By the late 19th century, Penang had become a thriving port trading in rubber, spices and tin. Its prosperity attracted immigrants from around the world and the island was a rich melting pot of Chinese, Indians, Malays, Europeans and many other peoples. The postcards reproduced in this book are drawn from the huge collection of Penang-born Professor Cheah Jin Seng, the author of Singapore: 500 Early Postcards, Malaya: 500 Early Postcards, Perak: 300 Early Postcards and Selangor: 300 Early Postcards.This title in the Early Postcards series will present a diverse array of picture postcards of Penang -- including of its capital George Town, now a World Heritage site -- from the 1890s to the 1970s.

"Which city once had the smallest trolley-bus in the world? Where do you find the first funicular railway in Southeast Asia? How do you recognize a trolley-bus pole? Where is Tramway Road?" "With over 100 old photographs, maps and illustrations, this book gives an overview of the various forms of public transport used in George Town from 1880s to 1963, and the role this transport played in the development of the growth of George Town and Penang." "Penang was one of the first urban centres in Southeast Asia to operate steam trams, horse trams, electric trams and trolleybuses. When the Municipal Commission established its own electric supply, it took over the tram service and started the electric trams in George Town in 1906. This gave the local population excellent public transport around George Town, with one line going up to Ayer Itam. In the late 1920s, the Municipality replaced trams with trolley-buses, experimenting for a while with re-conditioned double-deckers from London Transport!" "The Municipality also operated two railways - firstly, the Penang Hill Railway which was considered an engineering marvel when it was first built, and secondly, the electric railway which transported supplies and tin ingots for Penang's foremost smelting works."--BOOK JACKET.

From its beginnings in the late eighteenth century, the vibrant colonial port of Penang attracted a diverse range of peoples, enabled pioneering commercial enterprises, and fomented inter-ethnic collaboration and inter-cultural borrowings. The island came to be known as the 'Pearl of the Orient', and for many travellers it was their first port of call in Southeast Asia. In the early nineteenth century, Singapore displaced Penang in international trade, but the island remained a major focus of regional trade. For this reason, the story of Penang's relations with the Malay Peninsula and other parts of Southeast Asia reveal a great deal about conditions within the region.

"Postcards from the Sonora Border: Visualizing Place through a Popular Lens, 1900s-1950s examines the urban landscapes of Mexican border cities through picture postcards. This volume aims to capture the evolution of Sonora border towns over time, and create a sense of visual "time travel" for the reader by relying on Arreola's personal collection of postcards"--Provided by publisher.