Arabian peninsula (49 Ergebnisse)

Cloth. Zustand: Very Good. No Jacket. First Edition. xiv + 389pp, many maps, original cloth, V.G. *Covers Yemen, Kuwait, Muscat, Oman, etc. and all aspects of life, culture, economics, etc.

Zustand: Fine. First edition hard back binding in publisher's original scarlet cloth covers, gilt title and author lettering to the spine. 8vo. 10'' x 7''. Contains [xx] 282 printed pages of text with five maps and monochrome photographs. Fine condition book in Fine condition dust wrapper, unused and unopened new book. We carry this book in stock for immediate dispatch. Member of the P.B.F.A. ISBN 9781905246588 OMAN.…

Zustand: Fine. First edition hard back binding in publisher's original scarlet cloth covers, gilt title and author lettering to the spine. 8vo. 10'' x 7''. Contains [xx] 282 printed pages of text with five maps and monochrome photographs. Fine condition book in Fine condition dust wrapper, unused and unopened new book. We carry this book in stock for immediate dispatch. Member of the P.B.F.A. OMAN.…

117 x 78 cm. Constant ratio linear horizontal scale: 1:5,000,000. Relief shown by hachures, contours, and spot heights. Depth shown by soundings. Loosely stored within printer wrappers. Third edition of this German wartime map of the Middle East, parts of Asia, and India, first published thus in 1940. Based on "Stielers Handatlas" and issued within Perthes' "Ubique terrarum" series (no. 20). - In excellent state of preservation, detached from its original wrappers. - OCLC 164843864.…

8vo. pp. 97-105. With 2 photoplates. Modern wrappers. Early account of a visit to the seaport of Dhofar (Oman) on the southern coast of the Peninsula, including an interesting account of the local boats and the sailing skills of their owners. The illustrations show Makalla in Hadramaut, a camel drawing water in Dhofar, and the ruins of the temple of al-Bilad. - Macro, Bibliography of the Arabian Peninsula, 777. OCLC 49427292.…

4to (220 x 280 mm). 20 separately issued reports with titles and institutional logos; various paginations. With black-and-white maps, photographs and charts throughout. In original comb-bound wrappers. Twenty technical reports in Arabic and/or English, prepared for the First Symposium on the Future of Water Resources in the Gulf Region and Arabian Peninsula, convened in Kuwait in early 1981. - The set brings together national and specialist studies from ministries and universities in Bahrain (Ministry of Works, Electricity and Water), Iraq (Ministry of Irrigation and Basrah University), Kuwait (Ministry of Agriculture and Water), Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, covering rainfall, groundwater assessment and recharge, irrigation networks, urban growth, and the rapidly expanding desalination sector. Several papers focus on Saudi Arabia's large-scale desalination programme, while others document district-level hydrological problems (including the Zubair region and Babylon province) alongside regional syntheses on Arabian Peninsula rainfall and groundwater prospects. - The symposium belongs to the brief moment of intensified technocratic cooperation immediately preceding the establishment of the Gulf Cooperation Council in May 1981, and reflects a contemporary push for shared regional expertise in resource planning. Issued under the auspices of Kuwait University's Journal of the Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies (founded in 1975), the papers are representative of early, locally produced Gulf scientific and policy literature, seldom preserved complete as a set. - Some general yellowing; occasional ink underlining and marginal notes; light wear to comb-bound wraps. Generally very well preserved. - Presentation ink stamps (institutional ownership, unidentified).…

794 x 628 mm. Scale 1:4,000,000. Mounted on cloth. Folded. Rare, large-scale map of western Arabia including all but the easternmost part of the Peninsula (ending about 100 miles east of Qatar). "This map has been compiled almost entirely from published sources, of which the principal are (1) Hunter's Arabia 1:2,000,000; (2) War Office quarter inch of S.W. Arabia; (3) War Office 1:250,000 of the rest of the Turkish Empire; R.G.S. materials have also been used" (editor's note). Some slight brownstaining in places, otherwise well-preserved. - Not in OCLC. …

