This is a historical study of the Sarawak Administrative Service from its early beginnings in the 1840s to the end of the British Colonial rule in 1963. It highlights the Service's response to the particular and demanding circumstances of Sarawak and focuses on the officers who formed the mainstay of the Service, providing information on their background, modes of recruitment, training, and conditions of service.

Naimah S. Talib , Research Fellow, the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore

`Talib's study provides an illuminating examination of the Sarawak Administrative Service for the entire period from 1841 to 1963. By focusing not merely on the Brooke era, but also on the colonial period which followed, Naimah Talib has provided an important contribution to our knowledge of Sarawak's modern development. While the prosaic, utilitarian features of the post-war Administrative Service suffer by comparison with the romance and idiosyncrasy of the Brooke years, Naimah is to be commended for tackling such an ambitious sweep of time. Moreover, by providing information on service conditions, the functions and roles of field officers, and the structure and composition of the Service, Naimah breaks new ground in the study of colonial administration.' Simon C. Smith, JRAS Vol 10/3 |d 06/04/2001