Nutmeg Books

THE MEDIEVAL CHRONOLOGY OF MALACCA
is from an academic paper presented by Charles Otto Blagden at the International Congress of Orientalists that was held in Paris in 1896.

Drawing from Chinese, Portuguese and Malay sources, Blagden, a former District Officer of Malacca, Dean of the School of Oriental and African Studies and a Reader in Malay at the University of London, provides a compelling argument on when Malacca was first established as the Kingdom of the Malacca Malay Sultanate.

Available at Nutmeg Books.

Last year, during the launch of the book THE MEDIEVAL CHRONOLOGY OF MALACCA by C. O. BLAGDEN at the Riwayat Bookstore in KL, we had the good fortune of meeting with an amateur researcher name En. Hafiz. As it turns out, this amazing person had been doing years of research into the history of the town of Jasin in Malacca, which included C. O. BLAGDEN, who was the British District Officer of Jasin. We were very impressed with his knowledge of the life of BLAGDEN during and after his time in Jasin and he was willing to share his knowledge on BLAGDEN with all of us.

En. Hafiz also kindly shared with us scanned copies of the notebooks that were handwritten by C. O. BLAGDEN himself. They are made up of a collection of his personal notes on a variety of matters pertaining to the history of Malaya, local customs, superstitions and of the Malay language. This collection is from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Archives, University of London.

Most amazingly, these notes included BLAGDEN’s handwritten notes for the preparation of his manuscript THE MEDIEVAL CHRONOLOGY OF MALACCA, which he eventually presented at the Eleventh International Congress of Orientalists, held in Paris.

The pictures included show the title of his manuscript dated 26th January 1897 with his signature, notes on the pedigree of the Malacca Rajas according to the Sejarah Melayu and the books that he referred to for his sources.

The book is available at Nutmeg Books.

CHARLES OTTO BLAGDEN
Author Of "The Medieval Chronology Of Malacca"

An author of books from the British rule of Malaya that is forgotten is Charles Otto Blagden (1864 – 1949). He was an English Orientalist and linguist who specialised in Malay and Burmese languages.

He first came to British Malaya in 1888 after he was appointed to the Straits Settlements Civil Service. He held various administrative and judicial posts in Malacca and Singapore. However, he retired for health reasons and returned to England in 1897 where he studied law.

In 1917 he joined the newly opened School of Oriental and African Studies as a Lecturer in Malay Studies, to promote the teaching of Asian languages and to train colonial officials for the British Empire.

Dr. Blagden contributed several papers on Malayan research. His first paper was ‘The medieval chronology of Malacca’ published in Actes du onzième congrès international des orientalistes, Paris, 1898. In 1902, he published "A Malayan element in some of the languages of Southern Indo-China" in the Journal of the Straits Branch, Royal Asian Society.

His most important published work was with Walter William Skeat (the author of Malay Magic, 1900) on the comparative vocabulary of aboriginal races in ‘Pagan Races of the Malay Peninsula’ which appeared in 1906. Unfortunately, Skeat seemed to have been better accredited for this work than Dr. Blagden.

Blagden’s last book was the English-Malay phrase-book, published in 1960 by Malaya Publishing House, Singapore (now known as MPH). His friend, R.O. Winstedt, provided the forward for this book.

Dr. Blagden was one of those early British colonials who was interested in the Malay language and its history. He made efforts to teach it to his countrymen and to try to bring it to an international arena.

The Medieval Chronology of Malacca is now available (2nd reprint) at our online store on Shopee.

Selamat Hari Malaysia!
Semoga kita terus bersatu padu dan sejahtera.

PENANG CHRONICLES III - EMPORIUM
By Rose Gan

Just added to the first two books, Dragon and Pearl, Part 3 of Rose Gan's Penang Chronicles sees Francis Light's dream of a British East India Company settlement east of India - and crucially on the China trade route - come to fruition.

A paradise on earth. Penang - the Pearl of the Orient - has fulfilled its promise, becoming the most vibrant port in the Indies in a few short years. But paradise comes at a price for Francis Light and his family. Penang's meteoric rise from deserted island to thriving port attracts unwanted attention from both the Dutch and the French, while the Sultan of Kedah rages at the treachery of the British. As the 18th century draws to a close, Penang must fortify and prepare for war, and Light's partner, Martinha Rozells, learns to negotiate the murky waters of colonial prejudice for the sake of her family.

Available on our online store on Shopee @ RM48.00 per copy only.