Second map of the Arabian peninsula ever published, in its first state. It was originally engraved as part of the extraordinary 1478 Rome edition of Ptolemy's Geographia, and the map was preceded by only the one published in the less detailed and crudely engraved Bologna edition published in 1477. It shows the city of Medina (Lathrippa) and the archaeological sites of Zubarah (Catara), and Al-Dur (Domana). The association of Macoraba with Mecca is disputed.The 1478 Geographia was created under the direction of Conrad Sweynheym, who together with Arnold Pannartz introduced printing to Italy, and after his death in 1477 finished by his successor Arnold Buckinck. The edition was planned as early as 1474 and possibly even 1473 and the plates were likely engraved before the publication of the 1477 Bologna edition. These two atlases contain the earliest copperplate maps ever produced and Sweynheym's careful experiments clearly paid off: "its firm, sure lines and crisp impression are in sharp contrast to the rather crudely engraved and muddily printed Bologna edition" (Karrow). "Many consider the Rome plates to be the finest Ptolemaic plates produced until Gerard Mercator engraved his classical world atlas of 1578" (Shirley). Christopher Columbus bought a copy.The map was reprinted unchanged in the Rome edition of 1490, published by De Turre, and again in a 1507 edition, reissued in 1508. It is here printed on two folio leaves, each watermarked with a cardinal's hat (the two slightly different and probably the twins of a single paper stock). They are very close to Briquet 3391 (Florence 1491), so our map probably comes from the 1490 edition.Some faint stains along the edges of the paper and in the gutter, small restoration in gutter of the lower margin and a very minor tear near the upper left corner. In good condition.l Campbell, Earliest printed maps, map 141 & atlas D42 (pp. 131-133), cf. pp. 122-127, 223-225; Nordenskiöld 201, map 21; Tibbetts 4 note; cf. Al Ankary 3 (1511?); Karrow 32/B1 (atlas, 1478 ed.); Shirley, Maps in atlases T.POL-2c (atlas, 1490 ed.); Shirley, Mapping of the world 4 note (atlas, 1490 ed.). Mounted on paper board, in a modern gilt frame (50.5 x 67 cm). Engraved map of the Arabian peninsula (topographic image 25.5 x 46 cm) printed, as usual, on two joined folio leaves (together 39.5 x 56 cm). …

8vo. pp. 97-105 (entire volume: iv, 65-128 pp., with 18 photographic illustrations and a folding colour map). Original printed blue wrappers. Early account of a visit to the seaport of Dhofar (Oman) on the southern coast of the Peninsula, including an interesting account of the local boats and the sailing skills of their owners. The illustrations show Makalla in Hadramaut, a camel drawing water in Dhofar, and the ruins of the temple of al-Bilad. - Macro 777. OCLC 49427292.…

Zustand: Fine. First edition in publisher's original laminated card wrap covers. 8vo. 9'' x 6''. Contains xvi, 150 printed pages of text with colour and monochrome illustrations throughout. Without any ownership markings and in Fine condition, no dust wrapper as published. Member of the P.B.F.A. OMAN. …

Scale 1:4,000,000. Equal-area conic projection (ravnougol'naia konicheskaia proektsiia). Relief shown by gradient tints, shading, and spot heights. Depths shown by gradient tints and soundings. 77 x 65.5 cm. Index printed on verso. Stored in original printed sleeve. Re-issued third edition of the Soviet 1:4,000,000 reference map of the Arabian Peninsula, edited by N. I. Arep'ev with O. L. Kuznechov and K. D. Volkov. Includes insets (in 1:15,000,000 scale): "Ekonomicheskaia karta", "Karta plotnosti naseleniia i razmeshcheniia arabskikh plemen". - Old reference label "2" pasted to sleeve's cover. In excellent condition. Rare.…

An attractive, richly illustrated booklet promoting life in Qatar in the late 1970s, shortly before the second oil crisis and the Iran-Iraq war. It gives an overview of urban development, especially in Doha, as well as economic activities, historic buildings, water management, and transport. The captivating colour illustrations portray infrastructure, ports, oil refineries, new hotels, and a stadium. Oblong folio. Colour photographic illustrations. Text in Arabic. Original pictorial wrappers, wire-stitched as issued. Contents clean: a fine copy.…

82 x 96 cm. Original colour-printed map. Scale 1:5,000,000. Rare political map of Southwest Asia from the Cold War era, centred on the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region but including Turkey and the Levant, Iraq and Iran. With Cyrillic titles and captions. - Small marginal flaws.

