Bücher von John Crawfurd

Published in 1820, this acclaimed three-volume work by the administrator and ethnologist John Crawfurd (1783-1868) offers insight into the peoples and cultures of the Indonesian islands, principally Java. Volume 1 examines the character and manners of the islanders as well as their arts, sciences, medicine, and agricultural techniques.

After studying medicine at Edinburgh, John Crawfurd (1783-1868) joined the medical service of the East India Company. While posted at Penang, he studied the Malay language and culture and became an expert in Eastern affairs. His talent was recognised by the British Government, which entrusted to him both administrative and diplomatic responsibilities. He was sent as an envoy on many missions, most notably to the Court of Siam (Thailand) where his efforts led to a possibility of opening up the diplomatic relations between the two countries, troubled since the seventeenth century. In 1827, he was sent on his last diplomatic assignment in the service of the East India Company, to the Court of Ava (then the capital of present-day Myanmar (Burma)). This 1829 work describes his experiences at Ava, and provided a reference source for subsequent missions. The appendix contains several relevant official communiques.

John Crawfurd (1783-1868), an East India Company administrator, published this work in 1856. Focusing primarily on Java, Malay, Siam and the Philippines, this account of the culture, politics, language and geography of the region, presented concisely and alphabetically, remains an informative source on the Victorian understanding of South-East Asia.