The Life of Sir Stamford Raffles, originally written by Demetrius Charles Boulger and reprinted by Pepin Press in 1999, is a thorough biography of the British statesman best known for founding modern Singapore in 1819. Drawing on official records, personal correspondence, and contemporary accounts, the book traces Raffles’s career with the British East India Company, including his administrative work in Java, Sumatra, and Bencoolen. Boulger details Raffles’s military, political, and reformist activities, emphasizing his vision for trade, governance, and education in Southeast Asia. Beyond administration, the biography explores Raffles’s scholarly and scientific interests, particularly in natural history, ethnography, and the cultures of the regions he governed. Key episodes include the conquest and management of Java, the strategic establishment of Singapore as a trading port, and his later return to England. Written in a detailed, narrative style, the work situates Raffles’s achievements and challenges within the broader context of early nineteenth-century British imperial expansion, offering readers both historical insight and a portrait of a complex colonial figure.
