Memoirs of the Colombo Museum: Catalogue of Palm Leaf Manuscripts in the Library of the Colombo Museum - Volume I is an invaluable scholarly resource for those interested in the rich literary, historical, and cultural heritage of Ceylon. Authored by W.A. De Silva, an esteemed historian and linguist, this volume is the first in a series cataloguing the extensive collection of palm leaf manuscripts housed in the Colombo Museum. Originally published in 1938, it provides a meticulously organised inventory of manuscripts spanning various subjects, including Theravāda Buddhist literature, historical texts, grammar, lexicography, and art. The manuscripts, written in Pāli, Sinhalese, and Sanskrit, encompass centuries of knowledge and tradition, with sections on the Vinaya, Sutta, Abhidhamma, and other seminal works in Buddhist literature.
 
This catalogue is the result of a dedicated effort to preserve and document ancient knowledge, made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and facilitated by the museum’s Committee of Management. Compiled with scholarly precision, Volume I serves as a gateway to the diversity and depth of Ceylon’s intellectual legacy and is an essential reference for historians, linguists, and those with an academic interest in South Asian manuscripts.