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A very attractively produced promotional work by Iraq's newly established Date Board. Paper covered boards illustrated with golden lion, date palms, and flowing Iraqi pennant, quarter bound with gold paper spine 25x32cm, card endpapers covered in golden stars. (36)pp printed on heavy card, with parallel gilt-bordered texts in English and French, illustrated with b/w photos throughout, credited to Eldorado Photo Bagdad and Damour Paris, full-page map, and drawing. Covers good, bumped to the corners and rubbed to the edges, some marks to endpapers, interiors near fine. Undated, c1937 with a frontis portrait of King Ghazi I, and data up to 1936. The map of the Kingdom shows the date growing regions in red, extending from Fao along the Tigris and Euphrates into Kirkuk. Facing this, a sumptuous gilt and black drawing, "Iraq, Garden of Eden / L'Irak, Paradis Terrestre" shows Adam and Eve favouring a date palm over the apple tree behind. Published around the time oil became Iraq's main export, this emphasises "The Date Industry of Iraq is today one of the largest fruit enterprises in the world". It includes sections on dates and the industry highlighting growth since the War, the date palm in history, culture, gathering, packing stations old and modern, and packing for bulk and carton trades. Of around 350 different varieties identified in Iraq, only 5 are grown for export. These include the Hallawi (favoured in the US), Khadrawee and Sayers around Basrah, and the Khastawi and Zahdi around Baghdad and Kerbala. A section on nutritional value compares calorie count with other foods, and recommends increasing value by stuffing with walnut, almond or pistachio. "The date is produced in such large quantities in Iraq that it can be sold at a relatively low cost; and from the above it may be urged that the Date is by far the cheapest food value in the fruit group". A section on Government control of the industry seeks to allay concerns that packing is unhygienic. It identifies the sources of "these rumours" as soldiers serving in Iraq during the War, certain traders mainly interested in the carton trade, and people of the west concerned about cleanliness: "The Date Board wishes to take this opportunity to broadcast to foreign consumers the improvements which have taken place in all departments of the Industry in the last few years etc". A Research Station is being built in Basrah, among other things to look into ways to reduce waste. Export volumes have grown dramatically since 1906, peaking in 1935, with information about the main markets and variety preferences. A concluding statement sums up the special merits of the Iraqi date matter of factly, based on a sound and well packed standard fruit, high food value, and relative cheapness. Photos show date palms, and groves, irrigation channels, traditional transport, Ashar Creek, harvest, fumigation, packing, export, etc, along with the Date Board building. Very rare - Worldcat records only 4 locations (American University in Beirut, Lebanese American University, UN Geneva, Bibliotheque de Geneve). Not recorded on Jisc. Seller Inventory # 4942
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