4to. 22 pp. Stitched, untrimmed. First edition of a rare pamphlet on the monsoon winds in the Indian Ocean, of crucial importance for East India Company ships sailing to and from the East Indies. - As Dalrymple states in the introduction, the text for the pamphlet has been translated by him from Jean Baptiste d'Après de Mannevillette's "Mémoire sur la navigation de France aux Indies". Dalrymple had extensive correspondence with Mannevillette, hydrographer to the French East India Company and Dépôt de la Marine, from 1767 to 1780, much of which is preserved in Paris in the Archives nationales and the Bibliothèque de l'institut de France. Dalrymple had such high regard for d'Après - the author of the "Neptune Oriental" in 1745, at the time the most authoritative work on oriental navigation - that he often sent charts for comment and inclusion into his work, as the following letter attests: "You have full consent to make what use you please of the Charts I have sent you [...] You will undoubtedly find many mistakes which escaped my observation; And therefore you will do me a favour in communicating your remarks to me" (10 Nov. 1772). In the present work Dalrymple has augmented the d'Après text with information from a Mr. William Woodville of Liverpool, and a Captain Jones of the ship Mary, "whom we met at Grenville 5th June 1775, to the Westward of Sierra Leon. It is obvious Mr Woodville's Account differs considerably from M. D'Aprés but I cannot presume to decide who is right". - The extract not only shows Dalrymple's continuing quest for any and all sources of information regarding a passage to the East Indies, and the rather ad hoc nature in which he obtained it, but also his willingness to question Mannevillette's findings, at the time the leading authority on such matters. - Some waterstaining to title with marginal fraying. Rare: we are only able to trace one other example appearing at auction since the war (Sotheby's, the Franklin Brooke-Hitching sale 2014). ESTC T74284.
Engraved map. 60 x 84 cm. Constant ratio linear horizontal scale ca. 1:1,500,000. With insert maps: "A Plan of the Harbour of Suez" and "A Plan of the Harbour of Tor". Rare map covering the Red Sea from Jeddah in the south to the Gulf of Suez in the north. Published as part of Robert Sayer's "Complete East-India pilot or Oriental Navigator" (1778ff., subsequently reissued by Laurie & Whittle), it is based on D'Après de Mannevillette's "Neptune Oriental" (1745), incorporating information gleaned from the 1762-63 surveys of Carsten Niebuhr. - A few professionally repaired edge tears. OCLC 733624449.
Large 4to (203 x 260 mm). (6), LVIII, 254, (2) pp. Title-page printed in red and black. With an engraved headpiece. Contemporary full calf, spine rebacked and gilt to style. Leading edges gilt, all edges sprinkled in red. Marbled endpapers. Extremely rare pilot guide to the East Indies, reduced to a single quarto volume from the author's great "Neptune Oriental", published simultaneously. One of the greatest maritime atlases in the history of French cartography, the "Neptune" was devoted to exotic regions (the Middle East including the Gulf, the African coasts, the Indian Ocean and East Indies, Southeast Asia, parts of the Chinese coast, and the Pacific islands). It was compiled by Jean-Baptiste-Nicolas-Denis d'Après de Mannevillette (1707-80), hydrographer to the French Navy, supported by the French East India Company and the Académie des Sciences. "It was at once hailed as a major achievement and welcomed by navigators throughout the world" (Cat. Nat. Mar. Mus.). Of the present text-only reduction, OCLC lists no more than nine copies worldwide, only one of which in the the U.S. (University of Chicago). - Corners bumped; modern spine gilt in 18th-century style. A good, wide-margined copy. Provenance: 1) From the library of Sir Francis Lindley Wood, 2nd Baronet, of Barnsley (1771-1846), with his bookplate on the pastedown. 2) By descent to his son Charles Wood, 1st Viscount Halifax (1800-85), sometime Chancellor of the Exchequer, with handwritten ownership on the flyleaf. As President of the Board of Control of the English East India Company, Sir Charles Wood was instrumental in spreading education in India. 3) Acquired from the Portuguese trade. Jöcher/Adelung II, 622. OCLC 41102601. Not in Cordier (Sinica), Brunet, Graesse, etc.
Folio (212 x 335 mm). (2), 276, IX, (1) pp., final blank, with one folding plate (counted as p. 152). Contemporary half cloth with original printed boards, issued thus. Gertrude Bell's personal copy of this excessively rare manual on the social, political and economic structures of the Arab tribes living in the Baghdad Vilayet (Province) as drawn up in July 1918, only months before the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire ended the old administrative divisions and led to the formation of several new states - indeed, to the creation of the modern Arab world. - Arranged alphabetically by the names of the tribes, this handbook - essentially a carefully compiled and redacted British intelligence file printed for the use of British Political Officers and their assistants in a region then undergoing dramatic upheavals - offers surprisingly detailed information on the tribes' origins, loyalties and internal quarrels, the locations of their settlements, strength of their possessions, economic and bargaining power, as well as their kinships, often including genealogical tables. The names of the tribes' leaders are given in full, frequently also in the original Arabic. - Gertrude Bell (1868-1926), who had firsthand experience among the tribes, signed her name in pencil ("Gertrude Lowthian Bell") on the front free endpaper. Several neatly pencilled additions to some of the entries are likewise in her hand: next to the name Fahad ibn Hadhdal she notes that he died and the name of a "rival" (this underlined), apparently a "bin Dughaiyin" (p. 16). In another entry she notes that Jazza' ibn Mijlad "blockaded Turks in North for allies in 1st war" (p. 17) and that the A'marat prefer to winter near al-Hafan. There are several references to her fellow political officer, St John Philby, and a correction that the Al-Dulaim are "all Sunnis" (p. 265), and none Shi'ahs. - Gertrude Bell was a traveller, political actor, and archaeologist who was a key player in the nation-building after World War I, especially in Iraq. She founded the Iraq Museum, translated Persian poetry, and advised the British government's foreign policy at nearly the highest level. It is little surprise that she would have owned one of the few copies of this important source, containing otherwise nearly unobtainable population statistics as well as details on the political history of a region in which traditional tribal feuds became mingled with international high politics. Considering the limited scope of intended distribution and the sensitive nature of the information contained, it is safe to say that this invaluable compendium never had more than a very limited press-run; indeed; only three copies are known today in libraries worldwide, and none with such unique provenance. - Covers rubbed, title-page brittle and reinforced with two library stamps carefully removed but still faintly visible. A closed tear to the folding map. Later in the collection of the American missionary turned political biographer Harry J. Almond (1918-2007), with his handwritten ownership in ink next to Bell's own. In all very well preserved. No copy in auction records. OCLC: 921927074, 729268761.
