Malaysia

including the former British North Borneo and Sarawak.

Also see the Fibiwiki pages Straits Settlements and Malacca and Penang (Prince of Wales Island).

Records

• See General Register Office, UK. Also includes information about records such as British Consular Returns, including online sources. Includes details of a findmypast database "British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms". Note that within this database is a group of records "Sarawak Baptisms, 1844-1925" which are transcriptions provided by UK Genealogy Archives. There is however no further information about the source of these records.
• National Registration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs [Malaysia] is responsible for birth , marriage and death registration. The page Corporate Information/History advises “Birth and death records kept by the National Registration Department since nearly 150 years ago continue to be preserved to this day.” The email address appears to be pro@jpn.gov.my.

There has been some registration since 1859. Marriage registration has been in place in Malaysia since the late 1800s.

It seems likely that records may be divided according to the current states and federal terrorities, so you would probably need to know geographical location.

• Birth, marriage and death notices may have been published in Singapore newspapers. See Singapore - Newspapers for details of free online Singapore newspapers.
• Birth, marriage and death notices may have been published in other publications, such as The Directory & Chronicle for China etc or The London and China Telegraph, or The London and China Express, refer Historical books online below.
• MyRepositori, website of the National Library of Malaysia, see Historical books online below, includes some historical Malaysian newspapers in English, although titles and dates are unclear, but include The Malay Mail and the Sunday Mail 1940s and 1950s. There is a Search which includes a Full Text Search, but you must select this option.
• BACSA have published the following books, which are available at the British Library as noted:
  • Ipoh and Taiping: War Graves and Graves of Europeans in the Cemeteries in Ipoh and Taiping, Perak, Malaysia by Justin Corfield, 2000. 108pp, 27 illustrations and plan. UIN: BLL01009531255
  • Kota Bharu (Malaysia): European Graves in the Jalan Hamzah Cemetery by Justin Corfield, 1999. 24pp, 23 illustrations and plan. UIN: BLL01009531507
  • Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia): St Mary's Cathedral and the Jalan Birch Cemetery by Justin Corfield, 2000. 24pp, 5 illustrations. UIN: BLL01009531254
  • Christian Cemeteries and Memorials in the State of Malacca by Alan Harfield ; Dutch translations by José Parrett. 2002 revised edition 214 p, previously published 1979 and 1984. 1979 title includes and Rasak New Village. UIN: BLL01007448800 (2002); (UIN: BLL01010549113 1979; UIN: BLL01007448766 1984). The 2002 edition is available online, see Malacca.
  • Christian Cemeteries of Penang & Perak by Alan Harfield 1987. 195 p. UIN: BLL01011842779

  Penang Western Road Cemetery : graves of Europeans in the Protestant Section by Justin Corfield. Variant Title: Penang, Malaysia : graves of Europeans in the Protestant Section of Western Road Cemetery c 1999. 77 p with map. UIN: BLL01009531508

  • Seremban, Malaysia: Graves in St Mark's Churchyard, and the Anglican Section of the Seremban Cemetery by E Beavington and Justin Corfield, 2000. 56pp, 11 illustrations. UIN: BLL01009531270
  • Teluk Anson (Malaysia): European Graves in the Jalan Anderson Cemetery by Justin Corfield, 2000. 20pp, 14 illustrations and plan. UIN: BLL01009531506

For more details about the books currently available, and also those out of print, see BACSA - See also.

BACSA have put indexes to the majority of their cemetery books online and these indexes are free to browse. If an indexed name is of interest then application can be made to BACSA for details of the relevant burial inscription - charges apply for this service.

• Epitaph : the Northam Road Protestant Cemetery, George Town, Penang by Marcus Langdon. [2017] Publication Details: Penang, Malaysia : George Town World Heritage, [2017] “Includes bibliographical references". UIN: BLL01018374502 .
• Taiping, Malaysia : Commonwealth war graves cemetery. Publication Details: [Stockport] : [Lane], [1995] On cover: This register is a memorium dedicated to those men who were killed in the defence of Malaya or who died as prisoners of the Japanese during the Second World War. UIN: BLL01008833921
• Names and particulars of Australians killed in action in Borneo or who died while prisoners of war, or, who died while P.O.W. on the Sandakan Death March's and who are buried in the Labuan War Cemetery, North Borneo, Malaysia compiled by James McClelland Research 1991. UIN: BLL01007227307
• British & Indian Armies in the East Indies (1685-1935) by Alan Harfield 1984 is available at the British Library, UIN: BLL01012672115 . History of British and Indian Armies in Sumatra, Java, Sarawak, Malaya and Singapore from 1685-1935. Includes names of officers and men buried in these areas. Also includes name lists of persons in some military units which served in these areas.
• See Malacca and Dutch for records for researching those with Dutch ancestry.
• Civil Service Lists are very useful if you are researching a government employee, but some may only contain more senior employees.

Some Colonial Office Lists are available online, refer Historical books online below.

Details of Government of Malaya Lists are set out in Government Lists page 30 Bibliography of Malaya (Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library). The best collection of these Lists available in the UK appears to be at Cambridge University Library which holds, according to its catalogue,

• Straits Settlements Civil Service List 1883-1884, 1888, 1890, 1893, 1896-1917, 1920-1921
• Federated Malay States Civil Service List 1904-1905, 1908-1916, 1918-1919
• The Malayan Civil List 1921-1940. (Example of an entry from the 1925 Malayan Civil List.)

The British Library also holds some editions, as does SOAS Library, University of London.

• There are Colonial Office files at the National Archives Kew relating to British Malaya. There is a finding aid, a published book (in thirteen volumes) Index to British Colonial Office files pertaining to British Malaya : 1838-1955 compiled by Paul H Kratoska 1990, available at the British Library UIN: BLL01006673270 (English language edition) (12 v. in 13).

Military Operations

• Perak War

Civil Service

For an account of the varied duties of a Civil Servant from the 1920s, see The Memoirs of a Malayan Official by Victor Purcell, 1965. Available online, refer Historical books online, below.