First edition of this book, with attractive images of Oman, produced for the second National Day and dedicated to Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id. "Oman has been for many years cut off from the neighbouring countries, so much so that our country ranks among the least known countries of the world." It describes the natural environment and customs in Muscat, Matrah, Seeb, and Baushar, with reference to observations by medieval travel writers such as Ibn Battuta. Further chapters discuss the most important tribes, Oman's history, and 20th-century economic and urban development, including figures for the oil sector. Quarto. halftone and colour photographic illustrations and diagrams, 3 folding maps of Muscat, Oman, and the capital area in rear pocket. Original laminated pictorial boards, wire-stitched as issued. Corners a bit bumped, spine lightly soiled, couple of minor light water or ink stains on one map and rear pocket, contents clean: a very good copy.…

88 x 100 cm. Original colour-printed map. Scale 1:6,000,000. Rare political map of the Middle East from the Cold War era, centred on the Arabian Peninsula and the Gulf region, but also comprising Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Somalia, as well as Greece, Turkey and the Levant, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. With Cyrillic titles and captions. - Small marginal flaws.…

First and only edition, which can be found in institutional runs of the IWGC cemetery volumes but rarely encountered in commerce. A concise account of the conflict around Aden accompanies a complete list of the 142 war graves in Holkat Bay, Maala, Perim and Sheikh Othman cemeteries; the dozen or so burials on Kamaran Island and at the Muscat Old and Naval cemeteries are also detailed. Small folio, pp. 16. Full-page diagram of Maala Cemetery, Aden. Sewn in original grey card wrappers, lettered in back on the front panel. Mild, marginal toning outside and in, but overall very good.…

First edition of this pamphlet on the cultural and economic history of the Trucial states, with a collection of photographic illustrations of infrastructure and everyday life. The first chapter begins with the widespread piracy along the Trucial coast, targeting Portuguese and Dutch ships, from the 16th to the 19th century, together with activities related to the African slave trade. After the agreements with Britain in 1847, which banned the slave trade as a form of piracy, the local economy turned to pearling, until the early 20th century. The second chapter focuses on Qatar and Bahrain, the earliest oil exploitation in 1922, the Sunni-Shi'a coexistence, and economic development. The following discuss Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the "open doors" policy of the early rulers; Ajman, its military bases and new oil; Sharjah; and Ras al-Khaima, and the unification in 1971. The images include traditional architecture in Bahrain, the ruler's palace, street life, and oil refineries in Abu Dhabi, and a map showing oil pipes and wells across the Trucial states. Octavo. With 34 halftone photographic illustrations, colour map of the Arabian Peninsula. Original pictorial wrappers, wire-stitched as issued. Spine chipped but firm, wrappers and contents toned and a little foxed at margins: a very good copy.…

First edition, first printing, of this informative guide ending with profiles of each major state including the UAE. American personnel are reminded of the need to embrace cultural conventions and behave responsibly, including avoiding photographing people or military-industrial infrastructure. "Save your photography for ever-changing desert or for the spectacular sunsets along the coastal areas" (p. 6). Duodecimo. Map and vignette headpieces in text. Original illustrated card wrappers, wire-stitched as issued, front cover lettered in black. Wrappers lightly rubbed, a fine copy. …

