Knowing Singapore: The Evolution of Published Information in Europe c.1500-1819

Benjamin Khoo, Peter Borschberg
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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.