Jacques de Morgan's Explorations in the Malay Peninsula 1884

In 1884 a young French mining engineer named Jacques de Morgan (1857-1924) explored the interior of the state of Perak, searching for locations suitable for tin mining. His journey was gruelling but exciting, passing through dense forests and mountainous terrain, and crossing fast-moving rivers with spectacular waterfalls. He took meticulous notes on the flora and fauna, the physical environment, and the people he encountered. It was a world known only to the aboriginal people living there, who proved extremely hospitable hosts to his party.

Jacques de Morgan’s account of his journey, together with excerpts from several scholarly articles published afterwards upon his return to France and commentary by prominent French scholars, was published in 2003 in a French-language edition (Paris: CNRS Éditions). This material has now been translated and is published in English for the first time. The volume is heavily illustrated with drawings by de Morgan himself, and includes a day-to-day account of his extraordinary journey. The picture of the Malay Peninsula in the 19th century that emerges from this book will be a revelation to modern readers.

This volume benefits from a generous endowment by DYMM Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak Darul Ridzuan.

About the Author:

Andrée Jaunay was a French scholar with a special interest in the career of Jacques de Morgan. In addition to this account of his expedition in the Malay Peninsula, she published a volume entitled Mémoires de Jacques de Morgan, 1857-1924(Paris: L'Harmattan, 1997).

Antonio J. Guerreiro is currently senior research associate at IRASIA (CNRS-Aix Marseille University, Marseilles) and secretary-general at Société des Etudes Euroasiatiques, Musée de Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac, Paris. Since 2016, he has served as a consultant to the Sarawak Museum Campus Project (SMCP)/New Sarawak Museum in Kuching, Sarawak.

Monograph 51
Edited with commentary by Andrée Jaunay and contributions by Christine Lorre, Antonio J. Guerreiro and Antoine Verney
225pp 210x270mm Softcover
2020