Books From University Presses

If you're intrigued by influential historical figures and the lasting impact they have on society, 'Jordan Past & Present' will surely captivate you. E. Borgia explores the life and legacy of Mary Ward, whose religious vision still echoes in the modern-day Congregation of Jesus. It's a deep dive into the endurance of faith and the power of leadership over time.

In 2015, Singapore celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of its independence. From its founding as a British colony with no natural resources, the country has transformed itself into one of the most urbanized and prosperous nations in the world. Just as remarkable is the harmonious diversity of the people who identify themselves as Singaporeans—a fusion of ethnicities, languages, religions, and places of origin.Starry Island presents essays, fiction, and poetry by two dozen contemporary writers whose stories of Singapore express the complex tensions and interconnections of this anomalous, confounding, and paradoxical society. These fresh and accomplished works range from meditative essays to magical realist fiction and lyric poetry.Contributing writers include Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, Kim Cheng Boey, Grace Chua, Dan Ying, Jeffrey Greene, Philip Jeyaretnam, Khoo Seok Wan, Amanda Lee Koe, Jee Leong Koh, Desmond Kon, Karen Kwek, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Nicholas Liu, Jason Erik Lundberg, Christopher Mooney-Singh, Eleanor Neo, Ng Yi-Sheng, O Thiam Chin, Wena Poon, Alfian Sa'at, Toh Hsien Min, Cyril Wong, Wong Yoon Wah, and Jerrold Yam.The volume includes photographs of Singapore's spectacular contemporary architecture and portraits of early twentieth-century Chinese and Peranakan families.

In this book readers are invited to explore a fascinating but neglected field of English letters; the books written by British men and women about their experience in the Indian subcontinent. Over forty individual works are surveyed, covering the time period from when the East India Company began consolidating its powers to the eve of the Mutiny. The author balances generous excerpts from the original texts with her own exegeses to produce a work which offers rich insights to lay readers as well as to professional students of literature, history, sociology, anthropology, and travel writing.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1941.

This book provides a unique glimpse into the complex cultural contacts that took place in Asian port cities between the 17th and 18th centuries. Through a comparative analysis of overlapping issues in various port cities such as communication, dispute resolution, family issues, and social relations, readers can gain a better understanding of the dynamic interactions between diverse communities. Recommended for those interested in learning about cultural interactions on a regional basis.

If you're fascinated by the rich tapestry of Thailand's festivities, this dive into their vibrant festivals will enchant you. With Ruth Gerson's eye for detail, you'll get more than a tourist's glance—you'll understand the intertwining of religion and culture that makes these celebrations a pulsating heart of Thai life. It's a colorful window into a world of tradition and passion.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves immersive travel stories. The captivating photographs and detailed descriptions make readers feel like they are right there, experiencing the journey themselves. The book also provides a fascinating glimpse into the diverse cultures and peoples that make up the Xinjiang region.

Sir Osbert Sitwell, the eldest of the three Sitwells, enfants terribles of the twenties' literary scene and scourges of the British philistine, became widely known to the general reading public with his five-volume autobiography, a baroque masterpiece. Sir Osbert has been described as one of the century's most professional writers, a man of letters who moved with ease and finesse from poetry to the short story and novel, from the essay to art criticism, and from satire to the travel book, of which Escape With Me! is a fine example and quintessentially Sitwellian. It is a travel book of great variety, vitty, urbane, erudite, finely written, and never dull.Sir Osbert set out on his Grand Tour of the Orient in 1933 and arrived in Peking in February 1934. Escape With Me! is escapist. It contains no politics or polemics, no social commentary. The reader, through Sir Osbert's indulgent eyes, is offered a series of bright or sombre images of the ruins of Angkor and of Peking, for these form the culminating points of his Eastern peregrinations.Oxford in Asia Paperbacks present a wide range of books on Southeast Asia and China. Many of these were widely acclaimed when first published, some others were overlooked because of circumstances of their first publication and have long been unavailable. Other books in the series are Oxford in Asia Paperbacks originals. Titles are selected for their quality of writing, rather than by theme or subject matter, and together they form a delightful and informative library for readers interested in the region past and present.