Colonel William Farquhar (1774-1839) was a British Colonial Officer who became Commandant of Malacca in 1803, a post through which he was able o indulge his interest in natural history, sending men to collect various plant and animal specimens, which he then commissioned artists to paint.

Brimming with verve and dramatic incident, this title offers insights into the life story of this Singapore island city-state through the personal experiences of the workers, adventurers, rulers and revolutionaries who have shaped its history over the last centuries.