biblio asia outline.indd - National Library Singapore

Scene of Raffles Square in the 1920s from Sunny Singapore. All Rights Reserved,Kelly & Walsh, [192- ].The collection also contains titles,which depict the old scenes andlandscapes of Singapore. Publishedin the 1920s in Singapore, the bookSunny Singapore illustrates thescenery and images of Singapore,which are now non-existent. Thebook is testimony to the changesand developments that Singaporehas gone through.One fascinating book is The GoldenChersonese and the Way Thither,written by the famous womantraveller of that time, Isabella Bird.Published in 1883, it contains herdescriptions and observations of theplaces she visited, which includedthe Far East and the Malay Peninsula,including Singapore. The book is acompilation of letters she wrote toher sister, and describes amongstothers, local manners and customsand the flora and fauna of the placesshe visited as well as the growthof Singapore.“The Author’s First Ride in Perak” from thebook The Golden Chersonese and the WayThither. All Rights Reserved, Murray, 1883.Another interesting title is Cermin Mata,a Malay journal compiled by BenjaminPeach Keaseberry, a missionary from1859. Containing a mixture ofChristian tracts, general knowledge andoriginal writings of Munshi Abdullah,it is one of the first Malay journalsto be published in Singapore.First issue of Cermin Mata Bagi SegalaOrang yang Menuntut Pengetahuan. AllRights Reserved, Singapura, 1859.An important source of Singapore’searly history is the Hikayat Abdullah,the lithographed autobiography ofMunshi Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir. Itwas written in Jawi, between 1840 and1843, and published in 1849. MunshiAbdullah was the interpreter and scribeto Singapore’s founder, Sir StamfordRaffles. Abdullah wrote about the eventsof his life relating to the activitiesin Singapore, which was slowlytransforming from a sleepy fishingvillage into a major centre of worldtrade. He also described prominentBritish personalities and offered hisobservations on political and culturalevents of that time. He is considered tobe the father of modern Malay literature.Frontispiece of Hikayat Abdullah. All RightsReserved, Mission Press, 1849.Chrita dahulu-kala is a series ofPeranakan literature written forthe Peranakan Chinese. The firstseries was published in 1890s. Theyare actually old Chinese classicstranslated into Baba Malay and wellillustrated with the characters fromthe Chinese classics.The directory entitled SingaporeAlmanack and Directory is anexcellent source of referencesif research is being done onpast residents of Singapore.First published in 1846 andpopularly called the StraitsDirectory, this is the earliestSingapore directory. It liststhe names and addresses ofresidents on the island as wellas their professions. It alsoincludes brief informationon Singapore.Pages from the Singapore Almanack andDirectory. All Rights Reserved, StraitsTimes Press, 1846-69.In addition, newspapers publishedduring the times of the StraitsSettlements can also provide insightinto life in historical Singapore.The Singapore Free Press was thesettlement’s second paper, publishedin competition with the existing tabloid,the Singapore Chronicle. Whilst thelatter faced demise by 1837, theSingapore Free Press survived into thenext century. Its genesis marked theend of the “Gagging Act” – a censorshiprule that required that publicationsbe reviewed so that all criticismagainst the East India Companyor the British Government couldbe removed prior to publishing.Thus the paper’s name symbolisedthe newfound press freedom inthe Settlements.Donated by Mr Raymond Wurtzburgto the Lee Kong Chian ReferenceLibrary – through Mrs Yvonne Wurtzburg– the 8 October 1935 Singapore FreePress edition is a commemorativecentenary publication. Its value is notonly that it reviews the history of thepast 100 years of the newspaper andof Singapore, but that it also givesinsights into the life and activities inpre-war Singapore as vividly depictedin the advertisements. Divided intofive sections, the commemorativeissue includes a historical overviewof the Straits Settlements Police,the Harbour and companiessuch as Cold Storage. Aspectsand personalities in the localcommunities are also described,with photographs of buildings,people and places illustrating thecolonial times of Singapore.Pages from the Singapore Free Press.All Rights Reserved, Singapore FreePress, 1935Care and StorageDue to preservation purposes, alltitles in the Rare Materials Collectionare microfilmed and some digitised.Originals are no longer handled, asfrequent handling will hasten theirwear and tear. If the materials are everhandled for maintenance purposes,it is done so with gloved hands.Gloves are used when handlingRare MaterialsThe rare materials are kept ina special climate controlled roomwith a stable temperature of 18°Celsius, a relative humidity of 50%and reduced light intensity. Tofurther protect the rare materialsfrom environmental deterioration,the books are placed in archivalboxes while maps are encapsulated.Proper and stable environmentalconditions are necessary to prolongthe shelf life of rare materials.Rare Books in Archival BoxesAccessTitles in the Rare MaterialsCollection are listed as “RRARE” inthe library’s online catalogue. Forthese materials, only the surrogatemicrofilm copy or the digital copy isto be consulted. All microfilmsare housed at the Singapore andSoutheast Asia Collections, whichis at Level 11 of the Lee Kong ChianReference Library. The digitisedversions of the rare books areavailable on Singapore Pages,which is accessible via the NationalLibrary Board’s Digital Library(www.nlb.gov.sg). In the event thephysical copy is required to beconsulted for research purposes,permission may be granted ona need basis by writing to theDeputy Director, Lee Kong ChianReference Library.ConclusionThe Rare Materials Collection isa historical collection that revealsmuch of how Singapore, after itsfounding, grew into a leading portand its development from a colonyto a sovereign nation. Researchinginto this wealth of information shouldhelp our generation to betterappreciate their heritage and understandthe present state of being.Picture of Newton Railway Station fromSouvenir of Singapore: A Descriptive andIllustrated Guide Book of Singapore.All Rights Reserved, The Straits TimesPress, 1905.Advertisement page from Souvenir ofSingapore: A Descriptive and IllustratedGuide Book of Singapore. All RightsReserved, The Straits Times Press, 1905.18 19