Philby of Arabia

Rating:
Summary: Well worth reading!
Review: St John (Jack) Philby, father of the famous -or infamous- Kim, got to know Ibn Saud during World War I as a British civil servant based in Baghdad, working for Sir Percy Cox. From their first meeting, Philby was enormously impressed with Ibn Saud, then struggling to affirm himself as one of several princes in Central Arabia. He took an instant liking to him, and this was the beginning of a life-long association. Over the ensuing years,Philby developed the feeling that the British Government was not treating the Arabs fairly and in addition was supporting Ibn Saud's rival, Sherif Hussein of Mecca and his sons, mainly through the support that one of these derived from T. E. Lawrence, in some ways Philby's rival. This eventually led Philby to resign from the civil service and establish himself in Arabia as one of Ibn Saud's senior advisers.
The book is well researched and well written. It takes you through the birth pangs of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Irak and covers a span from World War I to the reign of Ibn Saud's successor, King Saud. It also tells in a riveting way about Philby's desert exploration ventures, most notably in South Arabia's Empty Quarter and its borders with Yemen and the British Protectorate of Aden.
The author brings to life Philby's character, his peculiar family life and, most interestingly, his conversion to Islam.
I have found this book essential for a better understanding of Arabia and of Islam.
On the negative side, the printing of this edition -in a non-English-speaking country- leaves much to be desired: there are far too many typos which take away some of the reading enjoyment. Also, the maps are succint and could have been somewhat more generous. These two factors account for my holding back the 5th star!