Volume 3 of Malta's history to be launched today

The third volume of Malta's history, Storja ta' Malta, by Henry Frendo is being launched at St James Cavalier this evening.

The volume, published by Klabb Kotba Maltin, is a continuation of the Storja ta' Malta project started by the late Andrew Vella, OP, with KKM in the 1970s.

This long awaited work carries forward the late Prof. Vella's first two volumes in the series, which stopped at history in the 18th century.

Sub-titled Zmien l-Inglizi: Is-Seklu Dsatax, Prof. Frendo offers, for the first time, a comprehensive general history of Malta during the 19th century, covering social, economic, cultural, demographic, religious, folkloristic and political aspects, ranging from epidemics to migrations, wars to carnivals, newspapers to band clubs, schools to languages, currency to infrastructure, rituals, laws, parties and constitutions.

An organically structured inter-disciplinary study, divided into five parts and 34 chapters, from about 1800 to about 1900, running into over 300 pages, richly illustrated by period litographs, photographs, sketches, cartoons, paintings, maps and graphs, Zmien l-Inglizi is firmly set in the broader contexts of Europe, Empire and the Mediterranean.

History teachers and coordinators from public and private schools are expected at St James Cavalier for the launch. The book is considered as filling a void in the Maltese education system because modern Maltese history has had no authoritative general work to cover the main items in the curriculum since the arrival of the British. The same applies for the 20th century, which is being covered in a second volume by Prof. Frendo.

A panel of speakers at today's launch will include the Minister of Education, Louis Galea, and his predecessor as Minister of Education, Evarist Bartolo, two graduate history school-teachers, Suzanne Gatt and Evelyn Pullicino, together with Prof. Oliver Friggieri and Prof. Frendo, senior professors of Maltese and of history respectively at the university. Rev. Prof. Peter Serracino Inglott will be in the chair.