Want to get up close and personal with some of the most famous personalities in Singapore’s history? Come September 15, members of the public can enjoy a guided tour of the National Library’s 15 Treasures from our Rare Materials Collection as part of NLB’s 15th anniversary celebrations.

These prized jewels in our heritage collection were selected for their significance in Singapore’s social-cultural and publishing history. Readers stand to glean unusual historical insights from the artefacts in this collection and from our librarians’ exclusive guided tours, which have been specially arranged to last till 2 October.

One of the most scintillating gems in our heritage treasure trove includes a letter written by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles back to his agent in London, which displays both optimism and pride in the settlement he founded.

Another golden legacy in our historical coffers is the autobiography of Munshi Abdullah Abdul Kadir – a translator employed by Raffles – which gives an account of the early days of the East India Company settlement of Singapore. Written in Jawi, his memoir is a valuable Asian account of the founding of the British settlement by one who was familiar with the British administrators.

For fans of Singapore’s early news publications, this exhibition offers a rare glimpse of an 1834 issue of the Singapore Chronicle and Commercial Register, the first newspaper published in Singapore. Started by Francis James Bernard, the first issue was published on 1 January 1824 by the Mission Press. It subsequently acquired its own printing press and grew from a fortnightly publication to become a weekly as the colony’s population flourished.

One other newspaper on display is the Syonan Shimbun [Syonan News], which was published during the Japanese Occupation and offers a stark reminder of what life was like during the Second World War.

This exhibit also includes the first English-language Malay dictionaries ever published (the first Malay dictionary was published by a Dutch in 1603), A Dictionary of the Malayan Language. Compiled in 1912 by William Marsden who spent a decade (the 1770s) as an East India Company official at Fort Malborough (today’s Bengkulu) in Sumatra, this treasured volume has since become a foundational work in Sumatran linguistics. Our erudite collection also includes 华夷通语 [Chinese-Malay Dictionary], the earliest known locally-produced Chinese Hokkien-Malay dictionary published at the turn of the century by 林衡南 [Lin Heng Nan].

Among the vernacular works on display is the earliest Tamil book in the National Library Singapore’s collection, முனாஜாத்துத் திரட்டு (Munajattut Tirattu) [A Collection of Prayers]. Published in 1872, this anthology of religious poetry by Muhammad Abdul Kadir is one of six rare Singapore Tamil literary showpieces acquired recently from M Jafar Mohiyuddin of Nagore, India, who was the editor of the Malaya Nanban newspaper in the 1960s.

Also on display are snapshots of everyday life as captured in Fotoalbum Singapur, a precious collection of photos from G R Lambert & Co, a photographic studio set up in 1877 by Gustave Richard Lambert, which showcases Singapore in the late 19th century.

For a more exotic look at the Lion City, Postal Cards of Singapore (1900-1920) owned by a Gladys Horrard in Japan, is an album of early 20th century postcards, which offers a typical view of Singapore, as it would have appeared from other countries. Fairly typical of their era, these postal cards feature prominent landmarks and local sights such as portraits of local people and homegrown fruits.

Through these prized artefacts, the public will be able to learn more about Singapore’s heritage and literary roots.

For more information on the guided tours on these treasures, please visit http://golibrary.nlb.gov.sg/Channel.aspx?Channel=068

Contributed by Michelle Heng, National Library Singapore