This is a study of the administration and government of the West African kingdom of Asante between 1744 and 1873. Larry W. Yarak analyses the nature and development of the pre-colonial state, and traces the history and character of the Asante-Dutch relationship from the early eighteenth century until the Dutch departure from the Gold Coast in 1872. Dr Yarak has carried out extensive researches in hitherto neglected Dutch archives, and made a detailed examination of important Asante oral sources. His book broadens our knowledge of the complexities of Afro-European relations on the pre-colonial Gold Coast, and contributes to wider historiographical debates concerning our understanding of African institutions. Asante and the Dutch is a substantial and original contribution to the history of a powerful imperial African state in the period before the European `Scramble' for Africa.