External links

• National Archives of Malaysia
• National Registration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs, Malaysia
• Malaysia Genealogy FamilySearch Wiki
• Military
  • The Malayan Volunteer Forces by Rosemary Fell. cofepow.org.uk, now an archived webpage. Refers to A History of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, 1854-1937 : being also an historical outline of volunteering in Malaya by T.M. Winsley 1938. Available online in a Limited preview, and also in a reprint edition, which in turn is available to read online on the pay website fold3, refer below.
  • Singapore And Malaya Volunteer Corps Medals 10 March 2013 from “Singapore Volunteer Corps, Straits Settlements Volunteer Force, Malaya Volunteer Forces”
  • Malayan Volunteers Group Includes categories such as History; Volunteer Forces Summary, with links to Armoured Cars, Malayan Volunteer Air Force; Evacuees; Sumatra; Stories etc.
  • "The Malay States Guides in action at Hatum, Aden, 12th January 1916" by Harry Fecitt from Harry’s Sideshows kaiserscross.com. This regiment belonged to the Sultans of the Federated Malay States and was similar to an Indian Imperial Service unit.
  • "Nand Singh and Jangnamah Europe: Subaltern insights on the wars of Empire" by Raman Singh Chhina. lse.ac.uk. Havildar Nand Singh was a Sergeant in the Malay State Guides and also an Indian poet who wrote using a genre of Punjabi historical poetic writing. He composed the Janganamah Europe giving an empirical account of the First World War. On September 26 1915 the regiment left Taiping to join the Aden Field Force.
  • History of Special Operations Forces in Malaysia by Shamsul Afkar bin Abd Rahman. June 2013 Thesis, Master of Science in Defence Analysis from the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. Includes chapters on WW2. Archive.org
• Sejarah Melayu: A History of the Malay Peninsula includes a Digital Library and Gallery, including historical maps (mostly pre 1800) sabrizain.org
• Has Somerset Maugham promoted Malaysia more than Shahrukh Khan? by Oscar the Grouch. The short stories by W. Somerset Maugham set in Malaysia and Borneo, written during the 1920s and 1930s, were typically concerned with the lives of the British imperial colonist. Includes details of a murder in 1911 in Malaya on which one of the stories is thought to be based.
  • A list of the short stories by W. Somerset Maugham set in Malaysia and Borneo www.maleisie.be, now an archived webpage.

See Historical books online, below.

• “Obsession, isolation and the colonies” July 16, 2012 moncurdg.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014
• States and federal territories of Malaysia Wikipedia
  • Kedah Alternative name Quedah, it was visited by trading ships in the time of the East India Company. “In the hope that Great Britain would protect what remained of Kedah from Siam, the sultan handed over Penang and then Province Wellesley (Seberang Perai) to the British at the end of the 18th century. The Siamese nevertheless conquered Kedah in 1811, and it remained under Siamese control until transferred to the British by the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909”.
  • Perak was visited by trading ships in the time of the East India Company. There was a British Resident from 1874. The capital is Ipoh.
  • Terengganu Wikipedia. Alternative name Tringaney. Terengganu's location by the South China Sea ensured that it was on trade routes from ancient times , and it was visited by trading ships in the time of the East India Company. The terms of the Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 saw power over Terengganu transferred from Siam to Great Britain. A British advisor was appointed to the sultan in 1919, and Terengganu become one of the Unfederated Malay States.
• St. Mary's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur, an Anglican Church consecrated 1895. Photograph by DBHKer 2008. Flickr.com. Originally called Church of St Mary the Virgin. History: The Anglican Church of St. Mary the virgin, now an archived webpage.
• The Anglican [Church of England] Diocese: West Malaysia The Bishop of West Malaysia is also Archbishop of South East Asia, who is located at Kuala Lumpur. anglicancommunion.org
  • Diocese of West Malaysia anglicanwestmalaysia.org.my
    • A Brief History of the Diocese of West Malaysia
  • Anglican Diocese of Kuching diocesekuching.org. The Bishop is at Kuching, Sarawak.
    • 150 Years of The Anglican Church In Borneo (1848 – 1998)
  • Anglican Diocese of Sabah. anglicansabah.org. The Bishop is at Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
    • History
• "The Presbyterian Church in Malaysia" by John Roxborogh, from Christianity in Malaysia. A Denominational History, edited by Robert Hunt, Lee Kam Hing and John Roxborogh, Petaling Jaya, Pelanduk, 1992, pages 75-106.

Rich built heritage of 100-year-old St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Kuala Lumpur star2.com. Includes photographs. St Andrew's Presbyterian Church Kuala Lumpur. St Andrew's was historically known as the ‘Planters Church’ or the ‘Scottish Kirk’ as the planters of Selangor were mostly of Scottish stock. Includes a photograph

• "A Penang Kaddish: The Jewish Cemetery In Georgetown. A case study of the Jewish Diaspora in Penang (1830s-1970s)" by Raimy Ché-Ross 2002. ttc.edu.sg, now an archived webpage. The Penang Story-International Conference 18-21 April 2002. Includes some transcriptions from tombstones.
• "The Plantation Rubber Industry in Malaya up to 1922" by J. H. Drabble Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Vol. 40, No. 1 (211) (July, 1967), pp. 52-77. jstor.org. Register and read for free.

"Planters, Estate Health & Malaria in British Malaya (1900–1940)" by Liew Kai Khiun Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, Volume 83, Part 1, June 2010, No. 298, pp. 91-115 academia.edu

"Mad Ridley and the rubber boom" by Dr Loh Wei Leng and Khor Jin KeonG 2011. malaysiahistory.net. The history of rubber in Malaya.

Video: A Rubber Plantation in Malaya, 1911 / La Cultivation du Caoutchouc en Malaisie, 1911 You Tube video.

Video: Henrietta Estate Album. Album of photographs of a Rubber Estate in 1920's / 1930's Malaya. You Tube video.

