Indiscreet Memories is one Englishman's true account of life in Singapore from 1901 to 1904. We learn about balls at Government House, rickshaw strikes, and tigers causing havoc in Chinatown; and how historical events such as the death of Queen Victoria and the decision by Straits-born Chinese to discard their towchang (queues) affected the society of the day.

Englishman Edwin A. Brown arrived in Singapore in 1901. His diary extracts and personal observations of his first four years there bring to life a country few would recognize today.