Jul–Sep 2018

We learn how print advertising illuminates social history, look at globetrotting mothers, and talk to former Malay sailors who live in Liverpool in this issue.

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Director’s Note

The Stuff of Dreams: Singapore’s Early Print Ads
Before the advent of the internet, print advertisements reigned supreme. These primary documents provide important clues to the social history of the period as Chung Sang Hong tells us. (PDF)

Globetrotting Mums: Then & Now
Bonny Tan interweaves her own experiences as a modern Singaporean mother travelling and living abroad with those of two Victorian-era Englishwomen. (PDF)

Revulsion and Reverence: Crocodiles in Singapore
Crocodiles elicit fear and respect by turns – and occasionally, even indifference. Kate Pocklington and Siddharta Perez document reptilian encounters at specific times in Singapore’s history and their impact on the human psyche. (PDF)

In Search of the Seven Sisters Festival
This time-honoured festival has left no tangible trace of its observance in Singapore. Tan Chui Hua pieces together oral history interviews to reconstruct its proper place in Chinese culture. (PDF)

Malay Seafarers in Liverpool
Tim Bunnell speaks to former Malay sailors who reside in the English city and learns how they manage to sustain their identity in a city so removed from home. (PDF)

Going Shopping in the 60s
What was the act of shopping like for a generation that was more concerned about putting food on the table? Yu-Mei Balasingamchow ponders over our penchant for shopping. (PDF)

Our Home Sweet Home
Public housing is a Singapore success story, but the early years of high-rise living were sometimes a bittersweet experience. Janice Loo pores through the pages of Our Home magazine during its 17-year run. (PDF)

The AYE, BKE and CTE of Expressways
Lim Tin Seng charts the history of Singapore’s expressways, from the oldest Pan-Island Expressway, built in the 1960s, to the newest Marina Coastal Expressway. (PDF)

Preserving Nan’an History in Singapore
The National Library recently received several rare items connected to the history of Singapore’s Nan’an community and Hong San See Temple. Ang Seow Leng presents highlights of the collection. (PDF)

Sporting Glory
Sharen Chua shares highlights of commemorative sports publications from the National Library’s Legal Deposit Collection. (PDF)

Japan in Southeast Asia: The Lim Shao Bin Collection
More than 800 items documenting early Japanese interactions in Singapore and the region have been donated to the National Library. Gracie Lee explains the significance of this repository. (PDF)