Oct–Dec 2025

Director's Note

“Majulah Singapura” and Other Love Songs
National anthems often begin life as something else. Singapore’s “Majulah Singapura” is no different. Bernard T.G. Tan . (PDF)

“Majulah Singapura” Finally Repaired the Breach
In a BiblioAsia+ podcast, music director Julian Wong reveals little-known details about the composer of Singapore’s national anthem. (PDF)

Women Photographers in Singapore and Malaya
In the male-dominated world of 1940s and 1950s photography, three women in Singapore and Malaya found different ways to participate in the profession. Zhuang Wubin.(PDF)

From Liguria to the Lion City: The Life and Times of Giovanni Gaggino
The remarkable story of an Italian merchant who once owned Pulau Bukom and authored an Italian-Malay dictionary in colonial Singapore. Alex Foo.(PDF)

Daylight Robbery: Singapore’s Shifting Time Zones
Time has not stood still for Singapore. In the last 100 years, Singapore had changed time zones seven times. Kenneth Tay.(PDF)

Bacalah Singapura: Reading Habits in Singapore (1960s–1990s)
Reading surveys in the nation-building years reveal what Singaporeans read and why it mattered. Janice Loo.(PDF)

The House of Cheang
Hong Lim Park was named after Cheang Hong Lim. Cheang and his descendants were once among Singapore’s most illustrious Baba-Nonya families. Walter Woon.(PDF)

Luís de Camões in Asia
Portugal’s most important poet was once imprisoned in Goa, saw fighting in Ternate, was shipwrecked near the Mekong Delta and worked as the Superintendent for the Dead in Macau. Isabel Rio Novo.(PDF)

An 800-Year-Old Family History
Thanks to his ancestry book (zupu) and a lot of persistence, a practising Taoist priest was able to trace his ancestry all the way back to 1195. Chung Kwang Tong.(PDF)

Dutch Burghers in British Malaya
A murder mystery sheds light on the little-known story of the Ceylonese pioneers from the Dutch Burgher community who joined the subordinate government ranks in British Malaya. Yorim Spoelder.(PDF)

Excavating the Past
Writing a memoir involves personal experiences, digging deep into our memories and the emphasis on factual information. Meira Chand.(PDF)

New Books on Singapore History
Ink and influence: An OB Markers Sequel; Lee Ek Tieng: The Green General of Lee Kuan Yew; and The Special Operations Executive in Malaya: World War II and the Path to Independence are some new books available at the National Library.(PDF)