In less than two centuries, Singapore has transformed itself from a small seaside kampong into a modern metropolis, growing first into a thriving colony, then a Straits Settlement, and becoming in 1965 an independent nation. With over 1,200 images, this book documents all the important aspects of Singapore's history: political and economic development, the construction of the city and the emergence of a new society. Early and contemporary photographs, lithographs and engravings drawn largely from the rich collection of the National Archives of Singpaore, with a keenly written text, tell the story of Singapore. Some of these images are very rare, and many have never been published before.