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.

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