Abu Dhabi: Birth of an Oil Sheikhdom

Mann, Clarence

Published by Khayats, Beirut, 1964

About this Item

A copy of the first edition, 1964, as stated. Original gilt-titled red cloth 17x25cm. (8), 153pp + 4 maps on 5 sheets as called for. Covers very good, bumped to the extremities and slightly faded to the top edges and spine. Interiors near fine, lightly creased to the first few corners. Maps fine, neatly folded. No jacket. Major Clarence Mann, who had attended Sheikh Zayed's majlis, wrote this "to fill the void of historical and general knowledge and serve as a basis for future research". He was constrained by the local source material as "the recording of events has usually been neglected on the Arabian Peninsula", and when recalled from memory "embellished and modified so that they usually bear little resemblance to the original incidents". Without accurate British records "it would be almost impossible to recreate the history of the Shaikhdom" (Preface). He includes a description of the land and its tribes, and a history from the creation of a Shaikhdom (1761-1833) up to the present, predicting that there will be "great difficulty contending with the economic, social and political forces that will arise from its sudden wealth from oil" (p1). Appendices include genealogies, a chronology, treaties and agreements. The maps include: I. The Shaikhdom of Abu Dhabi in 2 sections (Al-Dhannah, Al-Buraimi); II. Abu Dhabi Island (showing topography); III. Villages of Buraimi; and IV. Boundary Proposals 1:2,100,000 (with the variously dated claims by Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, British and Saudi proposals, and Anglo-Turkish Conventions. Seller Inventory # 4806

Bibliographic Details

Title: Abu Dhabi: Birth of an Oil Sheikhdom

Publisher: Khayats, Beirut

Publication Date: 1964

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition