Book excerpt: Research on Singapore's economic history has been complicated by the absence of economic data on pre-independence Singapore. This book aims to fill the gap by presenting a time-series of historical GDP estimates for the periods 1900-39 and 1950-60. The new data presented in the book sheds light on two key aspects of Singapore's economic history, namely the relationship between economic instability and growth, as well as the government's fiscal policy towards economic growth. As the first comprehensive empirical economic history of twentieth-century Singapore, this book is a valuable reference source for academics and graduate students interested in development and empirical economics.