More than three decades of conflict and the near annihilation of Cambodia’s cultural fabric by the Khmer Rouge have left the nation’s historical records in a shambolic state, with much of the capital Phnom Penh’s surviving heritage lucky to escape the wrath of war and the passage of time.

It’s an issue made all the worse by the reconstruction of the city’s architecture and a refashioning of its road network and urban landscape.

The wrecking ball has claimed relics from the days of Angkor and the French colonial era alike — and with that, many of Phnom Penh’s great stories and tawdry secrets appeared lost forever. This is where American author, academic and amateur historian Steven Boswell might make a difference.

His new book, King Norodom’s Head: Phnom Penh Sights Beyond the Guidebooks helps set the record straight on issues big and small, involving names that are obscure, notorious, sacred or long forgotten amid the bedlam of the capital’s dilapidated streets.

• Tags: Cambodia, Issue 2, Luke Hunt, profile, Steven Boswell