New Book!
Heritage Houses
of Penang
Khoo Salma Nasution
& Halim Berbar

Price: RM86
2009. Marshall Cavendish
Editions
Soft cover, 22.2 x 24 cm,
128 pages,
141 colour illustrations
ISBN No:
978-981-23280-6-9

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The Star
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
"Help maintain Unesco listing, private firms urged"

Heritage Houses of Penang
Khoo Salma Nasution & Halim Berbar

Price: RM86
2009. Marshall Cavendish Editions
Soft cover, 22.2 x 24 cm, 128 pages,
141 colour illustrations
ISBN No: 978-981-23280-6-9

Penang famed as the Pearl of the Orient, has been the meeting place of cultural currents from India and China, as well as insular and mainland Southeast Asia. As a key commercial port of the British East India Company from 1786, it was drawn into the international trading route. Ship captains and seafaring merchants chose to retreat to this strategically situated island, while miners and planters who made their fortunes in neighbouring lands built their incredible homes here. Penang’s capital, the port city of George Town, is now a World Heritage Site, reflecting its rich history, vernacular architecture and its own unique version of multiculturalism. This book celebrates the distinctive architecture and lifestyle of the heritage houses of Penang.

CONTENTS
• Introduction
• From Traditional Houses to Penang Bungalow
• From Shophouse to Terraced Dwelling House
• In a Chinese Courtyard Home
• An Eclectic Home
• Glossary

Straits Eclectic mansions, bungalows, townhouses and terraced dwelling houses - the heritage houses of Penang are deemed one of the finest collections of urban domestic architecture in Southeast Asia. Created for living in harmony with a tropical environment, these period houses were built of the superior materials and craftsmanship of a bygone age. The book's photographs and evocative descriptions yield an appreciation of the multi-cultural design, craftsmanship and functions. Long neglected, Penang's heritage houses are now being being rediscovered as a rich inspiration and resource for contemporary lifestyles.

The Author

Khoo Salma Nasution is a fifth generation Penang Nyonya. After a liberal arts education at Duke University in the U.S., she rediscovered the cultural riches of her hometown. Since 1989, she has been writing on the local history and heritage of Penang, celebrating its wonderful architecture and focusing especially on its historic capital George Town. This is her ninth book.

The Photographer

Halim Berbar was born in Paris where he studied photography and journalism before working with leading press and photo agencies in France. He has travelled intensively throughout Asia, Europe, Africa and South America and has more than 27 years of experience as a photojournalist. A prize-winning photographer, he has worked with leading international publishers and established corporate clients. He has been based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for the past 15 years and is now the Managing Director of HBL Network Press and the correspondent for SipaPress.