MPH, the story of Malaysia’s oldest book establishment

As a bibliophile, I’ve usually appeared forward to checking out bookstores. 

The woody smell and contact of textbooks paired with the peaceful environment of persons searching for new reads make me experience at house. It didn’t issue if I walked out with a new purchase or not, so long as I acquired to be surrounded by textbooks.

My go-to retail outlet even though increasing up was usually MPH Bookstores. It checked off all my boxes—interesting literature, non-public examining places, and the actuality that it was in malls that I frequented. 

Intrigued to discover additional about this childhood favourite of mine, I resolved to do a minimal digging to uncover the record behind the retail store. Here’s what you also likely did not know about MPH.

It was started by the English

MPH was very first recognized in 1890 by Captain W.G. Shellabear in the then-condition of Singapore. In the beginning a soldier assigned to operate in British Malaya, he later returned as a Methodist missionary and launched the Amelia Bishop Press. The goal? To print Christian literature, of system. 

A few decades afterwards, the Amelia Bishop Push moved to Raffles Place and improved to the American Mission Push. In spite of the new label, the printing venture was also using up the printing of secular performs at this level. 

Some of the Malay classics that Shellabear has printed involve Sejarah Melayu and Hikayat Abdullah. One’s a romanticised historical past annal although the latter promotions with social realism.

In 1900, a reverend by the title of William T. Cherry landed on the island and remodelled the American Mission Press into a multi-faceted organisation. The model was now involved in bookselling and distribution on top rated of printing and publishing. 

A title adjust was by natural means in position to align with the improve. So the Methodist Publishing Household was then introduced, which is the place the acronym MPH arrived from. 

From Methodist Publishing Property to Malaya Publishing House

The achievement of the Methodist Publishing House led it to turn into a community inventory company in 1927. It had an seasoned Board of Administrators and all the frills that arrived with it, which include remaining officially integrated as Malaya Publishing Household Restricted.

Less than the route of Frank Cooper Sands, an ex-Scoutmaster, the publishing dwelling was flourishing. MPHOnline.com states that the enterprise was acting as “proprietors and publishers of and dealers in newspapers, journals, publications, textbooks, and other literary will work and undertakings.”

But then WWII happened. 

The Japanese profession meant most of the printing equipment bought destroyed and the company’s constructing was in poor form. There was a very long pause right before the Malaya Publishing House could entirely function yet again. 

Now it’s a countrywide pleasure

Next Malaysia’s independence, the firm changed its identify to Malaysia Publishing Property. Operations began growing and the model became a wholesale e-book section. 

But lifestyle is a rollercoaster, and has its ups and downs. 3 many years just after rebranding, the company confronted monetary failure. 

Masagung, a sixth-generation Chinese Indonesian, bought the corporation and established it up less than a consortium. The new management divided the organization into four subsidiaries—MPH Reserve, MPH Printers, MPH Publications, and Lian Tak MPH. The latter makes training guides and paper goods.

A handful of other exchanges of fingers occurred in advance of MPH at last landed in the lap of a Malaysian-owned organization, Jalinan Inspirasi Sdn Bhd.

As of nowadays, Jalinan Inspirasi is recognized as MPH Team and owns MPH Bookstores (Malaysia and Singapore), MPH Distributors (Malaysia and Singapore), MPH Team Printing, and MPH Team Publishing.

Back again to the present

When the pandemic initial arrived on Malaysian shores, I escaped through textbooks. It took me absent from the stresses of reality. Understandably, 1 of my most important worries at the time was, “How do I check out bookstores to inventory up?”

So it was a enormous shock to me (and others around Malaysia) when MPH announced that it was closing multiple retailers.

MPH explained that the firm was going into the electronic age, from the brick-and-mortar organization model into an “ecommerce-cum-digitalised ecosystem”. 

Contrary to what one particular could possibly suppose, this was not a reaction to the pandemic. The shift to more set up their digital organization division was now in the performs ahead of then, but the pandemic did accelerate it. 

Bookstore lovers require not despair though as actual physical stores located in profitable key spots continue to be untouched. Some of these sites incorporate Mid Valley Megamall, Publika, and NU Sentral.

As for its web page, I located the buying course of action to be smooth and the webpage navigation was seamless. The MPHOnline.com telephone application also has a person-welcoming interface that makes browsing on the go less complicated. 

Although, it would be nice if they could also include things like photos of some web pages from the e book, as it’s much easier to determine the author’s producing model. Individually, that’s how I come to a decision which guides to examine.

If you are aspect of the bookstore’s loyalty programme, MRewards Membership, fret not as it’s continue to accessible on line as well, alongside with all the usual savings you get as a member.

What is in the future?

With the rise of the world wide web and e-e-book readers, it acquired me wondering about the foreseeable future of bookstores. Will the new generation however want bodily copies? Would they desire to only read through what is obtainable for cost-free on the web?

And the biggest problem of all—how do we make a enthusiasm for reading through lengthy-form texts in this technological age?

We have arrived at out to MPH Group Malaysia for commentary and will update this posting at the time we get their response.

• Master extra about MPH Group right here.
• Browse other posts we’ve published about Malaysian startups here.

Featured Picture Credit history: MPH Group