• "Tobacco in Sabah" by Danny Wong Tze-Ken 2011. malaysiahistory.net. The industry commenced 1883, and was the main export from Sabah until 1914. However, estates shifted to rubber crops, which became the main crop in the State.
• Bibliography of travel accounts: Malay Peninsula and additional Secondary sources Cornell University Library.
• Food Culture in Colonial Asia: A Taste of Empire by Cecilia Y. Leong-Salobir, University of Wollongong 2011. Mainly in respect of India, but also includes Malaysia and Singapore.

"Spreading the word: using cookbooks and colonial memoirs to examine the foodways of British Colonials in Asia, 1850-1900" by Cecilia Y. Leong-Salobir, University of Wollongong. From The Routledge History of Food 2015 (pp. 131-155)

• "Malayan Cookery Books: The "Mem’s" Own Cookery Book" by Bonnie Tan, Senior Librarian at the National Library of Singapore. Originally in BiblioAsia, 7 (3), 30–34. 2011. academia.edu
  • For those in North America and some other countries, this cookery book by Mrs Kinsey, first published 1920, is available online at Hathi Trust Digital Library
  • "A Colonial Cookbook" by Irene Lim. BiblioAsia Volume 11 Issue 4 January-March 2016. National Library of Singapore. The “Mem’s” Own Cookery Book
  • "The Mrs Beeton of British Malaya who pioneered fusion cuisine" by Rosie Milne and Elizabeth Roberts 10 March 2016 The Telegraph
• "Review of the YWCA International Cookery Book of Malaya(1932-1964)" by Bonnie Tan, Senior Librarian at the National Library of Singapore. academia.edu

"Mrs Beeton in Malaya" by Janice Loo. BiblioAsia Volume 9 Issue. 3 October-December 2013. ywca.org.sg

• "A taste of the past: Uncovering food histories through Malayan newspapers" by Bonnie Tan, Senior Librarian at the National Library of Singapore. academia.edu
• The Dutch East India Company and the Straits of Malacca, 1700-1784 : trade and politics in the eighteenth century by Dianne Lewis 1970 PhD Thesis Australian National University. Link to a download ANU.
• Official website of the Malaysian Dutch Descendants Project, now archived, includes History of the Dutch and Dutch-Eurasians in Malaysia, now archived. A history has been published.
• "A brief history of Eurasians in Sarawak" by James Alexander Ritchie 3 January 2019. newsarawaktribune.com.my

Maps

• 1929 Motoring Map of Malaya Pages can be rotated if required. National Library of Malaysia.
• Also see some Maps in Historical books online, below.

Historical books online

• Bibliography of Malaya, being a classified list of books wholly or partly in English relating to the Federation of Malaya and Singapore by H R Cheeseman 1959. Archive.org Lending Library. Includes a WW2 Bibliography.

Books about Malaysia by National Library of Singapore 1964. Archive.org

• National Library of Malaysia, currently (11 Oct. 2020) appears to have two digital websites, what perhaps may be termed an older, and a newer. It is unclear whether eventually all the content will migrate to the newer website, but currently there is content on the old website which goes not appear on the new.

Repositori Digital older website. A number of the English language books are in the category Koleksi Peribadi.

MyRepositori Newer website. Many of the English books appear in Collections: Khazanah Warisan Negara/Malaysiana/Koleksi Khas/ Koleksi Nadir and Koleksi Peribadi. There are also some online English language newspapers in the collection Surat Khabar.

For both websites, book files are available as pdfs. It does not appear possible to browse the English language books as a distinct category. For some books the “date of issue” appears to be the digitization date, rather than the date of publication. ASEAN Digital Library contains some content from the National Library of Malaysia, and can be searched by language.

Some downloads of books are sample pages only, or even title page only, but this may not be apparent from the catalogue entry. This appears to be a frequent situation for books, although articles appear to be fully available.

Books available from NLM include (and others are listed later):

• Notes from the Sarawak Gazette 1909-1915 by J C Moulton. Older website. Also available on the newer website. This appears to be a new entry, not transfer from the older website. Unclear whether these are sample pages, or the whole file.

Note some editions of the Sarawak Gazette are online from 1907, see below.

• Malaya and Singapore Survey Directory of Churches and Missions in the Federation and Colony by V A Chelliah, No date in catalogue but c 1948. Older website.
• Articles from Malaya in History including
  • "Kelantan During World War 1" by W E Pepys. An article from Malaya in History July 1960.
  • The Last of The Creepers: Memoirs of A Malayan Rubber Planter 1907-1917 by C R Harrison, 1961. This is an article from Malaya in History, Volume 7, No 1, September 1961. A Creeper is variously described as described as a very new junior assistant, a novice assistant or an assistant planter.
  • Untapped Historical Source: Rest House Register Books by Robin W Winks. Article from Malaya in History April 1964. All older website.

Note this website in the past was often unavailable, and possibly may only be available during office hours, Monday to Friday: 8.00 am - 5.00 pm (local time), being GMT 00.00 to 9.00am

• [Digital] Sejarah Melayu Library (abrizain.org) has an extensive collection of English language historical books to download as pdfs, with some to also read as text. Click on the titles for further details of the author and year published. If you prefer to read original images, look at the text version (if available), as for some books, it may be apparent they are available on websites such as Archive.org or Google Books. Books available include
  • An extensive collection of Journals of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (SBRAS) which became the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (MBRAS). Click on individual journal issues, and the contents will be shown. These do not seem to be complete issues, but selected articles.
• Digitised books on “History, Culture & Heritage“ from National University of Singapore. Note however, some of the books listed are in fact not viewable.
• Straits Settlements Blue Book for the year… . See Singapore- Historical books online for a range 1870-1938 from various sources. Very informative publications.

Archive.org editions of Colonial Reports - Annual from 1908 onwards published by the Colonial Office. Includes Straits Settlements and Malay States.

