Saudi Arabia : caught in time 1861-1939

We cite from the cover :
"This documented analysis of early photographs of Saudi Arabia (1861-1939), collected from private and public archives in Europe and across the Middle East, reviews work by Arab, European and Muslim photographers. It includes pictures taken by General Muhammad Sadek Bey, the first photographer ever to work in Makkah and Madinah. Sadek also photographed throughout what is now Saudi Arabia between 1861 and 1895, and was awarded a Gold Medal at the Venice Exhibition of 1881."
"Early European travellers and scholars also contributed to the documentation of Saudi Arabia. The Dutch orientalist Christian Snouk Hurgronje first published his work in 1888 and also facilitated the publication, in 1889, of photographs by Abdul Ghaffar, an Indian doctor living in Makkah. In 1894, Jules Gervais Courtellement, travelling disguised as an Algerian doctor, photographed the streets and buildings of Jeddah and made a five-part panorama of Makkah from Qubais mountain."
"The Najd was less frequently photographed, the first significant coverage of Riyadh being by Captain Leachman in 1912, working for the Royal Geographical Society and the British War Office. He was followed in 1914 by Captain Shakespear, who photographed freely with the permission of Ibn Saud, and even attended preparations for a raid. The Northern Provinces were not photographed until the 1908 visit of Major General Butler and Captain Aylmer, also working for the British. Gertrude Bell travelled there in 1914 and documented many historic sites, including the city of Ha'il. Many other photographers, including Harry St John Philby, T E. Lawrence, Gerald de Gaury and various amateurs - some known, some anonymous - also left a legacy of photographs showing Saudi Arabia and its traditional life. In a country which has changed dramatically over recent decades, these photographs are both historically important and visually fascinating. While other selections of photographs of the country have been published, Saudi Arabia: Caught in Time 1861-1939 contains much previously unpublished material, has an unprecedented historical scope, and has been drawn from a greater range of archives - particularly private collections - than any other work. It will be essential reading for anyone concerned with the history of Saudi Arabia or visiting it in the present day."