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A review by hweezbooks
Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore by Peter Borschberg, Derek Heng, Kwa Chong Guan, Tan Tai Yong
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
In 1919, a celebratory tome, One Hundred Years of Singapore, was published. It pointed to a colony “racing towards a bright future as part of a resurgent British Empire “upon which the sun never sets.”
This alone, my friends, should already drive home clearly the impermanence of a rise in nations, to brace us for an eventual fall.
Yet this is not a book so much about inevitable conclusions but also a fine body of research for a layman reader like me.
Published in 2019, this book sought to change the modern Singapore narrative away from Raffles in 1819, to the 700 years before now.
It taps on new research from all over the world, sometimes mere mentions, to put together a picture of Singapore at a particular time.
The authors point to a “linear-cyclical” history of Singapore as a port, which waxed and waned according to European and regional forces after the maritime trade around the island.
I found many of the stories fascinating, and am grateful to have a chance to delve into this. I love especially the old maps and historical accounts.
The book counts three rise-and-fall cycles in this history, and asks if we are ever due for another. I think, without being too morose about it, it’s a question worth wondering.
But never forget, always, the mettle of the local people at any one time.
This book was published by @nlb.singapore in partnership with @marshallcavendish in 2019, and supported by the @sgbicentennial office.
📚: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia)
This alone, my friends, should already drive home clearly the impermanence of a rise in nations, to brace us for an eventual fall.
Yet this is not a book so much about inevitable conclusions but also a fine body of research for a layman reader like me.
Published in 2019, this book sought to change the modern Singapore narrative away from Raffles in 1819, to the 700 years before now.
It taps on new research from all over the world, sometimes mere mentions, to put together a picture of Singapore at a particular time.
The authors point to a “linear-cyclical” history of Singapore as a port, which waxed and waned according to European and regional forces after the maritime trade around the island.
I found many of the stories fascinating, and am grateful to have a chance to delve into this. I love especially the old maps and historical accounts.
The book counts three rise-and-fall cycles in this history, and asks if we are ever due for another. I think, without being too morose about it, it’s a question worth wondering.
But never forget, always, the mettle of the local people at any one time.
This book was published by @nlb.singapore in partnership with @marshallcavendish in 2019, and supported by the @sgbicentennial office.
📚: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia)