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

Bray, Barbara; Darlow, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1634502671 ISBN 13: 9781634502672

Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, 2015

Synopsis

The true and fascinating origin story of Saudia Arabia.

Ibn Saud grew to manhood living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham. Equipped with immense physical courage, he fought and won often with weapons and tactics not unlike those employed by the ancient Assyrians a series of astonishing military victories over a succession of enemies much more powerful than himself. Over the same period, he transformed himself from a minor sheikh into a revered king and elder statesman, courted by world leaders such as Churchill and Roosevelt. A passionate lover of women, Ibn Saud took many wives, had numerous concubines, and fathered almost one hundred children. Yet he remained an unswerving and devout Muslim, described by one who knew him well at the time of his death in 1953 as probably the greatest Arab since the Prophet Muhammad.”

Saudi Arabia, the country Ibn Saud created, is a staunch ally of the West, but it is also the birthplace of Osama bin Laden and fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. Saud’s kingdom, as it now stands, has survived the vicissitudes of time and become an invaluable player on the world’s political stage.

Skyhorse Publishing, along with our Arcade, Good Books, Sports Publishing, and Yucca imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of biographies, autobiographies, and memoirs. Our list includes biographies on well-known historical figures like Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, and Alexander Graham Bell, as well as villains from history, such as Heinrich Himmler, John Wayne Gacy, and O. J. Simpson. We have also published survivor stories of World War II, memoirs about overcoming adversity, first-hand tales of adventure, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

About this title

From the Author

Barbara Bray has twice won the Scott Moncrief Prize for her translations, as well as the French-American Foundation Prize. She has collaborated with Harold Pinter and Joseph Losey on a film adaptation of Proust’s A la recherche du temps perdu. She passed away in 2010.

Michael Darlow is a writer and award-winning TV producer and director. In the 1970s he made a documentary film for the Sultan of Oman and wrote a book with Richard Fawkes, The Last Corner of Arabia. His award-winning TV programs include The World at War Genocide, Auschwitz: The Final Solution, Crime and Punishment, Little Eyolf, and The Winslow Boy. He is a fellow of the Royal Television Society and was awarded its Silver Medal in 2000. He lives in England.

Review

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." Publishers Weekly

Darlow and Bray convey the essence of the man as well as the stark, unforgiving landscape that he mastered while forging a nation.” Booklist

An entertainingly exhaustive, though imperfect, biography of an inscrutable monarch.” Kirkus Reviews

Edition details

• Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1634502671
• ISBN 13: 9781634502672
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 624