The revised and updated eighth edition of this typically comprehensive pilot, here with three scarce supplements issued during the Second World War, including the lengthy booklet of revisions prepared by Read-Admiral Arthur Jackson (1887-1956) and published in 1943. This iteration was prepared by the experienced hydrographer Commander Francis Noel Shearme (1884-1968), a veteran of Jutland. The appendices detail dry docks, patent slips, principal ports and their depths, meteorological tables, and magnetic observation spots. Octavo. Pilot: 29 plates, 2 index charts of Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, illustrations and tables in text, 2 notices printed on pink paper, one tipped in at p. 1. Supplements: 2 plates, folding map. Original red pebble-grain cloth over card boards, spine and front cover lettered in black. Supplements with original printed wrappers, wire-stitched as issued. Pencil initial on front cover of pilot and 2 supplements; "Supplied for the Admiralty Public Service" ink stamp on first page of pilot. Pilot with cloth heavily worn, text, front inner hinge forced where supplements previously loosely inserted, expected signs of use: a very good copy, the supplements very good or better, one with wrappers foxed, another with losses on rear cover and final page, a couple of letters affected.…

A map produced by the United States military, showing the cities, oil pipelines, and railroads found from Iran to Egypt. The 1980s was a period of shifting international boundaries, in particular with Israel's staggered withdrawal from the Sinai. This map shows Israeli-occupied territory up to El Arish, a boundary line that was in effect from 1980 to 1982. This map centres on the Arabian Peninsula, showing the boundaries of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Yemen (as Sanaa and Aden), Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait. It shows the Saudi-Iraqi Neutral Zone formed in 1922, the emirates of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and the oil fields of Dhahran. It extends to the north as far as the USSR and to the south as far as Ethiopia. This copy is the second edition. Colour map (1,065 x 1,160 mm). Map a little browned, creased where rolled, corners reinforced with tape, pin holes, edges a little nicked: a very good copy.…

A flight chart covering the Arabian Peninsula, likely produced for RAF and USAF pilots active in the region and printed on rayon for ease of use. It shows Muscat and Oman, Saudi Arabia, Southern Yemen, and the Trucial States, all of which saw conflict in the 1960s and 70s. During the Middle Eastern wars of the second half of the 20th century, including the Dhofar War, Aden Emergency, and 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the UK and the US acted as security patrons for the Arab states, ensuring an unbroken flow of oil to the west and forming a buffer against Soviet influence. The RAF in particular maintained a number of bases in Oman, specifically at Masirah and Salalah. Maps such as these would have been issued to those based in the area for use on surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Single sheet of rayon (1,050 x 780 mm), colour map on recto and verso. Map bright, old folds, top edge slightly frayed, a little soiled and creased: a very good copy.…

A collection of 8 pamphlets, all but one in their first editions, with lists of geographical names of the Arabian Peninsula and the Levant - including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen, Trans-Jordan, Syria ("the French Mandatory Territory"), and Iraq - as well as Iran. They were produced by the Royal Geographical Society for soldiers and surveyors working with maps. The Permanent Committee on Geographical Names (P. C. G. N.) was a body of scholars and linguists who regularly met to discuss policies and practical issues such as the correct spellings of foreign geographical names for use in official documents and publications. In 1921 the Committee updated the RGS System of rules for spelling native names - first adopted by the War Office, and later used by the Admiralty in 1885 and throughout the First World War - which led to the creation of this series of lists. Major General Edward Gleichen (1863-1937), formerly Director of the Political Intelligence Bureau, was its first Chair (1920-37). The differences in vowel pronunciation among the Arabic colloquials, and between colloquial and classical Arabic, had generated a variety of alternative spellings for place names in the Arabic-speaking world. The introductions explain preferences for vowel renditions, acknowledging the use of alternative official spellings specific to the French mandatory territory in Syria. Some place names include the Hebrew or Greek counterpart, others illustrate the confusion that might arise from a lack of transliteration conventions, such as "Kethrabba" instead of "Kefrabbeh", as well as incorrect spellings in general use, reaching the number of seven for Dujail, near Baghdad. The lists also include approximate distances from major cities. For Iran, the introduction states that "Persian orthography is by no means fixed and consistent, and especially is there uncertainty about the identity and length of many vowels". The lists - which span a large territory including Azerbaijan, Isfahan, Bushire, Tehran, and Khurasan - specify that "the boundaries of the provinces [of Iran] are for the most part indefinite". Together 8 pamphlets, octavo. Text in Arabic and English. List of publications to last verso. Stitched as issued. Contents minimally toned, else fresh and clean, faint traces of central vertical fold: a fine collection.…

