May 30, 2019

In line with the Bicentennial, the National Library Board (NLB) and the Singapore Bicentennial Office jointly published Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore (Marshall Cavendish, 2019). The book is a revamped version of the 2009 edition, and is currently the only single volume that covers 700 years of Singapore’s history. Moreover, it represents 30 to 40 years of collective research by its four writers – Professor Tan Tai Yong, Associate Professor Peter Borschberg, and Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor Kwa Chong Guan from the NUS Department of History, as well as Associate Professor of Humanities Derek Heng from Yale-NUS College.

The book is reader-friendly, and even features an infographic pull-out. In fact, as Prof Tan remarks, it has been written in a style that is more accessible to a general readership. More importantly, however, it showcases new discoveries and insights into historical sources that have emerged in the last ten years. For example, A/P Borschberg introduces fresh insights from his original research among non-British European sources. Not only does this complement accounts from Malay sources, but in doing so it also presents a fuller picture of Singapore’s history between the 14^th and 18^th centuries.

Seven Hundred Years: A History of Singapore will be launched by President Halimah Yacob at the official opening of the Bicentennial Experience next Thursday.

Read the full article here.