DICKSON, H.R.P. The Arab of the Desert. A Glimpse into Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau'di Arabia. George Allen & Unwin, [1959].
8vo. Original burnt ochre cloth in original pictorial dust-wrapper (not price-clipped); pp. 664; numerous illustrations from photographs, illustrations to text, 12 maps including 8 folding, 6 folding genealogical tables; crack to lower endpaper, wrappers a little rubbed along edges,tiny margianl flaw to head of spine, light offsetting and spotting to endpapers, title-page with minimal offsetting from frontispiece; otherwise a very good copy.
Second, enlarged edition, reprinted (i.e. third impression). Dickson forms part of that tradition of British writers and travellers - Burton, Doughty, T.E. Lawrence, Bertram Thomas, H. St. John Philby, Gertrude Bell, Freya Stark, Thesiger - who became fascinated by Arabia and the Arabs, often espousing their causes and aspirations. Himself a fluent Arabic speaker, Dickson's friendship with such as Ibn Sa'ud and his travels in the Arabian peninsular resulted in the present work. A classic of the literature, it introduces the reader to the cultural life of Arabia, with chapters on hawking, food, smoking, pearl diving, nomad life, the Haj, the Arab horse, proverbs, and much else. He enjoyed a rather unique access to Arabic customs, due to a quirk of Islamic law dictating a "blood affinity" between himself and the Anizah tribe. Dickson served as British Political Agent in Bahrain from 1919-1920. - The original price was 75 shillings, rather a lot in the late 1950s, compared to other lavishly produced travel books.
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