Ibn Saud: The Desert Warrior Who Created the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The history of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia parallels that of its founder, Ibn Saud (1880–1953). Born to an impoverished clan of nomads embroiled in tribal politics and intent on winning back the respect his family name once commanded, he led a daring and successful dawn attack on the palace of the usurper in Riyadh. The massive wealth hidden under the desert sands transformed him overnight into one of the world’s most powerful rulers. TV producer Darlow and the late Bray, a BBC Radio Drama Department staffer and award-winning translator, spent decades researching Saudi history and their enigmatic subject’s place in it, and their easy familiarity with Ibn Saud’s life comes across in lively prose that captures the romance and intrigue of the Arabian warrior. The authors pack each chapter with entertaining anecdotes that highlight the differentness of Ibn Saud’s life. For instance, as a lunch guest of President Roosevelt, he was so impressed with the food that he “asked to be given the cook as a gift,” a request the president handled with great diplomacy. All in all a successful narrative, though overlong on military exploits and personal vignettes and short on analysis of the massive changes in Arabian society. 56 b&w photos, maps. (June)