Arabian Jubilee.

£450 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

A nice copy of Philby’s important biography of Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al Saud (1879-1953), the founder and first King of Saudi Arabia. As the first westerner to become a close personal friend and confidant of Ibn Saud, Philby was ideally placed to describe his remarkable life. The biography records Ibn Saud’s revitalisation and expansion of the Al Saud’s dominions, from the recapture of Riyadh in 1902 to the establishment of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932. It also describes his management of the period directly following the discovery of oil, and the challenges of rapid modernisation in a tradition-bound society. Complementing the text are numerous illustrations, reproducing rare photographs (many taken by Philby) of the Al Saud, Mecca and Medina, and historical buildings in Hail, Riyadh and Diriyah.

• Binding: Hardcover

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