What was Singapore before T. S. Raffles set up an East India Company trading station on the island in 1819? And what did Europeans know about Singapore and the Melaka Straits? To answer these questions, Benjamin Khoo and Peter Borschberg have examined more than 400 European travel accounts, compendia, encyclopaedias, and dictionaries written in Latin and various vernacular languages, and published between 1500 and 1819. In the 16th century, information on the region was unreliable but it became far more accurate as detailed first-hand accounts accumulated. The authors’ findings suggest an innovative approach to understanding early modern Southeast Asia.

Contents

Introduction by Kwa Chong Guan

Part 1: Singapore and its Straits in European Publications, c. 1400–1819 13

Definitions and Methodology

Quantification and Categorisation

Four Thematic Impressions

No Knowledge before 1819?

Conclusion

Part 2: Entries on Singapore and its Region in Compendia

Why Reference Works?

From Myth to Cognizance (1512–1596)

From Cognizance to Growth (1596–1650)

A New Systemisation of Knowledge (1650–1750)

Expansion and Fragmentation (1750–1819)

Some Conclusions

Bibliography

Index