malaysia's indigenous community, the Orang Asli. Issues covered include advocacy and land issues, language and information, information sharing during the covid pandemic, indigenous knowledge and sustainable livelihoods. New Paperback. First Edition 133 pages with figures, tables, some black and white photographs, a bibliography and an index.
Malaysia & Singapore - Orchids
Pleione are some of the most popular varieties of orchid as they are relatively easy to grow. Because they're endemic to the mountains and foothills of the Himalayas, India, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Taiwan, and China, they easily adapt to the climate of the Northern Hemisphere. The authors provide a comprehensive account of the biology, classification and cultivation of 22 species and natural hybrids. There is also a list of registered hybrids. Near Fine Hardback in a Near Fine Dust Jacket. Second Edition. Signed 166 pages with many colour illustrations, line drawings, a bibliography and an index.
This 119-page book catalogues more than 66 species of native orchids found in Peninsular Malaysia. It comes with detailed descriptions including each species' natural charaterictics and colouful photos which indicate the actual sizes of the species. This book includes an index and is suitable for all orchid lovers, academic and layman. Very Good First Edition
Penang
With the co-operation of the hotel management, Isla Sharp has been able to produce a history not only of the structure of hotel, but of the people who have worked there and visitors who have enjoyed the luxuries oft one of the grand Eastern hotels since its foundation in the 1890s until the present day. The book has all the illustrations and well researched text one needs to bring to life what the hotel used to be like at various times in its history and what it is like now. The contents of this 192 page book include 1 - Seeding the Pearl - the history of Penang before the hotel was founded, 2 - Who Were the Sarkies? - the story of the Armenian Brothers who founded the hotel, 3 - Pride Before the Fall - the hotel's expansion and ruin during World War II, 4 - Business Not Quite as Usual - the hotel's attempts at recovery 5 - New Beginnings - The restoration of the hotel in 1981 to its former glory. There is also an extensive bibliography. New Hardback in a New Dust Jacket. First Edition
A jokey introduction to the main Chinese dialect spoken in Penang in a somewhat mangled form. It's a phrase book with a guide to pronunciation and a few hints at grammar, but without a vocabulary. New Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 2001 136 pages.
Sejarah menyatakan dan menafsirkan hak. Sejarah yang kiat sebelah, lebih berpihakkan penjajah dan melupakan hakikat sebenar ialah wacana yang salah, yang memesongkan hak ini, jati diri dan kebanggaan bangsa. Buku ini bertujuan untuk membetulkan kiat dan kealpaan ini. New Paperback. First Edition. 117 pages with a bibliography, index and some black and white plates.
Malaysia & Singapore - Poetry
A collection of poems by a farmer political detainee. The collection, assembled and edited by Tan May Yun, is in three parts dealing with personal pieces on family, poems on sights of Singapore and a final section on observations on travels elsewhere. Very Good Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 2004. 91 pages.
Malaysia & Singapore - Politics
A book with a detailed account of the political evolution of modern Malaysia after Second World War until publication. 483 pages including bibliography and index. For further details, please see the scanned contents page. Good Hardback In a Good Dust Jacket
Malaysia & Singapore - Race Relations
As part of an effort to increase mutual understanding in multicultural Malaysia, the Government issued a series of booklets covering the social and cultural practices of various ethnic groups. This booklet covers the Ibans, Bidayuh, Kayan/Kenyah peoples of Sarawak. Good Paperback. 24 pages.
Malaysia & Singapore - World War II
The author covers a period of Malaysia's history that had been sparsely covered before the publication of this book. He not only recaps the situation in the state before the invasion, but also how Japanese policies affected various groups of inhabitants. He also looks at the after effects of the occupation. Good Hardback. First Edition. 158 pages with tables 4 black and white plates, 2 maps and an index.
A brief introduction to Singapore's experience of World War II and places to visit there associated with the period. Near Fine. Paperback 24 pages with many contemporary illustrations.
Asia
Before and while European powers were intruding upon Asia to colonise large parts of the continent, other outsiders, mainly Hadrami Yemeni descendants of the prophet Muhammad, were less obtrusively making new homes from the Indian sub continent to the Malay Archipelago. In this ground breaking work Ho with the help of biographies, family histories, pilgrimage manuals and other documents traces how this community not only absorbed themselves into their new host communities, but also maintained contact with their original homeland to spark cultural transformations that remained while European influence waned. New Paperback. First Edition. 379 pages with 24 black and white plates, 4 maps, a bibliography and an index.
A collection of recipes from Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam with a 'modern twist.' Very Good Hardback. First Edition. 224 pages with an index.
Burma/Myanmar
An introduction to the Myanmar language by a teacher with over 20 years' experience New Paperback. First Edition. 109 pages with several colour illustrations.
Burnei
The author, an anthropologist, explains the practices of the dukun, or shaman, in the Brunei Malay community as she encountered it during her studies there. The culture of traditional healing originates from pre-Islamic times, but has now taken on aspects of Islamic folk culture as well. Very Good Paperback. Signed. 403 pages with an index and some line drawings For further details, please see the scanned contents page.
