Road Through Kurdistan - The Narrative of an Engineer in Iraq (association copy with photo).

HAMILTON, Archibald Milne (A.M.).

Published by Faber and Faber, London, 1937

About this Item

Association copy with tipped in captioned photo. First edition, 2nd impression dated August 1937 (the 1st appeared March 1937). Original grey cloth without dust jacket. 331pp + 28 b/w illustrations + 2 folding maps (Iraq and the Road through Kurdistan, and The Rowanduz Road). Covers fair with staining and marks. Rear guttering split though binding secure. Pages mostly fine and clean, with plates stained to inner top corners. Maps neatly folded with nick to the first. New Zealand engineer AM Hamilton (1898?1972) built the "Hamilton Road" in the hope of uniting diverse peoples including Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians and Turks, who were employed in its construction, though his road has been fought over many times since. Association copy with original b/w group photo of 7 men tipped on to the ffep with names handwritten underneath: ?1. Captain FW Hall MBE; 2. Kurdish Editor (Rowanduz); 3. Ismail Beg (Murdered); 4. Captain HPF Young (Alf York); 5. Major L Alexander OBE; 6. Lieut RWH Scott; 7. Mr AM Hamilton (Author)?. Hamilton changed some British officers? names to protect anonymity whilst working in Iraq, thus Captain Young of the Iraq Levy is ?Alf York? (see his epilogue to the 1958 edition pp233ff). Hamilton devotes Chapter XVIII to assassination attempts on and the ultimate murder of the above mentioned Kurdish Chieftain Ismail Beg (pictured p272). The previous owner is unnamed, however a partially legible ink stamp to the back of the photo dated 24 May 1940 has handwritten notes "S.22.G / S SQDN", suggesting RAF provenance (according to Lake 1999, S Squadron was formed at RAF Station Habbaniya in Iraq in 1939, and re-designated No. 244 Squadron on its move to RAF Shaibah on 1 November 1940). The RAF was engaged in the region at this time, and Hamilton discusses tribal perceptions of their bombing campaigns in Chapter XVIII.

Seller Inventory # 1233

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Road Through Kurdistan - The Narrative of an Engineer in Iraq (association copy with photo).
• Publisher: Faber and Faber, London
• Publication Date: 1937
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 2nd Printing
• Condition: Fair
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket