2019
Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore
This ambitious book, cowritten by four of Singapore’s foremost historians, firmly situates Singapore’s starting point seven hundred years ago. Drawing on a multi-disciplinary range of archival, textual and cartographical records, as well as the latest archaeological discoveries, the authors cast a singular historical trajectory for Singapore over the past seven centuries, animating its history like never before.
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Looking Back at 700 Years of Singapore
On Paper: Singapore Before 1867
The book showcases 28 historically significant documents, records and artefacts in Singapore’s early development, tracing its history from the earliest records of the island up to its establishment as a British Crown Colony on 1 Apr 1867. Complemented by insightful essays, this rich collection of materials from the National Library and National Archives of Singapore, and various international institutions invites us to not only appreciate the diversity of Singapore’s documentary heritage, but also challenge us to interrogate the personalities, societies and political forces behind the items.
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On Paper: Singapore Before 1867
50 Records from History: Highlights from the National Archives of Singapore
50 Records from History: Highlights of the National Archives of Singapore features 50 short essays written by in-house archivists on selected records from the archives that commemorate major milestones in Singapore’s history. Each essay in this book, accompanied by relevant photographs, contains a detailed description of the record as well as highlights of its history and provenance. Also included is a chapter on the history of the National Archives from the time it first started as an archives unit at the Raffles Museum and Library in 1938 to its present status as a respected archival institution of international standing.
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Making History
The Sound of Memories: Recordings from the Oral History Centre, Singapore
Milestones in Singapore’s medical scene – among other subjects – are captured through fascinating oral history narratives in a new book written by Cheong Suk-Wai and published by the National Archives of Singapore.
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Stories of the Little People
Chapters on Asia: Selected Papers from the Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship (2017–2018)
Chapters on Asia features selected papers written by scholars who have been awarded the National Library’s Lee Kong Chian Research Fellowship. This edition consists of the following papers.
- Sailing to the Horizon: The Relative Decline of Malay Shipping in the Malay Peninsula during the 19th Century / Scott C. Abel
- In the Tropical Mood: Liu Yichang in Singapore during (1952–1957) / Lim Fong Wei
- Homecoming: An Ethnohistory of Singaporean-Javanese Discourse in Nurturing Javanese Identity and the Roots Journey / Fuji Riang Prastowo
- Thai, Chinese and Malay Modern Textual and Civilisational Discourses in Hsu Yun-Tsiao’s 1933 Diary in Patani / Nicholas Y. H. Wong
- A Mapping of Southeast Asian Photobooks after World War II / Zhuang Wubin
Sir Stamford Raffles and Some of his Friends and Contemporaries: A Memoir of the Founder of Singapore
This book — written by Dr John Bastin, a leading authority on the study of Sir Stamford Raffles — offers an alternative biographical account of Raffles, as seen through his relationship with some of his closest friends and contemporaries. Examining Raffles and his social circle presents an original perspective of the man and of the colonial world in which he lived, and his correspondence with his friends and scientific colleagues reflects his attitude and opinions on a range of issues, including his desire to extend the benefits of education.
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The Bastin Collection on Raffles