Maps of Malaya and Borneo: Discovery, Statehood and Progress: The Collections of H.R.H. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and Dato' Richard Curtis by Frédéric Durand and Dato' Richard Curtis (review)

Maps of Malaya and Borneo is much more than merely a collection of maps of pre-Merdeka Malay and Borneo. It is destined to be well read and extensively referenced by both students and teachers of Southeast Asian history. Furthermore, the reviewer is thoroughly convinced that many purchasing this volume will be delighted by the (literally) hundreds of hard-to-find maps of the region that it has reproduced so beautifully at such a reasonable price. This book is divided into five parts. The first part (pp. 11–23) consists of a short foreword (by H.R.H. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah II), a preface (by Dato' Richard) – the owners of the maps on which this volume is based – and a short introductory essay by Frédéric Durand. Between this and the 13 chapters analysing a range of cartographic themes, is a summary of how both the physical and political geography of the Malay Peninsula and Borneo have been depicted (pp. 16–19) and Malay place names rendered (pp. 20–21) in these maps. These establish the volume's easy-to-follow system of referring to the maps. Although the names of cartographers and dates are given, following these are bolded numbers in brackets, which refer to the number of the map in the collection contained from p. 75 on. This book's second section, entitled "Malaya and Borneo through Cartography and Time," consists of 13 chapters that discuss a range of geographical and historical themes that this cartography collection raises, although all these relate to the Thai/Malay Peninsula and Borneo. Topics begin with ancient cartography of the region (chap. 1), the maps of a range of Portuguese and Spanish cartographers (chap. 2) – with Magellan's circumnavigation getting a special examination (chap. 3) – and the Italian, French, German, and Dutch copies of these Iberian maps (chap. 4). Dutch contributions receive two chapters (5 and 6), before chapters 7 and 8, which deal with (mainly French) maps by Europeans from the mid-seventeenth to the early eighteenth century. The subject of chapter 9 is maps made during the period that Europeans expanded their colonial interests to the region. This is contrasted to what I regard as one of the most interesting of these 13 chapters, namely Jawi and Siamese maps from the late eighteenth and mid-nineteenth centuries. Helpfully, translations of the most important toponyms are included. Chapters 11, 12, and 13 analyse maps made from the mid-eighteenth century, showing how British colonial interests expanded on both the Thai/Malay Peninsula and what are now the Eastern states in the Federation. It is important to note that all these maps were produced before 1957 – the latest in 1953. In addition to territorial expansion and consolidation between what are now East and West Malaysia, the final chapters depict the growth of these economies and their infrastructure.

The third – and largest – section of Maps of Malaya and Borneo contains high-quality reproductions of a total of 171 maps collected by H.R.H. Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah II and Dato' Richard Curtis. To reiterate, these maps are what Durand's analysis of the cartography of preMerdeka Malaya and Borneo between chapters 1 and 13 is based on. This impressive collection is arranged chronologically. Accompanying each map are the name of the cartographer, the date and dimensions of the map, and short summaries of its depiction of the region. There are 14 early Western maps, most of which are from the sixteenth century. These are followed by 36 maps, mostly from the seventeenth century, penned by Dutch, French, and English cartographers, although the 13...