20 March 2013: Lasting Impressions, Seals from the Islamic World October 27, 2014 – Posted in: Newsletters

“Masterworks in miniature, each of these seals leaves lasting impressions of the people who commissioned and used them, and the Islamic worlds in which they were created…” With over 100 vivid images of seals, letters, maps and other paraphernalia, Lasting Impressions: Seals from the Islamic World offers – for scholars and curious readers alike – a delightful and enriching education on Islamic seals: powerful symbols of persona once so ubiquitous and valued in Muslim societies.…

25 Feb 2013: Special announcement “Penang, The Fourth Presidency of India 1805-1830” – Posted in: Newsletters

In Areca Book’s newest title, Penang, The Fourth Presidency of India 1805-1830, author Marcus Langdon proves that little islands can be just as worthy of historical interpretation as major empires. Written in an easily accessible style, the book tells the story of how the tiny settlement of Pulau Pinang came to be an administrative seat of one of the most powerful trading companies in the world. In this initial volume of a three-part series, Langdon…

Remembering days of fun in the sun October 14, 2014 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

Sometimes, we have to look through another’s eyes to see something special in the ordinary. Reading the memoirs of John Michael Broome Hughes, especially the section devoted to his time in this country, one is transported into an era where a pair of observant eyes and a powerful pen can make history come alive. The memoirs of the last British headmaster of the Penang Free School (PFS), known as Mike to his friends, is not…

Recalling a Thai Malaysian Legacy July 14, 2014 – Posted in: In The News

The history of Phuket and this region, is the late Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong, better known on Phuket as Praya Rassada. He was the high commissioner of Phuket and the Southwestern region of Siam from 1900 to 1913. He was assassinated 100 years ago in May, 1913. To commemorate his death, a regional historical symposium and business forum was recently held in Penang. The event was entitled ‘Khaw Sim Bee Na Ranong and shared…

Endorsement of Living Pathways by D. Paul Schafer, Director, World Culture Project: “A remarkable, beautiful, and very valuable book” May 26, 2014 – Posted in: Reviews

Living pathways: Meditations on sustainable cultures and cosmologies in Asia is a remarkable, beautiful, and very valuable book. As the author Manickam (Nat) Nadarajah points out, it can be enjoyed in many ways – visually, verbally, emotionally, and spiritually. All of these ways engage the reader and heighten his or her awareness of the importance, timeliness, and relevance of the book. Acting on the author’s advice, I leafed through the pages of the book in…

Book Review: M. Nadarajah: Living Pathways – Posted in: Reviews

BOOK REVIEW M. Nadarajah: Living Pathways: Meditations on Sustainable Cultures and Cosmologies in Asia. Penang: Areca Books, 2013, xxi+153pp., ISBN978-967-5719-09-7 The first thing that struck me about this book, when it came to me for a review, is its visual appeal. It is layered with photographs and graphics which have, not so obvious, resonance with the themes and textual content of the book. It is pleasure to leaf through a book which has an excellent…

“A new thing said in a new way”: Some comments on M. Nadarajah’s Living Pathways by Gaston Roberge – Posted in: Reviews

A new thing said in a new way Living Pathways, by Dr. Nadarajah Comments by Gaston Roberge, 12 April 2014 Living Pathways, the new (2013) book of our friend Dr. Nat, is new in at least four important ways: 1. The way it was created patiently involving hundreds of people. 2. The way it appears with images on nearly as many pages as the text. 3. The fact that images constitute a heart moving text…

Reviews for Tulila: Muzik Bujukan Mandailing April 30, 2014 – Posted in: Reviews

Tulila: Muzik Bujukan Mandailing. Edi Nasution. Penang, Malaysia: Areca Books, 2007. xx + 180 pp., photographs, maps, figures, musical ex., bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-983-42834-4-5, RM35.00. Tulila: Muzik Bujukan Mandailing (Tulila: Mandailing seduction music) is Edi Nasution’s Indonesian-language study of markusip, a disappearing, late-night, rural courtship tradition among West Sumatra’s Mandailing. In markusip, a love-struck pemuda (young man) braves nocturnal risks of the jungle to sneak up to a young woman’s dormitory (bagas podoman), where he leans his shoulder against its…

The kampung house revisited April 7, 2014 – Posted in: In The News

Article by Farah Fazanna Zulzaha Guests to the Rumah: An Ode to Malay House book launch took the time to enjoy the illustrations by London-based illustrator Ahmad Harun. A BOOK of poems dedicated to traditional Malay houses has been launched. Penned by the cultural icon Tenas Effendy, Rumah: An Ode to the Malay Housepresents Tenas’ classic tribute to the Malay house alongside a lively English translation by Raimy Ché-Ross, making the work accessible to…

Book brings memories of living in a kampung – Posted in: In The News

Letter by S. Sundareson, Petaling Jaya I REFER to the article “The kampong house revisited” (The Star, March 25). The launch of the book “Rumah – An Ode to the Malay house” brings back fond memories during my childhood days. The book, which has poems written by Tenas Effendy, with English translation by Raimy Che’ Ross, is probably the first of its kind. A forward with an illustration by Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, popularly…