Arabien. Wüste im Herzen der Welt (Lux Lesebogen 179).
8vo. 31, (1) pp. With 4 black-and-white photographic illustrations and a double-page map of the Arabian Peninsula. Original printed wrappers. Stapled.
€ 15.00
Rare Arabian-themed issue of the popular "Lesebogen" series. It provides a brief introduction to Saudi Arabia and its history, focusing on the ascent of Abdulaziz Ibn Saud. With a portrait of Ibn Saud as well as images of the Kaaba, an oil refinery, and a group of watchmen in the desert. The map shows international boundaries, pipelines and railroads, as well as several major cities including Riyadh, Medina, Mecca, Dhahran, Damaskus, Kuwait and Tehran.
Founded by the German publisher Sebastian Lux in 1946 as a series for young readers, the "Lesebogen" booklets quickly proved a sought-after collectible, reaching 4 million copies in the first 3 years of publication alone. When the final issue appeared in 1964, the Lux publishing house had sold a total of 25 million copies. The immense success of the series is considered the result of a demand for well-edited material on complex matters of the world after the intellectual vacuum of World War II among the German public. The writer Otto Zierer (1909-83) was the author of no fewer than 50 such booklets.
Extremities slightly rubbed. Interior in excellent condition.
OCLC 804813770.