First and only edition of this report by the Iraq Command (1922-1941), at the time of Britain's "policing from the air" strategy. It examines key issues including Iraqi independence, the death of King Faisal, and the Assyrian massacre. This is copy 27 of a print-run of 400. "Iraq was the RAF's biggest challenge in the 1920s. First, the area of operations included three separate fronts or areas of concern. Consequently, the operations in each area had their own unique circumstances. Second, Britain and the RAF stayed engaged in the area throughout the interwar period, and as such, doctrinal development is easily tracked in successive command reports" (Longoria, p. 19) The first chapter looks into the likely effect of the termination of the British mandate and the death of Faisal on British relations with Iraq, after its entry into the League of Nations. A great concern was the loss of influence of British advisers in Iraqi politics, and "factors affecting British prestige in the Persian Gulf". The second assesses the consequence of the exodus of Assyrian soldiers into Syria in 1933, and the resulting massacre by the Iraqi army. The third chapter analyses how Britain's position in the Gulf would be affected by the increasing influence of Ibn Saud, the development of Persian administration on the Persian coast, along with their claims to Bahrain, Tambu, and Abu Musa, the discovery of oil in Bahrain, the growth of US influence in the region, and Japanese trade. The last two chapters are devoted to developing British air routes. In particular, the report highlights the necessity for Britain to provide increasing tangible commitment to Gulf sheikhs, through the implementation of "promises of protection against land attack. by Ibn Saud or other neighbours". M. A. Longoria, A Historical View of Air Policing Doctrine, 1993. Octavo (182 x 122 mm). Original printed blue wrappers, wire-stitched. Ink stamps "For Official Use Only" and "A.P. 1930", "Copy No." overwritten with six stamped X symbols, and "Confidential" obscured in ink on front wrapper. Wrappers lightly rubbed and soiled, contents lightly toned: a very good copy.…

First edition of the first Arabic translation of this work originally printed in Farsi, providing 176 pages of facsimile reproductions of classified US diplomatic documents concerning especially Saudi Arabia. In 1979, the Muslim Students of the Imam Khomeini Line occupied the US Embassy in Tehran, supporting the Islamic Revolution and protesting against the fact that the Shah was now receiving cancer treatment in the USA. The occupation turned into what is known as "the Iran hostage crisis", as 52 US diplomats were taken hostage for 444 days. It was during the occupation that the documents collected in this work were seized - some in shreds - and later published in Farsi, in 77 volumes, in 1979-95, with this particular work having been issued in 1985-86. The Beirut printing press Mansh r t al-Wak lah al-'Alam yah had several volumes translated into Arabic, as listed on the rear wrapper. The English section, with the facsimile documents, sought to "illustrate the moves of the Arabian-peninsular rulers as the longstanding cornerstone of American imperialism's camp of puppeteering" (p. 7), as the preface illustrates excerpts proving the Arabian rulers' support for the Shah. The documents concern a variety of issues in 1978-79, with a focus on OPEC, ARAMCO, Shell, the impact of oil price increases, oil exploration and reserves, Saudi Arabia's business dealings with Japan and the USA, its view of Iran, Sadat and Egypt's relations with the Gulf States and Israel, and peace progress in the Middle East. The Arabic section provides a commentary on several of these key issues. Octavo. Text in Arabic, with 176 pp. of facsimile texts in English. Original pictorial wrappers. Upper outer corners and head of spine a bit rubbed, contents a trifle toned, couple of minor marks to English title: a very good copy. …

