New Books on Singapore History (July 2026)

Kindred Waters: Stories of the Jinjiang Coolie Community in Singapore

By Toh Lam Huat, Peng Lee Er and Lim Jen Erh
Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan (2025), 173 pages
Call no. RSING 305.895105957 KIN

Published by the Singapore Chin Kang Huay Kuan, this English edition chronicles the lives and contributions of migrants from Jinjiang county in Fujian, China, who came to Singapore in search of work and a better life. Living in coolie dormitories, many of these migrants worked as labourers in sawmills, boat yards and at the docks. The clan association was founded in 1918 to support Jinjiang migrants. It published the Chinese edition in 2019 from which this volume was translated.

No Borders: Journeys Across Islands and Continents

By Wang Gungwu
World Scientific Publishing (2026), 316 pages
Call no. RSING 950.04950092 WAN

Eminent historian Professor Wang Gungwu is internationally renowned for his knowledge of Chinese culture and civilisation. Weaving personal anecdotes and experiences, he tells his life story from his time spent in Malaya, London, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. He was vice-chancellor of the University of Hong Kong from 1986 to 1995. He has been University Professor of the National University of Singapore since 2007 and Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University since 1988.

Singapore Screening Spaces (1896–1945): Lost Screens & My Last Kacang Puteh

By Wong Han Min and Yeo Min Hui
Pagesetters Services (2026), 225 pages
Call no. RSING 791.43095957 WON

Film researchers Wong Han Min and Yeo Min Hui trace almost 50 years of Singapore’s film exhibition spaces – from 1896 when the first travelling cinema appeared in Singapore to 1945 when cinemas reopened after the Japanese Occupation. Using materials from an extensive private collection, the authors uncover the early history of Singapore’s cinemas, including the movers and shakers who helped shape the local film industry.

The Economic History of Singapore

By Keen Meng Choy and Ichiro Sugimoto
NUS Press (2026), 485 pages
Call no. RSING 330.95957 CHO

This volume charts Singapore’s transformation from a 14th-century entrepôt to a colonial port city in the 19th and 20th centuries and, today, a global hub for trade, finance and innovation. Using archival sources, statistical data and historical accounts, it examines various key drivers, from the rise of the tin and rubber trades to export-led industrialisation, and the shift to a knowledge- and innovation-based economy.

Voice of Malayan Democracy: The Communist Party of Malaya’s Revived Radio War

By Weichong Ong
World Scientific Publishing (2026), 518 pages
Call no. RSING 322.4209595 ONG

Find out why the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) persisted in its armed struggle during the Second Emergency (1968–89) and the Cold War. Despite losing the Malayan Emergency (1948–60), the CPM continued its efforts from southern Thailand where it established the Voice of Malayan Democracy (VMD), a clandestine radio station. Operating between 1981 and 1990, it replaced the Voice of Malayan Revolution station based in Hunan, China, which stopped broadcasting in 1981.

Voices: A History of Singapore Choirs

By Kenneth Lyen
World Scientific Publishing (2026), 173 pages
Call no. RSING 782.5095957 LYE

This is a chronicle of Singapore choirs from the early 20th century to the present that have made an impact in our history as well as notable individuals who have contributed to Singapore’s choral scene. Choirs range from small chamber ensembles to acapella singing groups, and include non-English, English-language, school and university choirs. Also highlighted are the choirs’ different singing styles, their repertoire and groups that integrate choral music with dance.