Singapore Houses
Robert Powell
Singapore: Periplus, 2009
ISBN: 9780804840514

The houses in this book epitomise cutting-edge residential architecture in Singapore at the beginning of the twenty-first century. They demonstrate a remarkable surge of design exploration in the city-state. Architects in Singapore are producing work with a level of refinement and sophistication that is comparable with the best in the world and one would be hard pressed to find a nation of similar size with such an abundance of accomplished young designers who have built independently.

Raffles: The Definitive Biography
Maurice Collis
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009
ISBN: 9789812617736

Time and perspective have increased the stature of Sir Stamford Raffles, from whose work grew the modern Far East. Maurice Collis's biography gives both a clearer and more human portrayal of this great administrator, humanitarian, pioneer orientalist and collector of animals and plants.

Singapore: The Little Red Book
Luca Invernizzi Tettoni
Singapore: Talisman, 2009
ISBN: 9789810814687

Singapore is a microcosm of the many and varying cultures found in Asia. Everywhere you look you see a different face, another style of dress, a different building style: it's a layered country, full of contradiction, yet homogenised. Like the country this new book showcases these particularly Singaporean sights: the contrasts and contradictions as well as the parallels.

Singapore Chic [new ed.]
Adrianna Tan
Singapore: Editions Didier Millet, 2009
ISBN: 9789814217866

Unlike other cities in Asia, Singapore is a city that is comfortable with the past, always keeps an eye on the future and yet remains firmly grounded in the present. From historic Chinatown to the designer boutiques of Orchard Road; from bumboats on the Singapore River to the skyscrapers that form the backdrop of a modern metropolis hosting the world's very first Formula One night race, this bustling island-state is a mixture of style, sophistication and high-octane energy.

Singapore Chic introduces its reader to the glamour and excitement that is Singapore. Showcasing local designers in traditional shop-houses beside shining new developments such as the casinos of the state-of-the-art Integrated Resorts, the chapters of the book are arranged by districts and reflect the eclectic mix of East and West that is unique to Singapore

Stylish international hotels and elegant boutique hotels will be profiled alongside the country's best restaurants, shops, spas and nightspots. Each profile is supported by a fact box summarising key information, contact details and the distinct features of each establishment so that readers can make a choice that caters best to their particular needs.

Singapore Chic is the new 'must-have' accessory for today's modern traveller planning to discover the true delights of a vibrant city that is revamping itself before the eyes of Asia and the world.

The Hung: Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya & Singapore
Leon Comber
Singapore: Talisman, 2009
ISBN: 9789810814670

This new volume is a collection of two groundbreaking publications from the 1950s by Dr Leon Comber; Introduction to Secret Societies and Traditional Mysteries of Chinese Secret Societies in Malaya. The books initiate lay people to the mysterious world of Chinese secret societies. Secret societies were originally founded on the bedrock of blood ties, kinship, mutual help and rebellion against repressive regimes and especially relevant to the immigrant communities of the Nanyang (overseas) Chinese as they integrated into new homelands. To that extent, many of their rituals, codes of conduct and history held true to original ideals. Over time however, many secret societies later turned to crime and have become synonymous with criminal organisations serving their leaders and gang members' purposes rather than the wider community.

The Catherine Lim Collection

Catherine Lim

Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009

ISBN: 9789812618566

This book consists of three celebrated short story collections and an early novel, each reflecting Lim’s prowess as a storyteller chronicling a society in transit, where multiethnic characters struggle with their identities as the past and the present intersect, mingle and clash. 

The Serpent’s Tooth (1982)

Within each family lie the proverbial skeletons better left untouched, lest the truths uncovered become to horrifying. The Serpent’s Tooth is fraught with dashed hopes and wasted efforts, where characters grope around desperately in the murky depths of self delusion, where hands reach beyond the grave and resurface to haunt.

They Do Return…but gently lead them back (1983)

15 tales of the paranormal. Unlike the bloodthirsty, melodramatic tales favoured at gatherings, the substance of these are commonplace, stories behind the ghost stories: of relationships that death cannot sever; of personalities so forceful they invade the land of the living after death; of rituals and customs, the unexplained and the unexpected. Characters so close to home that you start believing…

O Singapore!: Stories in Celebration (1988)

From the playfully satirical pen of Catherine Lim comes the wild, weird and wacky world of O Singapore! This is ’90s Singapore where the campaigns and the directives of the unremittingly competent leadership come face to face with the undeniably human fads, foibles and follies of the Singaporean people.

The Woman’s Book of Superlatives (1993)

Catherine Lim beguiles the reader with a startling contrast: the deification of women in ancient myths, against the degradation of women at the hands of their men. Time and again, an unwonted bond of sisterhood appears, and is affirmed in a final fateful collision.

 

Singapore: Trade, Investment and Economic Performance
Ramkishen S. Rajan & Shandre M. Thangavelu
Singapore: World Scientific, 2009
ISBN: 9789814273138

Singapore's rapid evolution from a modest trading post under colonial rule into a prosperous, self-confident nation is one of the notable success stories of the second half of the 20th century. International trade and investment linkages have been the cornerstones of the city-state's economic success (more than 7 per cent average GDP growth per annum during the period 1970-2005).

This book offers an overview of the Singapore economy with emphasis on its global trade and investment linkages and policies. It analyzes patterns and policies of Singapore's trade and foreign direct investment (FDI) and discusses issues related to its services sector, focusing on its multilateral and bilateral commitments.

The book will be a good reference source for business executives, journalists, and diplomats, as well as students and academics specializing in Asian studies and economic development.

India Fever: The New Indian Professional in Singapore
Amrit Barman
Singapore: Singapore Indian Association, 2009
ISBN: 9789810823191

This book takes you through a thought-provoking journey through the life and times of the quickly growing population of Indian expatriate professionals in Singapore. Through a mix of anecdotes, observation and insight, the reader is introduced to the thought processes that drive this extremely mobile group; including a no-holds-barred examination of their relationship with the local population of Singapore.