Wild birds of the south Hejaz and Najd

Philby, Harry St John Bridger / Bates, George Latimer. Birds of Jidda and Central Arabia collected in 1934 and early in 1935, chiefly by Mr. Philby. Part IV (concluded).

€ 850.00

An exploration of the birds of the Arabian Peninsula, especially in what is today Saudi Arabia, as collected by Harry St John Philby (1885-1960). The final leaf includes a folding map which traces the areas of the South Hejaz and Najd in which the bird specimens were found and sightings made.

St John Philby, also known by his Arabian name "Sheikh Abdullah", was an Arabist, explorer, writer, and British colonial office intelligence officer. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he studied languages and was a friend and classmate of Jawaharlal Nehru, later prime Minister of India. Philby settled in Jeddah and became famous as an international writer and explorer. He personally mapped on camelback what is now the Saudi-Yemeni border on the Rub' al Khali; in 1932, while searching for the lost city of Ubar, he was the first Westerner to visit and describe the Wabar craters. At this time, Philby also became Ibn Saud's chief adviser in dealing with the British Empire and Western powers. He converted to Islam in 1930. The personal contacts between the United States and Saudi Arabia were largely channeled through the person of Philby.

Expected light wear, in modern boards.