Heritage Book Reviews by Bonny Tan
Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society , 2023
Kung Tian Cheng (孔天增) (1879–1915), who was born in Malacca and educated at the Anglo-Chinese Scho... more Kung Tian Cheng (孔天增) (1879–1915), who was born in Malacca and educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, began his career at the age of 16 as a junior clerk at Singapore’s Raffles Library, where he helped assemble a comprehensive catalogue of the library’s entire English-language collection. At the time of his death just 20 years later, he was living in Beijing, where he had served as a secretary and translator for Yuan Shikai, the first president of the Chinese Republic, and as Chief Librarian for the Presidential Library. The Confucian Revival movement in Malaya in the late nineteenth century deeply affected him, and reformist ideas influenced his writings and led him on a journey through the Straits Settlements, India, and ultimately to China. - https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/126/article/900785
A shorter version of the article on YWCA Cookery Books
Examines the impetus for cooking classes and cookbooks in Malaya, based on the changes noted duri... more Examines the impetus for cooking classes and cookbooks in Malaya, based on the changes noted during this cookbook's published lives prior to and after the World War II period. The lives of the YWCA Cookbook's editors are also studied. Unpublished paper
BiblioAsia, Dec 2011
Mrs W.E. Kinsey's "The 'Mems' Own Cookery Book" published in 1920 gives insights to the condition... more Mrs W.E. Kinsey's "The 'Mems' Own Cookery Book" published in 1920 gives insights to the conditions of colonial cooking in Malaya, explores the state of colonial meals and the skills of local cooks, and provides insights to adaptations of colonial meals and recipes of Malayan food consumed by expatriate families. A brief profile of this talented housewife, her a civil-servant husband based in Malaya and his family is included
BiblioAsia, Jul 2011
By the late 19th century, a number of Straits Chinese, or Peranakans, had acquired status, wealth... more By the late 19th century, a number of Straits Chinese, or Peranakans, had acquired status, wealth and academic standing. With their community riding on a wave of economic success and a renaissance in knowledge and culture, these educated anglophile Straits Chinese also sought to have a voice and began "The Straits Chinese Magazine" in 1897. The quarterly was the first English serial edited and published by Malayans, and addressed the concerns and interests of all the Straits-born
BiblioAsia, Apr 2011
Emily Innes’ "The Chersonese with the Gliding Off" (1885), was written in contrast to Isabella Bi... more Emily Innes’ "The Chersonese with the Gliding Off" (1885), was written in contrast to Isabella Bird’s "The Golden Chersonese" (1883). This two-volume publication by the wife of a minor British official conveys details of her life as a resident in Malay States from 1876 to 1882.
BiblioAsia, Jan 2011
A review of The Golden Chersonese, a celebrated travelogue written in 1883 by Isabella Bird. Thi... more A review of The Golden Chersonese, a celebrated travelogue written in 1883 by Isabella Bird. This article provides analysis of Bird’s writings, her inspirations and her impressions of the Malay States.
BiblioAsia, Oct 2010
Willis’ Singapore Guide — written for budget travellers of the 1930s, particularly sailors — serv... more Willis’ Singapore Guide — written for budget travellers of the 1930s, particularly sailors — serves as a time capsule of life in Singapore through British eyes. This review highlights the books detailed descriptions of historical landmarks such as the Satay Club and the Singapore Zoo as well as long-gone shopfronts, businesses and institutions.
BiblioAsia, Jul 2010
A review of The Illustrated Guide to the Federated Malay States first published in 1910, explorin... more A review of The Illustrated Guide to the Federated Malay States first published in 1910, exploring the context of the tourist industry in that period, the writers and illustrators of the publication and the publishers.
BiblioAsia, Apr 2010
A review of one of Singapore's earliest tourist guidebooks which offers a glimpse into the 19th c... more A review of one of Singapore's earliest tourist guidebooks which offers a glimpse into the 19th century landscape and landmarks of Singapore, giving unique perspectives such as colloquial place names in Malay of colonial buildings. A profile on the author, the Rev. George Murray Reith, a resident minister of the local Presbyterian Church is appended.
BibloAsia, Jan 2010
Features Itinerario, first published in 1596 by Dutchman Jan Huygen van Linschoten. The publicati... more Features Itinerario, first published in 1596 by Dutchman Jan Huygen van Linschoten. The publication is valued for revealing directions into the trade routes of the East, besides its beautiful engravings and early modern maps which provide insights into the cultures and commodities of the region.
BiblioAsia, Oct 2009
Published in 1905, Chrita is a Baba Malay translation of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a 17t... more Published in 1905, Chrita is a Baba Malay translation of John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, a 17th century bestseller based on an allegorical world of the Christian faith's journey.
Papers by Bonny Tan
Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society
Kung Tian Cheng (孔天增) (1879–1915), who was born in Malacca and educated at the Anglo-Chinese Scho... more Kung Tian Cheng (孔天增) (1879–1915), who was born in Malacca and educated at the Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore, began his career at the age of 16 as a junior clerk at Singapore’s Raffles Library, where he helped assemble a comprehensive catalogue of the library’s entire English-language collection. At the time of his death just 20 years later, he was living in Beijing, where he had served as a secretary and translator for Yuan Shikai, the first president of the Chinese Republic, and as Chief Librarian for the Presidential Library. The Confucian Revival movement in Malaya in the late nineteenth century deeply affected him, and reformist ideas influenced his writings and led him on a journey through the Straits Settlements, India, and ultimately to China. - https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/126/article/900785
BiblioAsia , 2022
While best known as a giant in the movie business in Malaya, Loke Wan Tho was also passionate ab... more While best known as a giant in the movie business in Malaya, Loke Wan Tho was also passionate about bird photography and the arts.
This bibliography highlights the rich holdings of resources on the Baba community and culture in ... more This bibliography highlights the rich holdings of resources on the Baba community and culture in the Singapore National Library. Included in the bibliography are thesis and rare items in the collection of the National University of Singapore Libraries. The bibliographical listing is organised according to socio-cultural subject headings together with bibliographic citations, library location code and abstract. An introductory chapter on the definition of the Baba community and its unique culture is provided together with author-title indexes and a glossary of abbreviations.
BiblioAsia, 2020
The colony experienced its first cholera outbreak in 1841, and several epidemics in the decades t... more The colony experienced its first cholera outbreak in 1841, and several epidemics in the decades thereafter. Bonny Tan examines how the battle against this deadly illness was won.
BiblioAsia, Jul 2018
Explores how 19th century mothers travelled the world with their children using the case of missi... more Explores how 19th century mothers travelled the world with their children using the case of missionary wife Harriette McDougall who lived in Sarawak and Anna Brassey who circumnavigated the globe on a private yacht.
BiblioAsia, 2016
A sailor travels halfway around the world in his attempt to
return home, and becomes the first Ja... more A sailor travels halfway around the world in his attempt to
return home, and becomes the first Japanese resident in
Singapore in the process.
BiblioAsia, 2017
Traces the context of the careers of little known local librarians Padma Daniel and her mentor Ka... more Traces the context of the careers of little known local librarians Padma Daniel and her mentor Kate Edith Savage-Bailey
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Heritage Book Reviews by Bonny Tan
Papers by Bonny Tan
return home, and becomes the first Japanese resident in
Singapore in the process.
return home, and becomes the first Japanese resident in
Singapore in the process.