Tuesday

Writing Singapore: An Historical Anthology of Singapore Literature
Angelia Poon, Philip Holden, and Shirley Geok-Lin Lim (eds.)
Singapore: NUS Press, 2009
ISBN: 9789971694586

The first comprehensive historical anthology of English-language writing from Singapore, this volume covers more than a century of literary production in a variety of genres. It provides readers in Singapore with an easy point of access to compelling narratives and poems, some of which have been forgotten or are difficult to obtain. For readers outside Singapore, it introduces a neglected but important range of works that represent the historical and contemporary imaginaries and realities of one of the world's most cosmopolitan cities.

Uniquely in Southeast Asia, the importance of English language continued to grow in Singapore after independence. The country's English-language literature documents and reflects on the possibilities and tensions brought about by Singapore's rapid economic transformation and changing society.

Because of Singapore's small size and the lack of international reach of many of its publishers, most of this literature has received relatively little international exposure, in contrast to writing in English from the Caribbean, West Africa, or South Asia. Within Singapore itself, a number of major works have gone out of print. This pioneering anthology places key texts in a historical narrative allowing them to be read, studied, critiqued, and treasured.
Impressions of the Goh Chok Tong Years in Singapore
Bridget Welsh, James Chin, Arun Mahizhnan, and Tan Tarn How (eds.)
Singapore: NUS Press, 2009
ISBN: 9789971693961

Singapore experienced substantial changes during the 14-year tenure of the country's second Prime Minister, Goh Chok Tong (1990-2004). Coming after a long period of growth and stability, the period brought to office a new generation of political leaders who faced the task of sustaining and building upon the policies of their predecessors. There were social and cultural initiatives and significant challenges to the economy arising from the Asian crisis of 1998 and the SARS outbreak in 2003. This volume examines the changes that took place during the Goh premiership and assesses its legacy. The 45 essays in the volume review a range of issues from domestic politics and foreign policy to economic development, society, culture, the arts and media.
Singapore by Subway
Stephanie Pee & Sylvy Soh
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009
ISBN: 9789812617439

Singapore by Subway is a fun and adventurous way of exploring the island of Singapore. Discover exciting eating places, shopping haunts large and small, and unique sights and activities, all within 10 minutes of walking distance from each MRT station. Accompanied with photographs, relevant contact details and nuggets of information, Singapore by Subway is a comprehensive tool for finding your way around the country and unearthing its many gems. Additional travel tips on the weather, transportation and other useful topics make this guide a must-have for all visitors.

Monday

Rickshaw Reporter [reprint]
George L. Peet
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009
ISBN: 9789812616371

George Peet's memories of colonial Singapore begin in 1923 when, as a young man of 21, he arrived from his Colchester bedsit to become a reporter at The Straits Times. Fresh off a Blue Funnel steamship, he tastes fully the flavours of the Straits Settlements: being outfitter in tropical topee and tutup; living in a high-ceilinged, punkah-cooled bungalow with a 'boy' at his disposal; sleeping in balmy nights under a mosquito net; and commuting to work in a rickshaw. Almost instantly, and without even realising it, this new boy from Home had become a member of the Establishment - the colonial hierarchy where social dos and don'ts were aplenty.

Above all, he remembers those hectic rounds about the dusty roads of Singapore, interviewing Somerset Maugham, reporting cricket on the Padang, being a member of the first expedition by car 'up-country'.

Indeed they are the memories that are very rare in the world today. This memoir is the 'swan song of an almost extinct breed of colonial man' heightened by the special sensitivity of its writer. George Peet was neither Tuan Besar nor Pukah Sahib but a keen, thoughtful young journalist conscious of the social mores of the multi-racial milieu around him. The result is a unique reflection on colonial life from the pen of someone who lived life on the line separating the worlds of white-washed mansions and cluttered tenements. George Peet brings these people together in a warm, personal account of life in the colony of Singapore during its belle epoch.

Friday

Singapore: Sketches of the Lion City
Lorette E. Roberts
Singapore: Bridge House Design, 2009
ISBN: 9789889732837

Singapore: Sketches of the Lion City is a collection of images. by artist Lorette E. Roberts. She illustrates the amazing and fascinating range of variations to be found in this vibrant country. Indeed it seems that perhaps the only constant in Singapore is its weather! Everything else is truly multiple, as Lorette suggests in her introduction. So this sketch-book contains pictures - as one might expect - of Raffles, the Marina, the varied architecture, mouthwatering food, Bumboats, Singapore Slings, Boat Quay; Orchard Road (one of the best places to “people watch”) ...... but Lorette digs deeper and shows us much more, for instance Singapore’s history, including its heritage derived from a diversity of cultures - or the new versus the old such as the Fl debut around the Padang in contrast to the brightly coloured shophouses of Joo Chiat. She brings to our attention the wide range ‘Of places to yisit- the Jurong Birdpark, the Zoo, Sentosa, Art Museums - to mention a few! Then she highlights the unexpected - the farms at Kranji, a tiger-faced car at Haw Par Villa, hedgehog pastries, the Art Bridge, birdcages on tall poles in a park at AngMo Kia, a posse of schoolgirls with bright umbrellas arriving for “Ballet under the Stars” at Fort Canning and so on ... Finally, don’t forget to look for her trademark snail - sometimes heavily disguised - on every page!
Singapore: a 700-Year History: From Early Emporium to World City
Kwa Chong Guan, Derek Heng & Tan Tai Yong
Singapore: National Archives of Singapore, 2009
ISBN: 9789810830502

Ever wondered if Singapore was indeed a "sleepy fishing village" prior to Raffles' famous arrival in 1819? Did we really not have an economically-viable trading port during the pre-colonial times? How then is this possible conjecture of Singapore being a thriving emporium pre-1819 being juxtaposed and/or correlated to our present day context of being a global city?

