Kuala Lumpur: A Sketchbook

Author: Chen Voon Fee & Chin Kon Yit (Illustrations)
Publisher: Editions Didier Millet
ISBN: 9813018208
Weight: 0.744
Pages: 96pp
Year: 2013
Price: RM70

First edition, 1998, hardback, 10 " x 11", very good condition, in a very good unclipped dust jacket, publisher's original grey clothboards with black blocking to front and spine slightly faded at edges, illustrated endpapers,96 pages, internally clean tight and bright, watercolour and sketch illustrations by Chin Kon Yit. Title page signed by both Chen and Chin, dated '98.Contents include: The making of a city; The civic heart; Public buildings; Chinatown; Jalan Masjid India and Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman; Kampung Bakru; Bungalows and mansions; Gazeteer. "In this watercolour sketchbook, one of Malaysia's most acomplished artists records the capital's rich architectural heritage and captures the spirit of everyday life on its streets and markets. 

In Kuala Lumpur, one of the most modern cities in Asia with a hectic pace of life, it is easy to overlook the blend of Malay, Chinese and Indian cultures and the corresponding traditional and colonial architectural treasures. However, with Chin Kon Yit's artists eye and architect Chen Voon Fee as a guide, this book will remind citizens of the riches that remain, help visitors to appreciate the city's unique character and serve as a poignant memento. 

Reproduced here in the book are 150 watercolour paintings and sketched details of the cities grandest buildings, humblest shophouses and typical street scenes. After an historical survey of the founding of Kuala Lumpur,six chapters survey the city's main areas and types of building. Each chapter opens with a concise introduction, before a lively collection of annotated illustrations takes the reader around the most visited tourist sites and little-known backstreets in search of the living relics of a bygone era. 

The Artist Chin Kon Yit was forced to abandon Art School due to lack of funds, however his natural talent and determination won him a prominent position in a leading advertising agency,and he worked in that field for fifteen years. In 1991 he became a full time artist. This is his first book, and contains wholly original and previously unpublished works. The author Chen Voon Fee is a award-winning architect well known for his building designs and his conservation projects, is the author and architectural consultant for this book