• The Colonial Office List for .... Includes a section on each country, and the Colonial Office List at the end of each volume. First published 1862. See Directories online - Colonial Office List for a broken range 1862-1920s.
• A History of the Singapore Volunteer Corps, 1854-1937 : being also an historical outline of volunteering in Malaya by T.M. Winsley 1938. A Limited preview of this book, which however currently (2021/04/12) is quite extensive, including copies of photographs, is available online. eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Also available in a reprint edition, which in turn is available online on the pay website fold3, owned by Ancestry, as A History of the Singapore Volunteer Corps.
• The Journal of John Jourdain, 1608-1617 : describing his experiences in Arabia, India, and the Malay Archipelago edited by William Foster. Printed for the Hakluyt Society . Second Series, Volume XVI. 1905 Archive.org. The author was in the service of the East India Company.
• The Burney Papers. Cover the period 1825 to 1849. See Thailand.
• The Malayan Peninsula, embracing its history, manners and customs of the inhabitants, politics, natural history &c. from its earliest records by Capt P J Begbie, Madras Artillery 1834. Maps and images from the book. Both Archive.org. Google Books edition.
• The Eastern Seas, or Voyages and adventures in the Indian Archipelago, in 1832, 33, 34 ... also an account of the present state of Singapore, etc. by George Windsor Earl 1837 Google Books
• "On the Ipoh or Upas Poison Used by the Jacoons and Other Aboriginal Tribes of the Malay Peninsula" by Lieut. T J Newbold, page 427 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Volume 127. 1837 Archive.org. The poison was administered by a blow-pipe.
• Quedah; or, Stray leaves from a journal in Malayan waters by Captain Sherard Osborn RN. 1857. Events in 1838. My journal in Malayan waters: or, The blockade of Quedah by Captain Sherard Osborn 2nd edition 1860. Both Archive.org. Reprinted in 1987 as The blockade of Kedah in 1838 : a midshipmanʾs exploits in Malayan waters. "A narrative of the British blockade of the coast of Quedah to assist the Siamese to reconquer the province of Quedah which had been reclaimed by the Malay chieftains".
• Travels in south-eastern Asia: embracing Hindustan, Malaya, Siam, and China with notices of numerous missionary stations and a full account of the Burman Empire by Howard Malcom

Volume I,Volume II 2nd edition, 1839 (2 Volumes in 1) Google Books. Tenth American edition [with deletions] c 1855 Archive.org

• Views in the Eastern Archipelago: Borneo, Sarawak, Labuan, &c. &c. &c. from Drawings Made on the Spot by Captn Drinkwater Bethune, R. N. C. B. Commander L. G. Heath, R. N. And Others by J A St. John 1847. Text and images seasiavisions.library.cornell.edu, but note the perspective looks odd when reading online. Perhaps a download may be preferable. Images only historyarchive.org. Transcription with images scribd.com.
• Six months among the Malays, and a year in China by Dr Yvan, Physician to the scientific mission sent by France to China, 1855 Archive.org. The book appears to be translations of extracts from the book De France en Chine by Melchior Yvan 1855 Archive.org. This expedition departed France December 1843.
• Letters from Sarawak : addressed to a child. Embracing the manners, customs and religion of the inhabitants of Borneo… by Mrs McDougall. Fourth Thousand. 1854 Archive.org

Sketches of our life at Sarawak by Harriette McDougall [1882?] Archive.org. Incorporates (some of/all?) the previous book.

• Rajah Brooke and Baroness Burdett Coutts : consisting of the letters from Sir James Brooke, first white Rajah of Sarawak to Miss Angela (afterwards Baroness) Burdett Coutts edited...by Owen Rutter. 1935 Archive.org . The letters are dated from 1858 to 1868. James Brooke Wikipedia. He ruled as the first White Rajah of Sarawak from 1841 until his death in 1868.
• Our Tropical Possessions in Malayan India: Being a Descriptive Account of Singapore, Penang, Province Wellesley, and Malacca: Their Peoples, Products, Commerce and Government by John Cameron. 1865 Google Books. Reprint edition 1965 with an Introduction by Wang Gungwu. Archive.org Lending Library.
• The Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia. Published at Singapore Volumes 1-9 1847-1855; New Series Volumes 1-4 1856-59/63.
  • Volume III, 1849, Volume IV 1850, 1862 Volume IV, New Series 1862 Google Books
  • Reprint editions Hathi Trust Digital Library A and B for all years of publication
• Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society 1878-1922. Multiple volumes: Archive.org. Restricted access Hathi Trust Digital Library may be available to viewers in North America and some other countries A, B and C, including index volumes.
• Index To All The Journals Nos.1-86 Of The Straits Branch Of The Royal Asiatic Society Vol.5 Pt.4 1927 Archive.org.
• Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society Editions from Volume I 1923 to Vol. XXII 1949, including
  • A History of Malaya by R.O. Winstedt. Published as Part I, Volume XIII March 1935.
• Navigation
  • The China Sea Directory by the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, London.
    • The China Sea Directory Volume I. Containing directions for the approaches to the China Sea and to Singapore, by the straits of Sunda, Banka, Gaspar, Carimata, Rhio, Varella, Durian, and Singapore by J. W. Reed , R N and J. W. King, R N. 1867 Google Books. 3rd edition 1886 Archive.org.
    • The China Sea Directory Volume II. Containing directions for the navigation of the China Sea, between Singapore and Hong Kong by J. W. Reed , R N and J. W. King, R N. 1868. British Library Digital Collection.
  • A directory for the navigation of the Indian Archipelago, China, and Japan, from the straits of Malacca and Sunda, and the passages east of Java. To Canton, Shanghai, the Yellow Sea, and Japan, with descriptions of the winds, monsoons, and currents, and general instructions for the various channels, harbours, etc by Alexander George Findlay 2nd edition 1878 Archive.org
  • Malacca Strait Pilot : comprising strait and its northern approaches, Singapore Strait, and the West Coast of Sumatra 1946 Pdf download, Repositori Digital, National Library of Malaysia, older website.
• Straits of Malacca, Indo-China, and China; or Ten Years Travels, Adventures and Residence Abroad by J Thomson 1875 Archive.org
• A Narrative of Travel and Sport in Burmah, Siam and the Malay Peninsula by John Bradley 1876 Archive.org
• British Intervention in Malaya, 1867-1877 by C. Northcote Parkinson 1964. Archive.org Lending Library.
• The Golden Chersonese and the way thither by Isabella L Bird 1883 Archive.org. The map which is mentioned on the title page has either not been filmed , or may not have appeared in this edition, but is available at Map: digital.library.upenn part of its digital book version
• The Chersonese with the Gilding Off by Emily Innes 1885. Volume I, Volume II Archive.org. The author’s husband was Collector and Magistrate at Langat, in the Malay Native States. Golden Chersonese (Khersonese) meaning the Golden Peninsula, was the name used for the Malay Peninsula in classical antiquity.
• Two Years in the Jungle : the Experiences of a Hunter and Naturalist in India, Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula and Borneo by William T Hornaday, Chief Taxidermist, US National Museum 1885 Archive.org.
• Play and Politics: Recollections of Malaya by an Old Resident (Attributed to William Henry McLeod Read) 1901 Archive.org. William Henry Macleod Read Wikipedia. The author was in Singapore 1841-1887.
• To Siam and Malaya in the Duke of Sutherland's Yacht 'Sans Peur' by Florence Caddy 1889 Archive.org.
• Précis of information concerning the Straits Settlements and the Native States of the Malay Peninsula. Prepared in the Intelligence Division, Horse Guards, War Office, etc. 1891. With a Map of Town of Singapore (which can be rotated). British Library Digital Collection.
• About Ceylon and Borneo : being an account of two visits to Ceylon, one to Borneo, and how we fell out on our homeward journey by Walter J Clutterbuck 1891 with Map of British North Borneo Archive.org. Also available British Library Digital Collection with rotatable images.
• The British North Borneo Herald. Monthly Record. Vol. X, no. 8 1st August 1892 Archive.org
• About Perak by Frank Athelstane Swettenham 1893 Archive.org

