There are many interesting works on Colombo as a port city. Here are some of the most notable works:
- K Dharmasena, “Colombo: gateway and oceanic hub of shipping” (Brides of the Sea compilation)—based on the port being the most important aspect of any port city
- Michael Roberts, “The two faces of the port city: Colombo in modern times” (Also in the Brides of the Sea compilation)
- Roads Murphy, “Colombo and the re-making of Ceylon: a Prototype of the colonial asian port cities” in Gateways of Asia.
Book Chapter: Ceylon and the Dutch, 1600-1800: External Influences and Internal Change in Early Modern Sri Lanka, Variorum, 1996, by S Arasaratnam. Chapter: The indigenous ruling class under colonial rule in Dutch maritime Ceylon, p 57-71 , Chapter: Elements of social and economic change in Dutch maritime Ceylon (Sri Lanka), 1658-1796, p 35-54, Chapter: Ceylon in the Indian Ocean trade: 1500-1800, p 224-239 - Portuguese, Dutch and Chinese in Maritime Aisa, c.1585-1800: Merchants, Commodities and Commerce, Ashgate Valorium, George Bryan Souza, 2014. Chapter: Global Commodities and Commerce in the Early Modern World: the case of Sri Lankan Cinnamon, pp 1-25.
- Society and Space: Colonialism, Nationalism and Postcolonial identity in Sri Lanka, Nihal Perera, 1998, Colorado, Westview Press
- “Mapping as a vital element of Administration in the Dutch colonial government of maritime Sri Lanka, 1658-1796”, Ananda Abeydeera, 1993, Vol, 45, No,1, pp 101-111.
- “Colombo”, Twentieth century impressions of CEYLON: its history, people, commerce, industries and resources, edited by Arnold Wright, London, Colombo: Lloyd’s Greater Britain Publishing Company Ltd, 1997.
- “Wider Opportunities: Religious Revival, Nationalist Awakening and the Global Dimension in Colombo, 1870-1920”, Mark Frost, Modern Asian Studies, Vol.36, No.4(2002), pp 937-969.
- Malays in Colombo “The Malay World, expanded”, Ronit Ricci, Indonesia and the Malay world, Vol 41, No.120, 2013, pp 168-182.