biblio asia outline.indd - National Library Singapore

Straits region port-settlement, andin the 19 th and 20 th centuries whenSingapore was a colonial port-city.Singapore as a Port Throughthe Agesinclude the making of unique productsavailable for export through its port,building the port to be a maritimegateway of the immediateperipheral regions around Singapore,and attracting passing mercantileshipping to call at the port.Gems in the Library: The Rare MaterialsCollections at the Lee Kong ChianReference LibraryBy Makeswary Periasamy, Senior Reference Librarian,Lee Kong Chian Reference LibraryIt is evident from the overview ofSingapore’s history as a port overthe last seven hundred years thatthe phases of Singapore as a portwere highly similar to each other.The roles they played and thefunctions that they performed tokeep the settlements economicallyviable – roles and functions thattranscend the course of time.This is due, almost entirely, tothe similarities in the externalcircumstances Singapore has hadto face over the years. The absenceof a geographical hinterland, andthe absence of a land-based society,had compelled Singapore, in thepast, to develop key characteristicsthat would enable it to surmount theconstraints imposed on the viabilityof its ports. These characteristicsIn the process, Singapore haschanged the concept of “hinterland”to complement the uniquecharacteristics of its ports - fromthat of a geographical land massproviding the urban centre andmaritime gateway to the externalworld with natural resources thatmay be demanded by externalmarkets, to a virtual economichinterland based on marketaccess for the procurement of rawmaterials and the export of valueaddedproducts. Particularly in thepresent-day context, Singapore asa port is no longer merely an outletof a larger economic entity, as it wasbetween the late 19 th and mid-20 thcenturies, but a port-city that isintegrated into, and dependent upon,the economic nexus of the regionaland international economic world.Beyond the Port City takes a lookat modern Singapore, tracing itsbeginnings as a colonial port and itsgrowth today, particularly as a socialstructure made up of immigrantsbrought in by the port.All Rights Reserved, Pearson/Prentice Hall,2004.BackgroundThe Rare Materials Collection at theLee Kong Chian Reference Library(LKCRL) is a prime collection thatreflects Singapore’s literary andsocial heritage and contains valuablehistorical research materials onSingapore and Southeast Asia.Through these rare titles, we areoffered a glimpse of the history ofan island that is home to people ofmany races, persevering to make aliving and to forge an identity. Wealso get a view of the scenes andlandscapes of historical Singapore.Most of the titles in the collection werepassed down from our earlier libraries,the Singapore Library and theRaffles Library. Some were purchaseddirectly from antiquarian bookshopsor acquired through donations.ScopeThe Journal of the Indian Archipelago andEastern Asia, edited by J.R. Logan, 1847-1855 is the first scientific journal publishedin Singapore with valuable information forresearch on the region.countries before 1900, and containinformation (the people, theirlanguages, customs, lifestyles, etc.)on Singapore and the region,particularly those countries thathave historical/cultural links.Some Rare Titles...The oldest book held by thecollection is a travel account, TheHistory of Trauayle in the West andEast Indies, and Other CountreysLying Eyher Way, Towards theFruitful and Ryche Moluccaes,that makes several references tothis region, then known as theEast Indies. Published in Londonin 1577, it was noted as the firstcomprehensive travel account ofAsia to be published in English.Some sources mention it is oneof the earliest travel narrativesin English.Further Reading:1. Pre-modern Commerceand Society in Southern Asia:An Inaugural Lecture Deliveredat the University of Malayaon December 21 by SinnappahArasaratnam. Publisher: University ofMalaya, 1972. [RSING 382.095 ARA]A slim volume based on theinaugural lecture at the University.It reviews trade between South andSoutheast Asia between the 17 thand 18 th century and its relation withincoming European trade.2. A Study of Ancient Times in theMalay Peninsula and the Straitsof Malacca and Notes on AncientTimes in Malaya by Roland St. JohnBraddell. Publisher: Malaysian Branchof the Royal Asiatic Society, 1989.[RSING 959.01 BRA]Reprints from the MBRAS byBraddell on Malaya’s early maritimehistories. The articles includereprints of ancient maps anddetailed analysis of routes fromChina and India.3. Maritime Trade and StateDevelopment in Early SoutheastAsia by Kenneth R. Hall. Publisher:University of Hawaii Press, 1985.[RSING/R 382.0959 HAL]An attempt to look at earlytrade and the developmentof Southeast Asia as a whole.It begins with a conceptualevaluation of statecraft andtrade in Southeast Asia, thenelaborates further on theinfluence of Southern Chinaon the northern Southeast Asiancoastal states, with therest of the book studying theinfluence of Srivijaya andMajapahit kingdoms on thepolitical development of theSoutheast Asian states.4. Archaeological Research on the“Forbidden Hill” of Singapore:Excavations at Fort Canning, 1984by John N. Miksic. Publisher: NationalMuseum, 1985. [RSING 959.57 MIK]Describes the archeological findsat Fort Canning which reveal detailsof the influence of early HinduKingdoms on Temasek.5. Maritime Southeast Asia to 1500by Lynda Shaffer. Publisher: M. E.Sharpe, 1996. [RSING 959.01 SHA]An introductory overview ofthe early maritime experiencesin Southeast Asia including theinfluences from first centuryFunan and the Srivijaya andMajapahit kingdoms in pre-colonialtimes.Currently the collection numbersabout 5,000 items. Majority of thetitles are 19 th and early 20 th centurypublications and were issued bySingapore’s earliest printingpresses. Mission presses featureprominently as many Christianmissionaries arrived at the thrivingBritish trading post together withtraders, administrators and otherimmigrant settlers. The “MissionPress” and the “MethodistPublishing House” imprints appearnot only in religious literature butalso in secular publications of thepioneer period such as almanacs,newspapers and school textbooks.The collection comprises Jawimanuscripts, Malay and SoutheastAsian dictionaries, travel accounts(both serious & anecdotal) of the MalayArchipelago and Southeast Asia,Chinese classics and romancestranslated into Baba Malay, almanacs,directories, academic journals and maps.Pages from The Journal of the IndianArchipelago and Eastern Asia. All RightsReserved. J. R. Logan, 1847 – 1855.Definition of RareUsually a book achieves somedegree of rarity based on its demandbeing greater than its supply. Howeversuch a broad definition can be verysubjective. What constitutes a rarebook is essentially the intrinsicimportance of the book itself. In thecontext of Singapore, a rare book isone that is published in Singaporeor the Straits Settlements beforeWorld War II. It has intrinsic valueand is unique as most pre-1945materials published in Singaporeor the Straits Settlements have fewextant copies. Books are also treatedas rare if they are published in otherPages from The History of Trauayle in theWest and East Indies, and Other CountreysLying Eyher Way, Towards the Fruitful andRyche Moluccaes. All Rights Reserved,R. Iugge, 1577.1617