Category All Books
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Singapore at Random: Magic, Myths & Milestones (New and Updated)
June 1, 2021
Asian Culture & History, Asian Writing -
New & updated by Alvin Tan
ISBN 9789811476013
200 X 145 mm
Paperback; 160 pages
Pub Date: July 2021
BIC: AMX, AMCAn illustrated collection of Singapore truth and trivia, Singapore at Random is filled with anecdotes, statistics, quotes, diagrams, facts, advice, folklore and other unusual and often useful tidbits. This veritable treasure trove of information on Singapore is arranged, as the title suggests, randomly, so that readers will come to expect the unexpected on each and every page. Designed in a charmingly classic style and peppered with attractive illustrations, Singapore at Random is a quirky and irresistible celebration of everything you didn’t know you wanted to know about this unique and unmissable country. This new edition of Singapore at Random provides the answers to these and many other fun and fascinating questions about the city state.
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Menorca Sketchbook
April 1, 2021
Architecture, Travel -
by Marcus Binney, Painting by Graham Byfield
ISBN 9789811450563
244 X 280 mm
Hardback; 72 pages
Pub Date: April 2021
BIC: WTH, AFCWhilst in recent years, there have been an increasing number of excellent tourist guide books written about Menorca, Graham Byfield, long-term resident of Es Migjorn in Menorca, offers a remarkable new vision of this island thanks to his unique powers of observation translated here into an exsquisite publication through his renowned artistic skills, using mainly watercolour and pencil. Once again, his friend Marcus Binney, a very regular visitor to their island home together with his wife, Anne, has contributed a highly informative text to support Graham’s work.
Menorca is full of hidden secrets, and Graham has chosen to illustrate not only the main buildings and sites of obvious importance, but also many quirky aspects of Menorcan life and its glorious countryside and heritage. It is hoped that the book will surprise and delight both visitors and residents alike. Unlike many of its neighbours, Menorca has been spared much of the recent ravages of development, and now supports a strong ecological ethic, with safeguards in place to avoid uncontrolled exploitation. A strong volunteering spirit exists, which supports the local authorities to ensure the beaches are kept clean, and many old buildings are saved from collapse and ruin, most notably the Naval Hospital on the Isla del Rey and several old windmills.
Menorca is truly a hidden gem and this book scratches the surface to reveal some of these secrets which makes our island so special.
We are proud to support the work of the Menorca Preservation Fund through the sales of this book.
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In Red Weather: Turmoil In Indonesia: A CIA Insider’s Account From The 1960s
March 7, 2021
Asian Culture & History, Politics / Current Affairs -
by Daniel F. Cameron
ISBN 9789814610544
215 X 150 mm
Hardback; 188 pages
Pub Date: March 2021
BIC: BMIn Red Weather is the true story of one of the major intelligence coups in modern history. Daniel F. Cameron, a young, idealistic American spy for CIA, lands in Surabaya in the 1960s, when the USSR, Communist China, and the US are vying for strategic influence in Indonesia. He soon teams up with Wim Vermeulen, a formidable maverick and former member of the WWII Dutch Resistance, who becomes the source of highly classified Soviet information. Their dangerous mission unfolds against a backdrop of seething turmoil, intrigue and betrayal that leads to the downfall of Sukarno and the bloody destruction of the six million-member Communist party. In Red Weather is the riveting espionage memoir of our time.
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Heroes, Gods and Guardians: Hilts and Keris of Indonesia: Huntington Miller Collection
February 7, 2021
Asian Culture & History -
by Bruce W. Carpenter
ISBN 9789811482960
230 X 230 mm
Hardback; 160 pages
Pub Date: February 2021
BIC: JHMCPut together over a period of twenty years, the Huntington Miller Collection of Keris and Keris Hilts is a tour de force. The emphasis here is on the sculptural aesthetic and historical importance of this unique art form from throughout Indonesia—Java, Sumatra, Borneo, Bali, Lombok, Sulawesi—and beyond. It is a story that spans centuries and the rise and fall of countless kingdoms and polities. The hilts range from minimalistic forms to the abstract to opulent royal weapons beautifully crafted to project prestige and wealth. So, too, they carry with them the aura of mystery and magic of the exotic tropical islands of Southeast Asia, which captured the imagination of foreigners even before the beginning of the Age of Spices, when the perilous journey from Europe to Indonesia took a year to complete. With a terse and informative text written by Indonesian art expert, Bruce W. Carpenter, this is a cultural and artistic voyage that delights the eye and stimulates the mind.
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Singapore A Very Short History: From Temasek To Tomorrow
October 21, 2019
Architecture, Asian Culture & History, Asian Writing -
By Alvin Tan
ISBN 9789811433481
198 X 129 mm
Paperback; 192 pages
Pub Date: November 2019
BIC: AMX, AMCSingapore: A Very Short History — From Temasek to Tomorrow is a fresh, new, and highly-readable account of Singapore’s history. It is a sweeping story of discovery, abandonment, rediscovery and development of what is today one of the world’s greatest port-cities. Brief as this account may be, it incorporates all the latest research and findings about Singapore’s past, and weaves a concise yet coherent and comprehensive account of the island over the last 700 years.
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Beyond familiar foundational myths and stories, this new account weaves Singapore’s story on a wide tapestry – through a cast of princes, sultans, colonial administrators, occupiers community leaders and politicians – and tells the tale of how they struggled to answer that allimportant question: How do we make this island succeed? Two recurrent themes emerge from this gripping account. First, that Singapore was an unlikely or accidental nation-state; and second, that given its vulnerability to wider regional and international forces, it survived and flourished only because it was able to constantly change and adapt to make itself useful and relevant to the world. And what of tomorrow? Will Singapore survive? This book is a hopeful response to these questions.