The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) said in a statement on Monday that more digital versions of rare books can be accessed via the “Collection of Valuable Electronic Rare Books” section of the bureau’s Public Library website.
The third batch of digitised rare books has been uploaded and comprises 279 titles in 280 volumes written mainly in Portuguese and English, according to the statement, covering areas such as history, literature, education, and natural sciences, which are “of significant historical and research value”.
The digitised books in the batch include “On the Poetry of the Chinese: from the Royal Asiatic Transactions (1834) compiled by Sir John Francis Davis; Macao and Its Future Port (1922); The Typhoon of August 20, 1927: Report by Captain Lieutenant Almeida Pinheiro; Portuguese Pioneers of Hong Kong: Horticultural Experiments at Kowloon (1930) written by José Pedro Braga; and Catalogue of Edible Fish of Macao (1959) by José da Silva Vidigal.
The statement said that since 2023, the bureau has launched two batches of digitalised rare books. The aim is to “preserve valuable local literature and provide convenient access for citizens and researchers”, according to the statement.
The statement said that the collection can be found by visiting www.library.gov.mo or the e-resources platform of the “My Library” app.
This photo provided by the Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) on Monday shows pages from “On the Poetry of the Chinese from the Royal Asiatic Transactions”.
