Issue

Oct–Dec 2020

1 October 2020

Betel chewing in Singapore and other stories in BiblioAsia Volume 16, Issue 3

A Bite of History: Betel Chewing in Singapore
Fiona Lim and Geoffrey Pakiam look at a time-honoured tradition that is no longer fashionable.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

The Sticky Problem of Opium Revenue
Diana S. Kim explains how the colonial government reduced its dependence on opium taxes.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

At Gunpoint: Wiping Out Illegal Firearms in Singapore
Street shootouts and armed kidnappings used to be common. Tan Chui Hua zeroes in on how these criminals were disarmed.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

Looking Back at Queenstown Library’s 50 Years
Paddy Jonathan Ong traces the history of Singapore’s first branch library.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

Planning to Build, Building to Plan
The building plans in the National Archives are a treasure trove, says Yap Jo Lin.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

Karikal Mahal: The Lost Palace of a Fallen Cattle King
William L. Gibson uncovers the story behind the pair of grand buildings along Still Road South.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

The Borobudur, Mysterious Gold Plates and Singing Maps
Erni Salleh populates her thriller, The Java Enigma, with unsolved historical puzzles from the region.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

Life in a Time of COVID-19
Janice Loo explains the National Library’s crowdsourcing efforts to document the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

跨境影响、情系侨乡: 新加坡金门会馆特藏
The Kim Mui Hoey Kuan recently donated many artefacts to the National Library. Lee Meiyu gives us the details.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

An Archive of Singapore Websites: Preserving the Digital
Shereen Tay recounts the National Library’s efforts to archive Singapore-related websites.(PDF) (opens in new tab)

Book Review: The Year 1000
Wan Wee Pin reviews Valerie Hansen’s book, which argues that globalisation began a thousand years ago.(PDF) (opens in new tab)