The Arab of the Desert. A Glimpse into Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau'di Arabia. - 1959

1959. London, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., [1967]. Thick 8vo. Original burnt ochre cloth in original pictorial dust-wrapper; pp. 664; numerous illustrations from photographs, illustrations to text, 12 maps including 8 folding, 6 folding genealogical tables; lower panel of wrappers with light spotting, slight bumps to two corners, internally remarkably clean and fresh. Fourth impression of the second, enlarged edition, with the original wrapper design by Quilter unchanged since 1949. 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. Dickson throughout his writing expresses his deep admiration for Sheikh Salim Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah of Kuwait.