A Biography of Cao Cao
Rafe de Crespigny is an Australian sinologist, now aged 90. He specialises in the history of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period. His…
Tall Order: The Goh Chok Tong Story
This 2019 book, the first of a two-volume authorized biography, is a political biography of Singapore’s second Prime minister. The hybrid nature of the format…
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A good introduction – Who Owns History?
Geoffrey Robertson is a top QC, Australian-born. He is also a prolific writer of many legal-related books. This 2019 book was a book I looked…
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A dying hobby – Stamp collecting
Here are 2 excellent books for stamp collectors. The stamp collection was a popular hobby when we grew up in the 1970s to 1980s. Due…
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Life and work – Concerning E.M. Forster
This book is strictly for those who are very familiar with the writings of EM Forster. It is also best to read this only after…
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Standing Tall: The Goh Chok Tong Years
This newly released Vol 2 continues the journey of Goh Chok Tong as Prime minister from 1990 to 2004. Written in the same readable style…
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Singapore Burning: Heroism and Surrender in World War II
This is a book that goes into the granular details but failed to give a clear picture of why the British failed to defend Singapore.…
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Parting the Desert: The Creation of the Suez Canal
The recent Suez Canal blockage prompted me to reread this excellent history of its creation. It took 15 years to cut this 100-mile-long canal. Written…
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Darkest Hour
This slim 316-page book is very perceptive. McCarten wrote this book to accompany his screenplay for Darkest Hour. Even if one has read many books…
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In movie: Churchill
These are the 4 most recent movies on Churchill. In time order of events portrayed, the movies are: 1) The Gathering Storm (BBC-HBO, 2002). The…
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The Malayan-Singapore fiasco
These are the 4 most recent books on the Malayan Campaign and the Fall of Singapore. Their emphasis varies. Farrell focused on the commanders and…
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