Malay Sketches by Sir Frank Althelstane Swettenham 5th edition 1921. First published 1895 Archive.org

British Malaya; an account of the origin and progress of British influence in Malaya by Sir Frank Swettenham, late Governor of the Straits Colony 1907 Archive.org, with a 1906 Map of the Malay Peninsula

• A Descriptive Dictionary of British Malaya by N B Dennys 1894 Archive.org
• A Trip across the Malay Peninsula with H.E. the Governor [Sir C. B. H. Mitchell] ... Reprinted from the "Singapore Free Press" by Major H E McCallum (Henry Edward) 1894. British Library Digital Collection.
• "Malay Materia Medica" by H N Ridley pages 122- 138, Journal of the Straits Medical Association No 5 April 1893-December 1894. Followed by, in the same digital file, "Malay Plant Names". From elsewhere this was by H N Ridley from Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society July 1897, pages 31-284. Ridley elsewhere was stated to be Director of Gardens and Forests at Singapore. Archive.org.
• Through the Buffer State : a record of recent travels through Borneo, Siam and Cambodia by Surgeon-Major John MacGregor, Indian Medical Service. 1896 Archive.org.
• Five Years in Siam, from 1891 to 1896 by H Warington Smyth, formerly Director of the Department of Mines in Siam. 1898. With Maps and Illustrations by the author. Also includes the Malay Peninsula. Volume I Archive.org. Volume I, Volume II HathiTrust Digital Library. Volume I with General Index Map; Volume II with with Map of the Malay Peninsula (rotatable). British Library Digital Collection.
• Camping And Tramping In Malaya: Fifteen years' Pioneering in the Native States of the Malay Peninsula by Ambrose B Rathborne 1898 Archive.org.
• From the Himalayas to the Equator; letters, sketches. and addresses, giving some account of a tour in India and Malaysia by Cyrus D Foss , one of the Bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 1899 Archive.org. With images. FamilySearch Digital book, where the images have been [correctly] rotated. May be slow to load.
• All About Rubber and Gutta-Percha : the Indiarubber Planter's Manual with the latest Statistics and Information by J Ferguson Colombo A.M. & J. Ferguson 1899 Archive.org

India Rubber, Gutta-Percha, and Balata: occurrence, geographical distribution, and cultivation of rubber plants; manner of obtaining and preparing the raw material, modes of working and utilizing them, and statistics of commerce by William T Brannt 1900 Archive.org

"The Rival of "Para" Rubber in the East" page 219 The India Rubber World April 1, 1903 Archive.org

"Rubber Planting in Ceylon and the Malay States" page 225 The India Rubber World April 1, 1904 Archive.org.

• Jennings' Guide to Singapore, Penang, Malacca, Johore, Deli, Bangkok, etc 1900 Archive.org
• European Settlements in the Far East; China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, etc by DWS [catalogued as D Warres Smith] 1900 Archive.org. The author appears to have been the publisher of/associated with the annual publication Directory and Chronicle for China, Japan…, see further below for online editions.
• Malay Magic : being an introduction to the folklore and popular religion of the Malay Peninsula by Walter William Skeat of the Civil Service of the Federated Malay States. 1900 Archive.org
• Nineteenth-century Malaya : the origins of British political control by C D Cowan 1961. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• Siam in the Malay Peninsula: a short account of the position of Siam in the states of Kelantan, Patani, Legeh and Siam by R D Davies 1902 Archive.org
• Further India: being the story of exploration from the earliest times in Burma, Malaya, Siam and Indo-China by Hugh Clifford 1904 with Orographical Map and Political Map of Farther India and Index Archive.org
• The Far Eastern Tropics, Studies in the Administration of Tropical Dependencies: Hong Kong, British North Borneo, Sarawak, Burma, the Federated Malay States, the Straits Settlements, French Indo-China, Java, the Phillipine Islands by Alleyne Ireland 1905 Archive.org
• Historical tombstones of Malacca, mostly of Portuguese origin, with the inscriptions in detail and illustrated by numerous photographs by Robert Norman Bland 1905 Archive.org
• Elephant & Seladang Hunting in the Federated Malay States By Theodore R Hubback 1905 Archive.org

