For centuries Penang was part of the Muslim state of Kedah, but after the intervention in 1786 of a 'forgotten' English trader, Captain Francis Light, it became a British mercantile and shipping outpost administered as part of British India and renamed Prince of Wales Island. From this first toehold in the Straits of Malacca, British power and influence eventually spread to the entire Malayan Peninsula, as well as to Singapore and parts of Borneo.

Old Penang tells how Francis Light, using economic incentives, attracted peoples from all over the region so that this first settlement in the Straits quickly became a place where so many people are assembled together and so great a variety of languages spoken in so small a space'. This cosmopolitan flavour, combined with natural scenic beauty, made Penang a favourite port of call for travellers on teh long voyage from Europe to the Far East.

Using broad brush strokes as well as pointillist details, the author has painted a historical portrait of old Penang; its communities, its growing pains, its principal personalities, and its chief attractions. Beginning with James Wathen in 1811, there is also a gallery of travelling artists whose works have been included among the paintings and drawing that illustrate the text.

'Images of Asia' offers a range of titles covering aspects of life and culture in South-East Asia. Each book in the series combines an introductory text, written for the non-specialist reader by an authority on the subject, with extensive illustrations both in colour and black and white. 'Image of Asia' therefore provides a means of acquiring a deeper understanding and appreciation of the region in all its diversity.