Second edition of this impressively sized and influential colour map of the Arabian peninsula in topographical relief, based on the research of the distinguished geologist Glenn F. Brown, whose trailblazing work on water resources, oil and minerals, as evidenced here, helped to facilitate Saudi Arabia's modernization. As stated in the notes, this map is a revision of the USGS map I-270-B-1 of 1958, and was "prepared as a base for a geologic map". Given the vast area represented and the different countries involved, its sources are many and varied. The most careful and detailed mapping was conducted in Saudi Arabia itself, which was mostly surveyed by Brown using vertical aerial photography, often "compiled photogrammetrically and controlled by astral fixes, shoran and triangulation". However, mapping of some parts of the north of the country had to rely on reconnaissance ground surveys. This edition supplements the first by showing significant additional detail, including lava flow and volcanic debris, areas under cultivation, barchan dunes, undulating sand sheets, and massifs. It also demonstrates the rapid expansion of oil fields, pipelines, terminals and refineries in the five years following the publication of the first edition. Brown arrived in Saudi Arabia in 1945 and worked to map ground water resources. Between 1950 and 1958, he continued his surveying with an expanding team of American and Saudi geographers. The research slowly expanded to encompass the entire Arabian Peninsula with support from the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco). Colour map (1220 x 1390 mm). Splits at folds with crude tape repairs on verso, some soiling on verso, tears in blank margin at foot just crossing neatline, general creasing and signs of handling: a good example.…

Third edition of this uncommon RAF wartime map, revised from the one of 1942, of the eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula, covering al-Jubail, Fort Damman (Dammam) and al-Khobar in Saudi Arabia, as well as Bahrain, and Qatar. It was originally drafted by the Royal Engineers of the 512 Field Survey Company. This example is annotated, perhaps by a pilot, with flight paths in purple ink, which meet over a landing ground on Muharraq Island, the site of RAF in north-west Bahrain, established on 22 May 1943. The area was then under enhanced British protection, after the Italian bombings of 1940 which also hit the Dhahran oil fields. Details include settlements, areas associated with specific tribes, railways, roads, telegraph lines, oil pipes and wells, hydrographic and topographical information, as well as airfields, landing grounds, and seaplane stations, the magnetic variation, and a metrical/imperial conversion table. To help understand Arabic place names, a brief glossary provides helpful Arabic and English terms, including "sea", "well", and "wadi." Lithographed colour map (620 x 820 mm), verso blank. Two flight paths traced in purple ink. Slightly toned, occasional minor chips, tears, or soiling to centre folds and edges: a very good copy.…

Three uncommon flight charts from 1956 to 1959 covering the south-eastern region of the Arabian Peninsula, used most probably during the Jebel Akhdar War (1954-59), when the British Forces provided direct support to the Sultanate of Muscat against the Imamate of Oman. 547A shows the coastal area of al-Jubail, just north of Dammam, in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, extending west towards Riyadh. 548C covers Trucial Oman and Oman, extending from al-Sohar to Khor al-Kalba, in the present-day Emirate of Sharjah. 563 shows Cape al-Hadd and the mountain of Jebel Akhdar, with a pilot's pen-and-pencil revisions to the altitude of a peak and his tracing of flight paths over surrounding areas. Details include roads, landing grounds, rail, relief, hydrographic features, telegraph lines, civilian buildings, and pipelines. Also shown are approximated and unmarked boundaries, areas unexplored or where data is lacking, and magnetic changes. 3 lithographed colour maps (570 x 725 mm and 567 x 732 mm), location index and aeronautical data on verso. Handful of flight paths in pen and pencil to map 563. Occasional minor tears, soiling, foxing, or chips along centre fold or extremities: very good examples.…

Original colour-printed map, 880 x 1035 mm. Scale 1:3,000,000. Rare topographic map of the Arabian Peninsula detailing Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, as well as present-day Yemen and Oman. Indicates major towns and settlements such as all of the seven emirates, along with mountains, wadis, desert lands and water wells. One of the earliest maps produced by King Abdul Aziz Research Center which had just been established in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 1972. - Not in OCLC.…

