In 1963 North Borneo, having reverted to its ancient name of Sabah, and Sarawak, both Crown Colonies since the end of the second world war, joined Malaysia, leaving Brunei as a British protectorate until 1984 when it achieved "full" independence.

At that time there was a lot of foreign media attention in the impending change. Leake already lived in Brunei and had spent three years with the Borneo Bulletin, Brunei's only English newspaper. He hoped that being in situ and able to speak the language would help him write some articles that would show a more comprehensive understanding of the events. He mailed off a large package of photos to an agency in New York with an article that mentioned how the sultanate's oil wealth was apportioned. The package arrived at the destination but was never published. He suspected the article was the reason he was promptly expelled from the country.

Although Leake did not hold a grudge, neither did he suffer in vain, for in this book I noticed a number of sections that, while not exactly disrespectful, could possibly be seen as lacking the deference a Brunei sultan expects, especially regarding wealth. As Brunei's national wealth is under the control of the sultan, and is seen as his personal fortune, this makes him one of the richest men in the world.

The book is a good all-round history and description of Brunei, written with enough style to keep the casual reader's interest and without going into any topic to a lengthy academic level. For me, the second half of the book was the most interesting as it covered modern times and the people. ( )