My Copy of Spirit of Malaysia Has Arrived with an Added Surprise!

Spirit of Malaysia (Editions Didier Millet, 2011) just arrived at my house in Borneo! Finally I get to see all of those 150 stunning photos in color in book form. While working on the project, I had them available on the computer so I could describe them for the photo captions. My two mock copies that I worked from, one with pseudo Latin text for layout and spacing purposes, and the final version to edit were both in black and white (no color printer at home). I had forgotten how great those photos were.

Again, I cant take credit for themthe photo credits are all listed on the last page (for a sneak peek, see the link below). They were chosen by Editions Didier Millet even before I was brought on board to write the text. I was just glad for the opportunity to help out, though initially a challenge for me to relearn Malaysia after 25 years of living hereso much has changed, so many news things to discover!

Deadlines and a signed contract, by the way, are powerful motivators. Without them, many books would never get written!

Introduction:

To think of the spirit of Malaysia is to conjure up images of celebration and festivity, a sweeping panorama of kampongs to longhouses, temples and m! osques, sleepy provincial towns and modern cities. A fascinating fusion of tradition and modernity is set amidst a tropical backdrop of lush rainforest, languid rivers and stunning beaches. Here too are to be found an alluring mix of peoples, religions, customs, architecture and experienceswith Malays, Chinese, Indian, European, Arab, Thai, and indigenous influences blending to create a truly unique nation, rich in culture and heritage.

Table of Contents

Indroduction

History and heritage

People and cultures

Food glorious food

Geography and economy

Getty Around

Kuala Lumpur

Langkawi and Penang

Malacca

Johor and Negri Sembilan

Northwest Mainland

Pahang

East Coast

Sabah and Sarawak

And for the added surprise, a cool sampling of the photos and turning those pages check this out. If you've never done this before, put your cursor at the bottom right corner to turn the pages and drag it from right to left. After a few tries youll get the hang of it. This was a first for me, too. My first entry into the e-book world. Now I see what the fuss is all about how theyre making it more like a real book.

To be honest, I still prefer the book I just got in the mail today. This is something I can sink my teeth into! Then there's that new book smell.