The History of Singapore: Lion City, Asian Tiger
Discovery Channel
Singapore: John Wiley & Sons, 2010
ISBN: 9780470823200

This colourful introduction to the history of Singapore is based on the highly acclaimed television series by Discovery Channel. Vividly narrated and beautifully illustrated throughout, Discovery Channel's The History of Singapore: Lion City, Asian Tiger, brings to life the dramatic story of this remarkable city state from its founding father Sir Stamford Raffles, to its independence and development under first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew.

Everything But the Brain
Jean Tay
Singapore: Epigram Books, 2010
ISBN: 9789810855116

What do physics, three bears, and a stroke have in common?

In this poignant, heartwarming play about father and daughter, a middle-aged Physics teacher, Elaine Lim, explains the theory of relativity using a metaphor that calls upon three bears and a train. Elaine then devises a plan to turn back time and save her ailing father from physical deterioration.

Penned by Singaporean playwright Jean Tay, Everything But the Brain is a tale that touches on family, death, and the laws of the universe. It won Best Original Script at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards in 2006.

The Story of Harry's
Mohan Mulani
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2010
ISBN: 9789814276429

August 1992. From out of nowhere, a new burst of energy brightened up the Singapore riverfront and quickly became an enduring icon in the country's bar and music scene. Welcome to Harry's - jazz bar extraordinaire!

Known for its music and a concoction called Bank Breaker (after a particularly notorious customer), respected for its admirable record of community involvement, and loved for its friendly ambience, Harry's is a story that shows the little guy can make it big.

In this book, CEO Mohan Mulani takes us on a journey through the history and growth of the bar - from a single venue to 31 today - recounting the difficulties he encountered through tough times and how he overcame them.

From brand building to creative financing, The Story of Harry's offers valuable lessons on running and growing a business successfully in a uniquely Singaporean context.

More Than Half the Sky: Creative Writings by 30 Singaporean Women
Leong Liew Geok (ed.)
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009
ISBN: 9789812618931

More Than Half the Sky, first published in 1998, is the first comprehensive anthology of women's writing in English in Singapore. This facsimile volume of the first edition features the writings of thirty women - seven playwrights, ten poets and thirteen fictionists.

With altogether forty previously unpublished works and excerpts, More Than Half the Sky takes a good look at what women in Singapore are writing and thinking about: themselves and other women; men; sexual politics; children; work; love; marriage; freedom; their society. The poems, plays and stories collected here are not only readable and entertaining, they are also thought-provoking and engaging in their variety.

Rice Bowl
Suchen Christine Lim
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2009
ISBN: 9789812618962

A powerful story of young love and idealism set in Singapore in the 1960s, a time of political uncertainties and economic insecurity.

Young, passionate and idealistic, Sister Marie rejects the conformity of her first love, a Singaporean police inspector, and embraces the liberalism of her second love, an American missionary. Fresh into university and daring to be different, she leads a group of students to question the values of a nation gripped by fear of the government and loss of their rice bowl. They organise a protest march against the Vietnam War, which leads to a riot, detention and deportation of the workers they try to help. And in the midst of this, a student, the daughter of a prostitute, meets a tragic death, while a lecturer and a suspected Communist agent provocateur goes crazy in his attempts to radicalise the students-workers' movement.

Merdeka and Much More: The Reminiscences of a Raffles Professor 1953-67
K.G. Tregonning
Singapore: NUS Press, 2010
ISBN: 9789971694227

Professor K.G. Tregonning's anecdotal memoir of his years as a member of the Department of History in the University of Singapore, culminating as Raffles Professor, captures the mood and milieu of Singapore as the country emerged from colonial rule to become a self-governing independent nation. Arriving at the height of the Cold War, Tregonning was acutely conscious of the ongoing Malayan Emergency and of the political shifts taking place across Southeast Asia. He records meetings with a number of the region's leaders, and encounters with students and colleagues who would later feature in Singapore politics, or become leading figures in the academic world. The result is an engaging and very personal account of a university and a professional, political and social environment that is very different from that found in Singapore today.

Memoirs of a Raffles Original
Leslie Danker
Singapore: Angsana Books, 2010
ISBN: 9789814193832

Memoirs of a Raffles Original is the story of one man and his unique relationship with Singapore's most iconic property. Leslie Danker is the only person in Singapore to have personally experienced the many incarnations of Raffles Hotel: from bastion of colonial prestige, to fading icon, and now, the country's premier symbol of luxury and hospitality. In this wistful and humorous autobiographical account, he retraces his nearly four decades of service; from his humble start in the maintenance department tending to clogged toilets to becoming its very first Resident Historian, sharing the hotel's storied past with celebrities, dignitaries, VIPs, and now, you.

C. Kunalan: Singapore's Greatest Track and Field Athlete
Steven Quek C.H.
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2010
ISBN: 9789814266536

Canagasabai Kunalan - or Mr K, as he is better known to students and colleagues - is a legend in Singapore's sporting history. With a total of 15 SEA Games and 5 Asian Games medals under his belt and a host of National Records to his name, he is an inspiration to his students, colleagues and fellow sportsmen.

But there is more to Mr K than his sporting success. Few are aware of the battles he faced in his personal life - struggling against racial taboos to marry a woman of another race and juggling the roles of teacher, son, husband, father, coach and sportsman.

This book draws a portrait of a man of extraordinary gallentry and humility whose story is an inspiration - be it in sporting, teaching or family.

Conversations with Lee Kuan Yew: Citizen Singapore: How to Build a Nation
Tom Plate
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2010
ISBN: 9789812616760

Imagine the delight and challenge of entering into a one-on-one political and personal conversation with the founding father of modern Singapore. This is exactly the timely treat that awaits you in Citizen Singapore.

The first in the Giants of Asia series, this succinct, penetrating, richly detailed and candid book on Lee Kuan Yew represents the Asian legend's first extended conversation with a Western journalist. The result is often surprising, sometimes startling, occasionally humorous -- and never, ever dull. Enter into the mind of this controversial but internationally respected political leader and pioneer, through the eyes and ears of one of America's leading journalists on Asia.

Lim Kim San: A Builder of Singapore
Asad-ul Iqbal Latif
Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2009
ISBN: 9789812309273

Lim Kim San's name is linked inextricably to Singapore's public housing. This is entirely appropriate because he played a crucial role in the success of the Housing and Development Board, which transformed both the country's physical landscape and gave Singaporeans a tangible stake in the future of their young nation. However, important though Lim's role was at the Board and as Minister for National Development, it was not his sole contribution to Singapore. He made a decisive difference in several other key areas, including Finance, and Interior and Defence. This biography draws on Lim's Oral History Interview, which was made accessible to the author, the Hansard, Lim's speeches, and newspaper clippings, in addition to fresh interviews conducted with other Singapore leaders who had worked with Lim. The result is a composite picture of a great Singapore leader.