Part 01 – (Chs 01-04). Classic Literature VideoBook with synchronized text, interactive transcript, and closed captions in multiple languages. Audio courtesy of Librivox. Read by Mark F. Smith. Playlist for The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas: www.youtube.com

Singapore River: the Elgin Bridge, many small wooden boats packed tightly on the river, shophouses and godowns (warehouses) as well as large colonial buildings, often with neo-classical façades, on the bank. Boats, ranging from flat-bottomed wooden rowboats (sampans) to motor-operated bumboats with ‘eyes’ painted on the bow, cruise along the river. Overhead shot of a large wooden barge, transporting sacks and crates; a man in a wide-brimmed sun hat stands inside operating a long rudder. These goods are transported by all sorts of boats to Singapore’s docks, shown here as a stretch of godowns by the quay (Clarke or Boat Quay) and tens of wooden boats tightly parked on the river, paving over the water. Shots of workers – usually Chinese, wearing sun hats, transporting heavy crates suspended from ropes from deck to the quay, staggering under the weight: this is a distribution point for products from Malaya and neighbouring countries. The façade of a large colonial building by a busy road, a row of parked motorcars and trishaws/rickshaws in front of it; a traffic warden in a bowler helmet and khakis stands in the middle of the road directing traffic. The front of the Supreme Court and City Hall, with its dome and neo-classical foyer, the Singapore Cricket Club, a smaller late-Victorian bungalow, and the side of the Victoria Concert Hall: all examples of how, in many ways, this British port looks like a European city. The front and foyer of Victoria Theatre, advertising ‘THE …

Gina, from Outdoor Research, talks about OR’s Sombriolet Sun Hat