White Rajahs of Sarawak; The

In 1838 James Brooke left England in search of adventure in the far-off lands of Southeast Asia. Armed with a dream of expelling the Dutch and establishing enlightened British rule in the region, he undertook missions for the Sultan of Brunei, pursuing pirate raiders and battling rebels. As a reward he was offered Sarawak, a Malay territory in the northwest of the island of Borneo, inhabited by diverse tribes and cultures, notably the head-hunting Dayaks. The dynasty of the White Rajahs of Sarawak began in 1841, was shattered by the Japanese invasion in 1941 and ended in 1946 with Sarawak’s annexation as a British Crown Colony, James, the charismatic founder, Charles, the astute administrator, and Vyner, the irresponsible hedonist, are the principal players in this incredible family saga. This richly illustrated book relives the heady mix of exoticism, violence, courage and romance of this extraodinary adventure.