VOYAGE TO THE GREAT INDIES (1644 - 1651)
By Jean Guidon de Chambelle
Translated, Presented and Annotated by Serge Jardin

This book presented by Serge Jardin contains a unique document detailing the harbour and fortified town of Melaka in its early days as a Dutch colony, which was in 1646, a mere 5 years after Melaka was taken over from the Portuguese.

Through the eyes of a French mercenary, serving with the Dutch as a musketeer, we discover Melaka and its surrounding’s diverse population, strange and exotic wildlife and plants, as well as the daily life and festivities within the fortress and its local customs.

This book will be of help for scholars and amateur historians who is interested in this part of Melaka’s previously obscure history.

Serge Jardin, the famous French historian who recently created a controversy by confronting local academics for distorting facts relating to Malay maritime history, questioning the credibility of their publications and for rewriting history.

Get your copy here :
https://my.shp.ee/rfy7Zrc

We're thrilled that we've been featured in the June issue of Magazine! A huge thank you to Stuart Danker for the fantastic article. 📖✨

We strive to continue to contribute to the preservation of Malacca's cultural identity through literature and historical documentation. Stay tuned for exciting future projects!

Thank you all for your support! 🙌

Books by Devinder Raj

Devinder Raj grew up in Melaka at Bukit Asahan Estate, near the foothills of Gunung Ledang. Later, when he lived in Tranquerah, he attended Malacca High School and on the way to school he used to pass by St Paul’s Hill and A Famosa. He is a graduate of Universiti Malaya and has worked as teacher, an English Language officer at the Ministry of Education, at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur, the Beijing INTI Management College and also volunteered at the National University of Laos. His interest in history was sparked after visiting ancient sites in Southeast Asia and observing the links many of these places had with Melaka.
- with Devinder Raj
Available at Nutmeg Books @ https://my.shp.ee/kzNhLYB

BOOK FEATURE IN COMMEMORATION OF FESTA SAN PEDRO

A Stroll Through Ancient Malacca
By Fr. M.J. Pintado

This little book is divided into three parts. The first offers the tourist and the general reader a short survey of the five and a half centuries of Malacca history. The second contains information on a famous name in Malacca's history, whose influence still persists in many parts of the world, and also on a unique language or patois still spoken in the town. The third describes some aspects of its historical sites.

This book has become a rare and much sought-after for collectors of books on Malacca.

BOOK FEATURE IN COMMEMORATION OF FESTA SAN PEDRO

My People My Country
By Bernard Sta Maria

This book is a biography of a community whose roots took form when the Iberian seafarers, colonised the city-port of historic Malacca. The author attempts to present a chronological development of the Malacca Portuguese community.

The author has utilised references and data from original texts, books and monographs, of which some has never been published for the general public and where it was considered relevant, verbal histories. He has relied on essays and books like "The Portuguese and The Tropics" by Dr. Gilberto Freye and "The Portuguese Missions of Singapore and Malacca" by Re. Manuel Texeira.

"My People My Country" was published by The Malacca Portuguese Development Center in 1981. It remains as a very rare and sought after book.

Playing for Malaya: A Eurasian Family and the Pacific War
By Rebecca Kenneison

A stunning personal account of a Eurasian family living in Malaya. Reggie was the author's father, and one of the many gaps in his account of his family was that his mother was Eurasian. When Rebecca Kenneison discovered this omission after his death, she set out to learn more about her extended family on the other side of the world.

Her voyage of discovery is compelling in itself, but Playing for Malaya has a much larger purpose. Set in the 1930s and 1940s, it recounts the experiences of an extended Eurasian family during the invasion and occupation of Malaya by the Japanese. Colonial society considered Eurasians insufficiently European to be treated as British, but during the Pacific War they seemed all too European to the Japanese, who subjected the Eurasian community to discrimination and worse. Because many Eurasians, including members of the Kenneison family, supported the Allied cause, their wartime experiences are an extraordinary account of tragedy, heroism and endurance, presented here with great eloquence and clarity.

Link to purchase : https://my.shp.ee/DwzDx1P

ABANDONED IN MALACCA
By Peter Alistair Hudspeth

This self-published novel is set in the backdrop of Malacca from towards the end of the British colonial era of the 1950s to the post-independance years of the 1970s, it tells the story of the experiences of how a child from a British father and a Chinese lady was given up by his parents and grew up with an identity crisis.

The story is about such a child named Danny and the tale is about his experiences growing up in a Malacca Chinese Peranakan family. This story is written from the perspective of the abandoned child. What makes this book hauntingly clear is the fact that this novel is based on actual events and persons.

Written as a novel, this book contains actual photographs of abandoned “Danny”, who will eventually become clear to the reader that “Danny” and the persons named in the book were real people, but their names had been changed to protect their identity.