Three Months in Pahang in Search of Big Game : A Reminiscence of Malaya by Theodore R Hubback 1912 Archive.org

• Malay Tin-fields; mining position broadly reviewed by Ralph S. G Stokes 1906 Archive.org Reprinted from the Straits Times
• "Gutta-Percha Trees of the Malay Peninsula" by J S Gamble, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Bulletin of Miscellaneoue Information No 4 1907. Archive.org
• The Game Animals of India, Burma, Malaya, and Tibet; being a new and revised edition of 'The Great and Small Game of India, Burma, and Tibet' by R Lydekker 1907 Archive.org
• In Malay Forests by George Maxwell 1907 Archive.org. 2nd edition 1911 Archive.org.
• Sarawak Gazette Broken range of editions from 1907 to 1993. First published 26 August 1870. Sarawak State Library. pustaka-sarawak.com.
• Twentieth century impressions of British Malaya: its history, people, commerce, industries, and resources by Arnold Wright 1908 Archive.org
• Kelantan a State of the Malay Peninsula; a handbook of information by Walter Armstrong Graham 1908 Archive.org with Map of Kelantan
• My Tour in Eastern Rubber Lands by Herbert Wright 1908 Archive.org Ceylon, Malaya, Java, Sumatra
• Rubber-Planter's Notebook by Frank Braham 1911. Pdf download KrishiKosh, Institutional Repository of Indian National Agricultural Research System. Full title: The Rubber Planter's Notebook : a handy book of reference on Para rubber planting with hints on the maintenance of health in the tropics and other general information of utility to the rubber planter : specially designed for use in the field. Review, page 242 Nature December 21, 1911 Archive.org.
• The Far East revisited; essays on political, commercial, social, and general conditions in Malaya, China, Korea and Japan by A. Gorton Angier 1908 Archive.org
• Through the Malay Archipelago by Emily Richings 1909 Archive.org
• The Malay Peninsula : a Record of British Progress in the Middle East by Arnold Wright and Thomas H Reid 1912 with a 1912 Map of the Malay Peninsula Archive.org
• Bibliotheca Indosinica: Dictionnaire bibliographique des ouvrages relatifs à la péninsule indochinoise [Biblioteca Indosinica: Bibliographic dictionary of books on the Indochinese Peninsula] by Henri Cordier 1912 Archive.org. "Péninsule Malaise", Volume II [Malay Peninsula]. Includes English publications. Contents; Index of authors; Alphabetical Index for all volumes

Also see above for the 1959 Bibliography by H R Cheeseman.

• Federated Malay States Railways : pamphlet of information for travellers : tours in the Malay Peninsula 1914 Archive.org. Includes
  • Map of Penang
  • Map of Taiping area, showing Estates
  • Map of Ipoh area showing Estates
  • Map of Town of Kuala Lumpur
  • Map of Malacca Town
  • Map of Singapore Town
  • Map of the Malay Peninsula

An illustrated guide to the Federated Malay States edited by Cuthbert Woodville Harrison, Malayan Civil Service. 3rd edition 1920. Archive.org. Missing the Map. 1923 edition Pdf download, National Library of Malaysia, older website. Probably sample pages only.

Malaysia and Indo-China : Information for Visitors to British Malaya, Dutch-Indies (Java, Bali, Sumatra etc.) Siam, French Indo-China. Published by Thos. Cook & Son, Singapore 1926. Pdf download, National Library of Malaysia, older website. Probably sample pages only.

• Rural sanitation in the tropics : being notes and observations in the Malay Archipelago, Panama and other lands by Sir Malcolm Watson 1915 Archive.org. There are two chapters on Malaya relating to malaria.
• Lauterbach of the China Sea : the Escapes and Adventures of a Seagoing Falstaff by Lowell Thomas, 1930 Archive.org. During WW1 Julius Lauterbach was navigator on the German SMS Emden and subsequently was a prisoner in Singapore at Tangling prison camp page 95, and helped ferment dissatisfaction which led to the 1915 Singapore Mutiny, during which he escaped and fled, initially to Sumatra.
• Malay Peninsula Page 263 Incidents in the life of a mining engineer by E T McCarthy 2nd edition 1919, first published 1918 Archive.org.

Federated Malay States from page 159 c 1900? and British North Borneo, page 378 Further incidents in the life of a mining engineer by E T McCarthy 1920 Archive.org.

• Tapioca and its many uses : a rice substitute for Malaya by Leopold Es Chasseriau, 1919. Archive.org. A reprint from the Pinang Gazette
• In Rubber Lands : an account of the work of the church in Malaya by C E Ferguson-Davie, 1921 Archive.org
• Trapping Wild Animals in Malay Jungles by Charles Mayer 1921 Archive.org
• Where the strange trails go down; Sulu, Borneo, Celebes, Bali, Java, Sumatra, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Cambodia, Annam, Cochin-China by E Alexander Powell 1921 Archive.org
• British North Borneo : an Account of its History, Resources, and Native Tribes by Owen Rutter 1922 Archive.org

The Origins of British Borneo by Leigh R. Wright 1970. FamilySearch Digital Library. Requires signing in to FamilySearch to view the text.

• Netherlands East Indies and British Malaya: a Commercial and Industrial Handbook by John A Fowler [USA] Trade Commissioner 1923 Archive.org
• From Golden Gate to Golden Sun: a record of travel, sport and observation in Siam and Malaya by Hermann Norden 1923. Archive.org, Ministry of Culture/ National Library of India Collection.
• Tide Marks, Being Some Records of a Journey to the Beaches of the Moluccas and the Forest of Malaya in 1923 by H. M. Tomlinson 1924 Archive.org
• Malay Poisons and Charm Cures by John D Gimlette, Residency Surgeon of Kelantan, 2nd revised edition 1923, first edition 1915. Archive.org.

