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  Today Online 12 Sep 06
First Singapore Encyclopedia is launched Tuesday
by David Chew

Channel NewsAsia 11 Sep 06
Singapore Encyclopedia launched at the Istana by President Nathan
By Satish Cheney

SINGAPORE : Everything you want to know about Singapore is now contained in an encyclopedia, which was officially launched by President S R Nathan at the Istana on Monday.

Two years in the making, with contributions from 230 experts, the project was overseen by an advisory board chaired by the Chairman of the National Heritage Board Professor Tommy Koh.

Did you know the Sultan Mosque was designed by an Irishman and that The Padres was the first Singaporean band to be aired on the BBC? You can find such information as well as historical facts and figures in the Singapore Encyclopedia, which weighs a hefty 3kg.

But the main problem in crafting the hard cover was in deciding what goes in and what stays out.

Professor Koh said, "I can assure you that we did not exclude anyone for political reasons. I want to tell you also we did not exclude anyone for moral reasons. Annabel Chong is in."

And as sponsors received their complimentary copy from the President, they wondered why the man behind the mammoth project is not mentioned in the book at all.

Professor Koh said, "Many friends...from the world of diplomacy, world of scholarships, world of sports are not in the encyclopedia, and I feel comforted that if they are not in the encyclopedia, I also don't deserve to be in." - CNA/ms

Today Online 12 Sep 06
First Singapore Encyclopedia is launched Tuesday
by David Chew david.chew@newstoday.com.sg

THE first Singapore Encyclopedia was launched at the Istana by President S R Nathan last night, with the promise of many more editions to follow.

And not just because its creators hope it will be one very popular reference work. With 2,500 entries and about the same number of photos, maps and illustrations, the Singapore Encyclopedia was a mammoth task and took two years for the National Heritage Board (NHB) and publisher Didier Millet to put together.

It's no surprise then that errors could slip in — such as in the entry on painter Ong Kim Seng, which shows a sample of work that is not actually his. The artist brought the mistake to NHB chairman Prof Tommy Koh's attention recently when he was shown the book. "I should have known really, because Kim Seng works with watercolours, but the painting is in oils," Prof Koh said with a laugh yesterday during a press conference at the National Museum.

"I acknowledge we're very fallible," he admitted. "And we encourage readers to email us in the event of any corrections, be it accuracy or omission issues."

The encyclopedia will be handed out to some of the delegates attending the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings, while discounts will be given to schools and institutions that wish to buy the book, which costs $75.
links
More about the book on the Didier Millet website
Related articles on Singapore: general environmental issues
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