The Encyclopedia Story
The Encyclopedia of Malaysia project was first conceived by Editions Didier Millet and Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir. It took off in 1993, with the first meeting of the Editorial Advisory Board being held in March 1994. The project was officially announced in October of that year, and the structure of the series was approved by the Board in June 1996. By the end of 1996, material began to flow in. The first five volumes in the series were launched in November 1998:The Environment, Plants, Animals, Early History and Architecture.
Although in the aftermath of the Asian Financial Crisis the funds required to complete the series proved difficult to raise, in November 2001 two further volumes were released:The Seas and Early Modern History. Financial backing from a new group of sponsors was secured the following year, and this led the publication of more volumes including Performing Arts and Languages and Literature launched in July 2004, Religions and Beliefs launched in December 2005, Government and Politics in August 2006 and Peoples and Traditions, The Economy and Crafts and the Visual Arts in April 2007.
Work continues to complete the remaining two volumes in the series: Sports and Recreation and The Malay Sultanates.