The Medical Book Of Malayan Medicine originally translated circa 1886 in Penang, edited by J D Gimlette and I H Burkill 1930. Published in The Gardens' Bulletin Straits Settlements October 1930 [Singapore: Botanic Gardens] Archive.org.

A Dictionary of Malayan Medicine by John D. Gimlette ; edited and completed by H. W. Thomson ; with a foreword by Malcolm Watson. 1939. MyRepositori, National Library of Malaysia.

• The Empire at War edited for the Royal Colonial Institute by Sir Charles Lucas, in five volumes, with a catalogue contents description. (Volume 1 British Library Digital file) Volume 5, 1926, covers WW1 The Mediterranean colonies ; Egypt and Palestine ; Aden ; India ; Ceylon ; Malaya ; China. Volume 5, British Library Digital file, Contents. Also available Archive.org version, mirror from Digital Library of India.
• The Agricultural Zoology of the Malay Archipelago : the animals injurious and beneficial to agriculture, horticulture and forestry in the Malay Peninsula, the Dutch East Indies and the Philippines by Karel Willem Dammerman 1929. "This book is in the main an [enlarged] English edition of the author's work 'Landbouwdiekunde van Oost-Indië' published in 1919." Pdf download, Repositori Digital, digital repository of the National Library of Malaysia. Note, sample pages only. Searchable, but not viewable on HathiTrust Digital Library.
• The Field-Book of a Jungle-Wallah : being a description of shore, river & forest life in Sarawak by Charles Hose. 1985 reprint, first published 1929. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Charles Hose Wikipedia. He was offered an administrative cadetship in Sarawak by the second Rajah, Sir Charles Brooke, which he took up in 1884.
• Diseases And Pests Of The Rubber Tree by Arnold Sharples 1936 Archive.org
• Books on rubber Scroll down letter R. Pdf downloads, Repositori Digital, National Library of Malaysia.
• Malayan Agricultural Journal Archive.org. A limited number of editions are also available on Krishikosh Institutional Repository of Indian National Agricultural Research System, as pdf downloads. Also Malayan Agriculture 1924 Hand Book
• Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits and Federated Malay States, Multiple volumes, but at least from New Series Volume I 1902 to Volume X, 1911. For many editions, you need to look at the title page, as year is not otherwise catalogued. Archive.org.
• Planters and speculators : Chinese and European agricultural enterprise in Malaya, 1786-1921 by James Charles Jackson 1968. Archive.org Book to Borrow/Lending Library. Also available, but probably sample pages only, Repositori Digital, digital repository of the National Library of Malaysia.
• The following book appears to have been published under three slightly different titles: Memoirs Of A British Agent; Memoirs of a British agent : being an account of the author's early life in many lands and of his official mission to Moscow in 1918; and British Agent, by R H Bruce Lockhart 1932. The initial chapters cover his time in Malaya as a young man c 1908-1910 where his uncles were rubber planters. Archive.org version; two transcribed formats: gwpda.org and spyculture.com, now an archived webpage.

R. H. Bruce Lockhart Wikipedia.

Return to Malaya R.H.Bruce Lockhart 1936 Archive.org. The author had previously left Malaya c 1910, see previous book.

• Singapore Patrol by Alec Dixon, 1935. Pdf download, National Library of Malaysia. Note, sample pages only. The author who joined the Straits Settlements Police post WW1 was one of a small force of detectives, where riots, murders, and robberies, occurred with alarming frequency. Full title (perhaps only in some editions): Singapore Patrol: Experiences of a Detective Officer in Malaya. Review The Straits Times, 6 December 1935 gov.sg Review The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW) 14 Dec 1935. Searchable, but not viewable on HathiTrust Digital Library.
• Malayan Symphony : Being the Impressions Gathered During a Six Months' journey Through the Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, Siam, Sumatera, Java and Bali by William Robert Foran 1935. Pdf download, Repositori Digital, National Library of Malaysia. Probably sample pages only, and could be very few. Searchable, but not viewable, on HathiTrust Digital Library. About the author shakariconnection.com
• Armaments Year-Book : General and Statistical Information published by League of Nations. "Asia and Islands in the Indian Ocean" includes Malay Peninsula, page 176 First Year 1924, 2nd Edition HathiTrust Digital Library; "Asia" page 193 1937 edition. Google Books. For all editions of this publication to 1940, see Indian Army - Historical books online.
• "Malaya 1938-1939" page 164 Memories of Malaya by June Meyer 2007. Description of a rubber estate in the north of Malaya. Google Books.
• Handbook of the Automobile Association of Malaya, Dec. 1939 eresources.nlb.gov.sg
• British Rule In Eastern Asia: A Study of Contemporary Government and Economic development in British Malaya and Hong Kong by Lennox A Mills 1941. Issued under the auspices of the Secretariat, Institute of Pacific Relations International Research Series. File 1 some missing pages noted; File 2 Archive.org. Public Library of India Collection.
• Men of Malaya by Clive Dalton , (elsewhere stated to be the pseudonym of Frederick S Clark). 1942. Chapters titled Francis Light, Thomas Stamford Raffles, James Brooke, Andrew Clarke, Hugh Low, Frank Athelante Sweetenham. Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India.
• Malayan Landscape by Katharine Sim with an introduction by Sir Richard Winstedt. 1946. The author was in Malaya 1938 to 1942. The final chapter is about the war situation ahead of the approaching Japanese, with the author’s eventual evacuation from Singapore, shortly before its fall. Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India.
• Notes on Japanese Warfare on the Malayan Front Information Bulletin no. 6, 9 January 1942 by [USA] War Department, Military Intelligence Division. Archive.org
• The Memoirs of a Malayan Official by Victor Purcell 1965 Archive.org Lending Library. Purcell was a member of the Malayan Civil Service 1921-46. The initial chapters are about his WW1 service in the British Army on the Western Front.

Purcell was also the author of Malaya : Outline of a Colony 1946, available at the British Library UIN: BLL01003009266 . Also available to search but not view HathiTrust Digital Library.

