HASON, Khan Saheb Syed Hamood.

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Arabic Simplified. A scarce Arabic language primer, designed to meet the needs of soldiers and operatives representing Britain's strategic priorities in the region. Three editions were published between 1919 and 1954, and all are now elusive in institutional collections: we have traced just two copies of the first (1919) and one other copy of this third.The author, described here as the Deputy Educational Inspector at Aden, first published Arabic Simplified in 1919 to help British personnel based in Aden and studying for the Colloquial Arabic Field Service Test. The first edition contained almost 1,000 pages of contents, but the increased cost of paper and printing in subsequent decades forced a rethink. For this third edition, the publisher distilled the colloquial Arabic portion of the 1919 text, creating a work of 244 pages. These straightened circumstances are reflected in the cramped appearance of the text block.Hason's choice of sectional divisions, and in-text references to variations between different regional dialects, displays the diverse activities undertaken by British personnel. Chapters cover such scenarios as hunting and shooting ("When wounded the lion charge madly at you"), reconnaissance ("Make him put his hands above his head and walk back to our position"), commerce ("How many bales of coffee has the steamer brought?"), and mealtimes ("Ask the saheb if he would like to have coffee or tea"). As with the first edition, this edition carries the printed endors

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