The Anglo-Chinese College was established in Malacca in 1818 by the Protestant missionaries Rev. Robert Morrison and Rev. William Milne. By 1824, the College Library held approximately 3,420 volumes, of which 2,850 were in the Chinese language.
Printed within the second annual report for the Anglo-Chinese College for 1824, this catalogue of books does not include any Chinese language books. The approximately 192 titles listed in the catalogue are predominantly in English, with around 20 Greek and Latin titles, and some titles in French, German, Arabic, and other languages. As to be expected in a school library, the books held are mostly travels, histories, geographies, natural histories, religious tracts, and dictionaries. There is a relative focus on books pertaining to China and the Malay Peninsula. There are no novels or romances listed in the catalogue, apart from a translation of a Persian romance Gulzara, Princess of Persia; Or, The Virgin Queen (1816). The catalogue contains a small number of poetic works, such as a 50-volume edition of the British poets, a 7-volume edition of Shakespeare, and a copy of Milton’s Paradise Regained.
PF