• The War in Malaya by Lieut.-General A E Percival, G O C Malaya 1941-1942. 1949. Archive.org, mirror from Digital Library of India. Also available as a pdf download on the Sejarah Melayu [Digital] Library located under General. Scroll down the alphabetical list to T.
• Malaya and its History by Sir Richard Winstedt, formerly of the Malayan Civil Service and Reader in Malay, University of London. 2nd edition, revised 1951, first published 1947. Archive.org

Also see A History of Malaya by R.O. Winstedt published as Part I, Volume XIII March 1935 of the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, above.

A History of Malaya by Sir Richard Winstedt. Revised and enlarged 1962. Archive.org Lending Library.

• The British Overseas : Exploits of a Nation of Shopkeepers by C E Carrington 1950. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. Includes a some chapters about Malaya. Charles Carrington (historian).
• Jungle Green by Arthur Campbell 1954, first published 1953. Archive.org. The campaign in Malaya against the Communist terrorists. Campbell served with the Suffolk Regiment.
• A History of Malaya and her Neighbours, Volume One by F J Moorhead 1957. Archive.org, mirror from Central Secretariat Library, Government of India.
• The Golden Khersonese : studies in the historical geography of the Malay Peninsula before A.D. 1500 by Paul Wheatley. 1961. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• A History of Malaya, A.D. 1400-1959 by J Kennedy 1962. Archive.org Lending Library.

British civilians and the Japanese war in Malaya and Singapore, 1941-45 by Joseph Kennedy 1987. Archive.org Lending Library.

• A History of Modern Sabah (North Borneo, 1881-1963) by K G Tregonning 1965. A revised second edition of the book first published in 1958 under the title Under Chartered Company Rule. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library. The British North Borneo Company.

The British in Malaya : the first forty years, 1786-1826 by K G Tregonning 1965. Archive.org Lending Library.

A History of Modern Malaya by K G Tregonning 1967. Archive.org Lending Library.

• Pepper, Rice, and Elephants : a Southeast Asian journey from Celebes to Siam by Ruth Masters Rickover 1975. Contains one chapter on Malaya from page 101. Archive.org Lending Library.
• The British in Malaya, 1880-1941 : the social history of a European community in colonial South-East Asia by John G Butcher 1979. Archive.org Lending Library.
• Tales from the South China Seas : images of the British in South-East Asia in the twentieth century by Charles Allen 1984. Originally commissioned by, and broadcast on BBC Radio as oral history documentaries. Archive.org Lending Library.

The Savage Wars of Peace : Soldier's Voices, 1945-1989 by Charles Allen 1990. Archive.org Lending Library.

• Empire's End : a history of the Far East from High Colonialism to Hong Kong by John Keay 1997. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• The Japanese Occupation of Malaya : a Social and Economic History by Paul H Kratoska 1997. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• Forgotten Armies : the fall of British Asia, 1941-1945 by Christopher Bayly and Tim Harper 2005. Includes Malaya and Singapore. Archive.org Books to Borrow/Lending Library.
• Sunset of the Empire in Malaya: A New Zealander’s Life in the Colonial Education Service by T.K. Taylor 2007. He was appointed by the Colonial Office and worked in Malaya 1946-1960. Archive.org Books to Borrow/ Lending Library.
• The Directory & Chronicle for China, Japan, Corea, Indo-China, Straits Settlements, Malay States, Siam, Netherlands India, Borneo, the Philippines, &c. For a range of editions to 1941, see China.
• The London and China Telegraph. Published weekly in London. Covers China, Hong Kong, Japan, Straits Settlements (Singapore, Penang), Batavia and perhaps a wider area. For editions 1860-1875 (missing 1862), see China.
• The London and China Express, published in London, with target readership those outside the Indian Empire, including the Straits Settlements, is available on Findmypast, category "Newspapers & periodicals"/"British newspapers", with the same contents also available on the British Newspaper Archive, both pay websites. The date range is from November 25, 1858 to July 2, 1931. For more details see Newspapers and journals online.
• Kelly & Walsh's Handbook of the Malay Language for the use of Tourists and Residents Sixth edition 1919 Archiv.org
• An English-Malay Dictionary by Rev. W G Shellabear 1916 Archive.org
• Hilda's "Where is it?" of recipes : containing, amongst other practical and tried recipes, many old Cape, Indian, and Malay dishes and preserves: also directions for polishing furniture, cleaning silk, etc. and a collection of home remedies in case of sickness by Hildagonda J Duckitt 1908 edition Archive.org. First published 1891. The author lived at the Cape of Good Hope.

Fiction

• The Adventures of John Smith in Malaya, 1600-1605 by A Hale 1909. Archive.org. This book was classified as a novel in a review when issued, but it was stated “In the Malayan part of the book…[there] seems to be first hand knowledge of the legends, custom and intimate life of the Malayans”, and it was “written… with… learning”
• The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham Volume I Archive.org Lending Library. Volume II, Volume III. Archive.org. The Volume III Preface indicates some of the stories are set in Malaya "written long before the Second World War"; there may be other Malayan stories in other volumes. (See External links, above.) Other Short Stories editions mainly from the Archive.org Lending Library. Far Eastern Tales Archive.org Lending Library. The short stories appear to have been written mainly in the 1920s-1930s.
• The Gun-Runners by W. Dingwall Fordyce c 1900 Archive.org. An adventure story for younger readers.

The Jewelled Lizard by W. Dingwall Fordyce c 1908 Archive.org. An adventure story for younger readers, with a Sumatra setting.

Dingwall Fordyce also wrote "The Adventures of Babi. A pet mongoose in Sumatra", a chapter in Wide World Magazine, 1911, and Our Secret Society c 1910. However, it is unknown if the setting for the latter is also Malaysia/Indonesia.

• The Black Parrot: a Tale of the Golden Chersonese by Harry Hervey 1923 Archive.org. Golden Chersonese (Khersonese) meaning the Golden Peninsula, was the name used for the Malay Peninsula in classical antiquity.