This wide-ranging book re-evaluates in detail the early history and historiography of Brunei Darussalam, the origins of the sultanate, its genealogical foundations and the structure and administration of Brunei society.

Victor T. King is Professor of Borneo Studies at the Institute of Asian Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, and Emeritus Professor of South East Asian Studies, University of Leeds, UK. He is the co-author of The Modern Anthropology of South-East Asia (Routledge 2006) and co-editor of the Routledge series Modern Anthropology of South-East Asia.

Stephen C. Druce is programme leader in graduate studies and research at the Academy of Brunei Studies, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. He is the author of The Lands West of the Lakes: A History of the Ajattappareng Kingdoms of South Sulawesi, 1200 to 1600 CE (2009).

Prologue: On Brunei: Fifty Years Later, Donald E. Brown 1. Introduction: Brunei Darussalam: Origins, History and Social Structure: A Celebration and Evaluation of the Work of Professor Donald E. Brown, Victor T. King and Stephen C. Druce 2. D.E. Brown's Structure and History of a Bornean Malay Sultanate (1970): The Fortieth Anniversary, A.V.M. Horton 3. Donald E. Brown's Contribution to Brunei Studies and Anthropology. Victor T. King 4. A Comparative Analysis of Brunei Origin Traditions with the Wider Austronesian World, Stephen C. Druce 5. A Tale of Many Boni: Boni in the Taiping huanyuji (late 10th cent.) and Boni in the Mingshi (1739), Johannes L. Kurz 6. Brunei through the Silsilah, Adat, Hikayat and Syair: Silsilah Raja-raja Brunei Reconsidered, Annabel Teh Gallop 7. Coronation Ritual and Myth of Foundation in Brunei: Sakai, Sjair and Silsilah, Marie-Sybille de Vienne 8. Brunei Malay: The Sha'er Reciters' Art, Linda Amy Kimball 9. Filling the Gap: Insights into Early 18th Century Brunei Darussalam from Dutch Archives, Kathryn Wellen 10. Traditional Titles in the Chinese Society of Brunei Darussalam: A Manifestation of a Bilateral Relationship, Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Latif bin Haji Ibrahim