This book would have a special appeal for Malaccans who can remember the town from the era of the 1960s and 1970s. It was when Malacca was yet to be developed and its tourism industry was very much in its infancy. Malacca was then a quiet sleepy hollow. Places that the author mentioned like the old Malacca town, Bunga Raya Road, Banda Hilir Road and the old Malacca Bus Stand were different from how it is today. There is also a part which tell us of Danny’s experience after being enrolled in school at the St Francis Institution.

The question beckons as to whether the abandoned Danny, now as an adult, can finally find closure and solace from his past?

Available at Nutmeg Books @ RM48.00
Link to purchase :
https://my.shp.ee/HwmckZR

THE STORY OF PENANG AND KEDAH
By Allein G. Moore

To some, Francis Light, the man who founded the important trading settlement of Penang, was a visionary on par with Sir Stamford Raffles; to others, he was a slave owner and a devious man who cheated the Sultan of Kedah of an island and robbed the resources.

Allein Moore has researched Light's role in the acquisition of Penang as well as explored the subsequent development of the colony. The old kingdom of Kedah has often been ignored and the author enlightens the reader on the history of this ancient kingdom which is intertwined with that of Penang.

Allein Moore presents history in an easy-to-read style, slipping in some little-known facts in this fascinating tale of the Pearl of the Orient.

Available at Nutmeg Books Shopee store @ RM54.00
Link to purchase : https://my.shp.ee/xVi6KFa

THE IMPERIAL AGENDA - THE BRITISH IN MALAYA FROM 1786-1957
By Devinder Raj

This book takes a look at Malaysia’s imperial past through the lens of Britain in its pursuit to exert control over the Malay Peninsula. Devinder Raj delves into the implications of imperialism on the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, and the Unfederated Malay states, which eventually came to be known collectively as the Federation of Malaya, and then, as the nation is called today, Malaysia.

The British presence introduced systems of administrative policy and growth in terms of industries, plantations, and infrastructure which brought about economic advantagous.

Nevertheless, the unsavoury aspects of this agenda which last till this day begs recognition as well, such as the employment of gunboat diplomacy – the use of naval strength and military intimidation to secure strategic locations along the Straits of Melaka on the islands of Penang, Singapore, and Pangkor.

Devinder discusses intertwined subjects in this section of Malaysian history such as immigration, education, o***m trading, and the practice of bringing convicts to the Straits Settlements, offering a comprehensive understanding of the complex historical context in which the Imperial Agenda unfolded and impacted the country of Malaysia as she stands today.

Available at Nutmeg Book @ RM54.00
Link to purchase - https://my.shp.ee/92KkKgu

Join us for a Book Talk on Serge Jardin’s latest book this weekend. Meet and ask him questions relating to his new book, our history and historical sources.

Buy the book at a discounted price and have it signed by the author himself on that day.

See you!

Join us for an engaging book talk this weekend 📚.
Discover new perspectives and insights by Serge Jardin.
Don't miss out – mark your calendars and spread the word!"

Details : tinyurl.com/vttgi

BOOK TALK
VOYAGE TO THE GREAT INDIES (1644 - 1651)

Come join us for this book talk and meet the author, Serge Jardin, the famous French historian who recently debated about distorted facts relating to Malay maritime history.

Get a copy of the book and have it signed by the author.

Kindly register as seats are limited. Scan on the QR code or click on this link :
tinyurl.com/vttgi

See you!

A TALE OF A FRENCH MERCENARY'S VISIT TO 17TH CENTURY MELAKA
By Dennis De Witt

Read this interesting write-up on our new publication "Voyage To The Great Indies (1644-1651) in THE EXPAT Magazine May 2024 issue (Page 50 - 51).

Link to the article (Page 50 - 51) : https://tinyurl.com/3b7tm9u5

Link to purchase the book :
https://tinyurl.com/2s3rh3sw

Get a copy of the book at RM45.00 (tomorrow only) at the launch and have it signed by the author himself.

See you tomorrow!

Join us for the LAUNCH of Serge Jardin’s new book, VOYAGE TO THE GREAT INDIES (1644 - 1651) and you are welcometo ask him questions relating to his new book, our history, historical sources, as well as the perceived “rot” in Malaysia’s higher education system.

Register to reserve your seats @ tinyurl.com/vttgi or scan the QR code on the poster above.

See you there!

BOOK LAUNCH
VOYAGE TO THE GREAT INDIES (1644 - 1651)
May 2024
@ 11am
@ The Bendahari, Melaka

Limited seats are available. Scan the qr code or go to this link to register : tinyurl.com/vttgi

See you!