The Arab Peoples

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32050, 26 July 1969, Page 4

The Arab Peoples

A Short History Of The Arab Peoples. By John Begot Glubb (Glubb Pasha). Hodder and Stoughton. Bibiliography and Index.

Sir John Glubb’s fourvolume History of the Arabs was widely acclaimed as a sympathetic and interesting account of the history of the peoples whom he came to admire and respect so greatly as he lived and fought with thorn One suspects on reading the shorter history that the author is more at ease in the longer more diffuse work. He Is clearly not writing here for erudite students and scholars who are catered for

adequately in the. four earlier volumes dealing fully with the years from Muhammad’s return to Mecca till the fall of Constantinople. We must suppose therefore that this briefer history, which begins at the same point but comes right up to the present time, is meant to appeal to a wider reading public. ; One mark of a successful ’ popular historian is surely the • ability to select the essential

and interesting facts and personalities and discard others. There is no doubt of Sir John’s wide knowledge of the past of the Arabs and of his

understanding of them but his obvious fascination with their history leads him to include too much material. The result is often that what should be an exciting narrative account becomes a dry listing of names and dates. Sir John does make some very valid points in the concluding chapters of this volume when he deplores the lack of knowledge of Arab history among the Western nations and stresses the Importance of this knowledge for an understanding of the development of Europe as well as of the Middle East today. This book is his attempt to remedy this situation and in so far as it supplies a great amount of factual information and also stresses the main movements in Arab history it fulfills its aim. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the main dates and personalities and there are a large number of genealogical tables and maps to illustrate the text There can be no doubt that If Sir John’s suggestion is . adopted and Arab history is . taught in Western schools ' this will become an essential i reference book, with a reliable i if uninspired text