China
Love her or loathe her, Soong May Ling, better known as Madame Chiang Kai Shek, led an extraordinary life. This biography traces her story from the end of the Qing dynasty, through the years of prominence advocating for the Nationalist cause of her husband, through to her life in Taiwan after the Communist takeover of her homeland. Very Good Hardback in a Very Good Dust Jacket. 787 pages with some black and white plates, a bibliography and an index.
An easy to understand illustrated introduction to the Chinese version of chess, Xiangqi, The step by step guide makes reference to how the moves and pieces compare with those in traditional chess. Very Good Paperback. 87 pages.
The author, an investment banker and adviser to the Chinese Government, interviewed over one hundred senior Communist Party officials, business leaders, army officers and members of the intelligentsia to determine what motivates Chinese leaders as they steer their country into a position of world prominence. The interviewees were also asked about their predictions for China's future during the research carried out while Hu Jintao was President. Near Fine Hardback in a New Dust Jacket. 546 pages with some black and white photographs and an index.
Macau was probably the first European trading post, established as it was by the Portuguese in the 16th century, on the fringes of China for the purpose of trade with the country. Since then its fortunes have waxed and waned, settling into a reputation of being a more shady version of neighbouring Hong Kong. In this anthology the editors have gathered together visitors' accounts, extolling its glory and bemoaning its iniquity, from the earliest times up to the end of the 20th century. Very Good Paperback. 265 pages with a bibliography.
India
A selection of possible love letters for almost every occasion as well as suggested ways to reply. Very Good Paperback. 156 pages.
Indonesia
The author was sentenced to 37 years in prison in Indonesia, but pardoned and released after five years. He puts his experiences to god use in this novel about drug smuggling and prison life in Bali. New Paperback. First Edition. 319 pages.
Philippines
General Tomoyuki Yamashita earned the title, 'Tiger of Malaya', for his swift defeat of allied forces on the Malay peninsula at the outset of World War II. Subsequently he moved to the Philippines as the Military Governor there. Various atrocities against the civilian population were carried out by his subordinates during his watch for which he was tried as a war criminal at the end of the war. This book is an account of that trial by one of his defence lawyers who strongly believed that commanders should not be responsible for the crimes of their soldiers, especially, as in this case, when he didn't know about the events of which he was accused. Very Good Hardback in a Good Dust Jacket 323 pages
Until the 16th century mainstream Western Medicine had been primarily based on the Hippocratic concept of the four humours. This theory was brought to Spain by the Arabs and in turn popularised throughout the Spanish empire including the Philippines. In this study Dart seeks to determine the extent to which humoral pathologies practiced in folk medicine in modern day Philippines stem from the Spanish import and how it has been adapted to indigenous folk medicine. Very Good Paperback. 96 pages with an index.
Sri Lanka
Percival was in Ceylon at the end of the 18th century for three years, just as the British were consolidating their hold on the country. He introduces the readers to a brief history, but mainly concentrates on the current state of the island and the previous colonial rulers, the Portuguese and the Dutch. Good Hardback. Reprint. Originally published in 1803. 420 pages with a map in a pocket on the inside back cover.
This book is based on the author's Ph.D. thesis submitted to the University of London. Although Buddhism is the dominant religion of the country, at the time this book was written, there was little available on the religion's early years. Most of the information was scattered about in various ancient texts, very often not in chronological order. The author sets out to put that right taking the reader from the period before Mahinda's arrival to the early development of ritual. Good Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1946. 154 pages together with a further 50 pages of appendices and an index.
The author's account of his attempt to put his ecological principles into practice and set up an ecological farm in a 60 acre abandoned tea estate. Bravely accompanied by his wife and two young sons, he struggles with struggles with centipedes, unfamiliar Sri Lankan customs and the tsunami. Good. Paperback. 295 pages.
This is the author's unusual account of his capture by the King of Kandy in 1660 and his subsequent detention for the next 20 years. It remains a primary source for details of life in the Kandyan kingdom at the time. After his escape Knox met Daniel Defoe, who reputedly used parts of Knox's account for inspiration in the writing of Robinson Crusoe. A second edition was never published in Knox's lifetime. This book includes additional material prepared by Knox in anticipation of a second edition, edited an annotated by JHO Paulusz. Very Good Paperback in a Good Dust Jacket. Reprint. 688 pages. With an index, a pull out map and approximately several illustrations from the original published edition of 1681. For further details, please see the scanned contents page.
A French academic, who has made Sri Lanka his speciality for more than 30 years, gives a brief history of the island. His concentration is particularly focussed on the island's links with the greater world: how it has shaped its character, contributed to its troubles and how it could hold hope for the future. Good Paperback. 231 pages with 10 maps and suggestions for further reading.
A collection of folk tales from the Muslim, Sinhalese and Tamil communities of the island. Good Paperback, 119 pages with some line drawings.
The memoirs of a man who decided to get away from the busy life of the world and settle for a while in a simple home in the Ruhunu jungles in southern Sri Lanka. He describes the wildlife and jungles as well as the traces of ancient civilisations that once dominated his neighbourhood. Good Paperback. Reprint. Originally published in 1959. 214 pages with some line drawings and some black and white photographs.
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