I have here for sale a book entitled SHEBA'S DAUGHTERS BEING A RECORD OF TRAVEL IN SOUTHERN ARABIA by H.ST.J.B.PHILBY, with an appendix on the Rock Inscriptions by BEESTON. With 47 plates folding map and Rock Pictures in the text. This FIRST EDITION was published in 1939 by METHUEN, London.

This is Philby's last, great jaunt across the Saudi desert, made at the request of his friend and employer, King Ibn Saud. The success of his travels across mostly unexplored lands along the vague Saudi- Yemen border and into the Haudramaut was heavily dependent on his being known as an emissary of the Saudi King. Philby had left the employ of the British government a dozen years before, and loses no opportunity to criticize British imperial designs in Arabia, previous desert travellers, and the Aden (British) authorities who decided he was "the enemy" as the result of this trip. Philby sired and neglected a son, Kim Philby, who became (about the time of this writing) a spy in the secret employ of the USSR. But the father was a meticulous explorer of Sheba (Shabwa) and this is a thorough record of his travels there in the twilight of his influence as an advisor to Ibn Saud. Pages xx, 485 with index and appendices. Philby complains about the scale of the map, very detailed but print so small that a magnifying glass is welcome. 

Bound in yellow linen boards. Gilt title lettering to the spine. Boards are sunned. Front edge of the spine is beginning to split. Corners and spine ends are bumped. Lacking front endpaper. Foxing to the half title page and endpapers. Map has been repaired with tape by a previous owner. Tear to back page also repaired by tape. This book is in good condition, it is tightly bound with no loose or missing pages 485pp 24cm x 18 cm

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