First edition, showing the region from Al Jubail, Ras Tanura, and Dhahran to the tip of Ras al-Khaimah. This is a working copy, annotated with a flight path from Sharjah to Bahrain and Doha including timings and bearings. This series of strip maps was published in the final stages of the Second World War, when the allied powers turned their attention towards the Middle East and Asia. "They were issued in a series numbered 1-16, which between them covered the entire route between the U.K. and India. The limited print run of only 500 and the surrender of Japan just three months after the defeat of Germany ensured that surviving copies are rarely seen" (National Library of Israel). National Library of Israel, "Cairo West - Lydda: Strip No. 10", accessible online. Colour photolithograph map (330 x 850 mm), laid onto linen. Mounted, framed, and glazed (frame size: 474 x 996 mm). Some pencil annotations. Creased and dust soiled where folded, a little soiled: a very good example.…

First edition of this impressively sized and important map showing the entire peninsula, including modern-day Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, and was the work of a team lead by the distinguished geologist Glen F. Brown, whose trailblazing work on surface geology, with its emphasis on water resources, minerals, and oil, pertains to this day. Brown (1911-2001) cut his teeth in mineral and coal investigations in South China and the Philippines and ground-water investigations in Mississippi and Colorado, the latter mostly concerned with supplying water to military installations. In response to a request from Ibn Sa'ud for assistance from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Brown was selected in 1944 to investigate water supplies in the Saudi Arabian desert. He "arrived in Saudi Arabia early in 1945 and joined a mission sponsored by the US Foreign Economic Administration to study possibilities for agricultural development in central Arabia. As part of the mission [Brown] carried out a detailed investigation of the geologic formations in the Al Kharj district and identified substantial ground-water resources in buried aquifers. His report on the results of that investigation was very enthusiastically received by Saudi officials. [Brown returned to Saudi Arabia at the request of Ibn Sa'ud] to conduct reconnaissance geologic mapping, mineral evaluation, and water-resource studies in the western and central parts of the kingdom. The mapping was carried forward from 1950 to 1958 by [Brown] with USGS and Saudi associates and extended to the entire Arabian Peninsula in cooperation with the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco), as well as to organizations and companies of other countries in the peninsula. This resulted in a remarkable series of bilingual geologic and geographic maps of Saudi Arabia at a scale of 1:500,000, and a geologic and geographic map of the entire Arabian Peninsula at a scale of 1:2,000,000, all of which were published by the USGS. These maps, together with reports on the geology, mineral deposits, and water resources prepared by [Brown] and his associates, providing the basis for Saudi Arabia to undertake a major national resource exploration and development program" (Geological Society of America obituary). As stated in the legend, "this map has been prepared as a base for a geologic map in preparation". This point is elucidated in the official report that Brown co-wrote in 1989 (USGS Professional Paper 560-A): "while preparation of the geographic sheets was in progress, a need arose for early publication of a 1:2,000,000-scale peninsular geographic map. Consequently, a preliminary edition was compiled and published in both English and Arabic in 1958". The present map, in English, is from that preliminary edition - the basis for all future cartography of its kind in the region. Geographic compilation notes add that, where photography was unavailable, "World Aeronautical Charts, British War Office 1:1,000,000 and 1:250,000 maps, and ground traverse data were used". In addition to geographical features, towns, villages, roads (primary and secondary), trails, railways, stations, airports, landing fields, and ruins are all shown, as well as water pipelines, "important desert watering places", oil-fields, pipelines, terminals, pumping stations, refineries, and mines. Glen F. Brown, Dwight L. Schmidt & A. Curtis Huffman, Jr., "Geology of the Arabian Peninsula: Shield Area of Western Saudi Arabia", U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 560-A, 1989. Colour map (approximately 1,200 x 1,380 mm, folding away to 200 x 185 mm.) Housed in a black cloth flat-back box with chemise by the Chelsea Bindery. Creased where folded and to extremities, some slight tears to a few folds, minor toning and foxing to top left corner, verso only. In excellent condition. …