These are the questions that the authors of Singapore: a 700-Year History - From Early Emporium to World City aim to address. With new archaeological evidence recovered since 1983 and more systematic search of the Dutch, Portuguese and to a lesser extent, the Spanish archives, a more long-sighted view of Singapore's past is made visible through the facts presented in the book. 700-Year History seeks to fill the gaps of much of Singapore's pre-1819 history with the indisputable evidence that Singapore actually enjoyed prosperity in an earlier cycle of globalised trade underpinned by the Yuan and Ming dynasties. Even  for the post-1819 period, the coherent and continuous narrative in the book offers new insights and interpretations.

The book is an attempt at providing a historical basis for thinking of Singapore's experiences, not just in the past, but also in the present and the future. 700 years of history, with each period providing its respective significance on the emergence of our World City, have finally been compiled into an enriching and informative readable joy.

Tuesday

Encounters with Singapore Legal History: Essays in Memory of Geoffrey Wilson Bartholomew
Kevin Y.L. Tan & Michael Hor (eds.)
Singapore: Singapore Journal of Legal Studies, 2009
ISBN: 9789810820169

Even though Singapore's recorded legal history is brief - starting as it does from the time of British colonization in 1819 - it is a fascinating one. From its earliest days, Singapore's rulers - colonial and post-colonial - have seen law as an instrument for social change and transformation. The structure of the modern Singaporean family has been shaped by law, as has its built environment and heritage.

Despite this legacy, legal history is one of the most neglected facets in the education of the Singaporean lawyer. Regrettably, many see history as a series of dates and events about things they don't care and about and people they have never heard of. Yet, lawyers constantly search through databases and law books of a bygone era for suitable precedents with which to argue and win their cases, constantly tapping into this aquifer of historical and judicial wisdom.

This collection of essays is dedicated to the memory of the late Professor Geoffrey Wilson Bartholomew, the most important post-War historian of Singapore's legal history. Starting out primarily as a commercial lawyer, Bartholomew became fascinated by the question of the reception of English law in Singapore and thereafter, tracing the applicable laws of the land. Even though he spent only 13 years living and teaching in Singapore, Bartholomew spent a life-time studying Singapore's legal system and history.
Men For Others: A Portrait of the Josephian Over the Years
Warren Fernandez
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2009
ISBN: 9789814266192

St. Joseph's Institution (SJI) has been educating young people from all segments of Singapore society since 1852.

The school is rooted in the teaching traditions established by the Brothers of the Christian Order, founded by John Baptist de La Salle in France in 1680.

Its mission: to imbue young boys drawn from families of all backgrounds with a sense of faith, service and community, moulding them into "Men of Integrity and Men for Others".

This book is a story about that mission. It sketches how the school came to be set up in Bras Basah Road, where it stood through ups and downs for over a century, before moving to its present home in Malcolm Road. It also reveals how the new SJI International, to be opened officially in May 2009, came into being, and the drive of the Brothers and old boys who helped bring it to life.

The SJI story is inextricably tied to that of its students, and this book is a collective portrait of the Josephian. It profiles 50 men and women who graced the school corridors over the years and grew to share in its mission and beliefs, and looks at how they are striving to keep that spirit alive by living it out in their everyday lives - as professionals, in business, in politics and public service, or simply as good fathers, husbands, sons and friends.
Light On the Lotus Hill: Shuang Lin Monastery and the Burma Road
Chan Chow Wah
Singapore: Khoon Chee Vihara, 2009
ISBN: 9789810826741 

Light On the Lotus Hill documents the life and history of Venerable Pu Liang, the 10th Abbot of Shuang Lin Monastery, who was also the chairperson of the Singapore Chinese Buddhist Association from 1937 to 1942.

In 1935, Venerable Pu Liang initiated the 2nd restoration of the Shuang Lin Monastery but when the Sino-Japanese war erupted in 1935, he stopped the restoration project and supported the China Relief Fund founded by Tan Kah Kee.

After the fall of Singapore, Venerable Pu Liang was arrested and executed by the Japanese. It is reasonable to believe that if Venerable Pu Liang had survived the war, he would have restored the Shuang Lin Monastery.

Monday

For a Better Age: Musings of a Teacher
Eugene Wijeysingha
Singapore: Candid Creation, 2009
ISBN: 9789810813147

It was not by design that Eugene Wijeysingha became a teacher. Set on continuing his education beyond secondary school but devoid of the financial means to do so, he settled for a teaching bursary. This required him to teach for at least five years upon graduation. Beginning as a teacher in a demanding classroom setting, he then traversed the educational hierarchy before ending up as principal. In the process, the enthusiasm and passion for sharing in the lives of young people gathered momentum. For 35 years, he walked with them, shaping and nurturing the best in them. He never looked back, nor did he regret the way his destiny unfolded. Today, in retirement, he relishes the thought of a life well-spent and the untold rewards that were garnered throughout his career in education.