Small folio (218 x 330 mm) and oblong 8vo. (3) pp. With typescript envelope. Freight manifest for a box of personal effects of Paul Stiehl, an employee of Aramco, shipped from Dhahran to New York. Signed by W. J. Kiefer. - The document includes a customs clearance authorization as well as a specification of the contents of the box signed by Stiehl. The shipment contained 4 prayer rugs, 12 towels, and 5 bed sheets. - Some rust spots. A unique survival.
53 min. Colour and black-and-white. NTSC VHS cassette. In original case. Promotional video celebrating Aramco's first 50 years in the oil business. The 53-minute film traces the development of the Arabian American Oil Company from the first team of engineers and researchers that braved the Saudi desert in search of oil in the mid-1930s to a company of 60,000 employees controlling a large share of the earth's reserves. Most valuable are early photos of exploration camps, regional topography, and the Arabian Peninsula before its development. The tape makes for a heroic tale, but as one might expect, fails to place American efforts in the larger context of oil exploration in the Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq that began with the British in the 1890s and was joined by the Dutch, French and Americans in the next century. Briefly addressing the economics of oil and its effects on Saudi Arabia, the film prefers to concentrate on the good fortune and technological advances the oil boom brought to the kingdom. - The film premiered on Channel 3 on 29 May 1984, the anniversary of the Concession Agreement. - Very well preserved. OCLC 12825212.
Oblong 12mo (57 x 89 mm). 2 pp. Permit to use retail services in the Ras Tanura Camp. Issued to Mrs. O. O. Thomas, the wife of Aramco employee Orlin Orace Thomas. - Slightly creased.
2 large black-and-white photographic prints, 260 x 360 mm. Matted (500 x 400 mm). Rare views of Aramco facilities in Saudi Arabia. The set comprises a fine aerial view of worker accomodation complexes in the Eastern Province, as well as a street view showing office and residential buildings. The mattes bear a giltstamped caption "Aramco Photograph". - Corners lightly bumped; images in excellent condition.
Small folio (220 x 284 mm). (8), 343, (1) pp. With numerous black-and-white photographic illustrations, plans and charts. Contemporary full cloth with stamped title to cover and spine. Extensive handbook for employees of Aramco in the Middle East. The personal copy of Aramco official Robert King Hall, a director of training, with his handwritten ownership, dated Dhahran, June 1967, to title-page. - The work briefs American personnel for their service in an unfamiliar land, discussing the history of the Middle East as well as the development of the oil industry and the key role of Aramco. It includes observations on the Saudi government, the main cities and towns, and the climate, as well as "the culture and customs of the Arabs". The illustrations celebrate the advances of the modern oil industry and the achievements of Aramco, showing oil compounds and refineries as well as the harmonious collaboration of Americans and Saudis. Further images depict the rich Arabian culture in rugs and historical manuscripts, as well as desert landscapes and Middle Eastern wildlife, including falcons and horses. - Inner hinges broken, otherwise very well preserved. OCLC 1282106663.
Small folio (220 x 282 mm). 2 vols. 12 issues each. Contemporary full cloth with giltstamped title to cover and spine. Two complete year runs of the popular Aramco magazine. In November 1949 the Arabian American Oil Company launched "Aramco World" as an interoffice newsletter that linked the company's U.S. offices with "the field" - primarily Dhahran, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The journal quickly grew into a monthly (later bi-monthly) educational magazine featuring historical, geographical and cultural articles that helped the American employees and their families appreciate an unfamiliar land. - The present collection comprises vol. 8, nos. 1-12, and vol. 10, nos. 1-12. - Heads of spine somewhat worn. Interior in excellent condition.
Small folio (215 x 280 mm). 6 issues. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Complete run of the popular Aramco magazine for the year 1976. In November 1949 the Arabian American Oil Company launched Aramco World as an interoffice newsletter that linked the company's U.S. offices with "the field" - primarily Dhahran, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The journal quickly grew into a bi-monthly educational magazine featuring historical, geographical and cultural articles that helped the American employees and their families appreciate an unfamiliar land. - The present collection comprises vol. 27, issues no. 1-6. - Addressed to Michigan resident Florence E. Lostuzzi on verso.
Small folio (215 x 280 mm). 12 issues. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Set of 12 issues of the popular Aramco magazine. In November 1949 the Arabian American Oil Company launched "Aramco World" as an interoffice newsletter that linked the company's U.S. offices with "the field" - primarily Dhahran, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The journal quickly grew into a bi-monthly educational magazine featuring historical, geographical and cultural articles that helped the American employees and their families appreciate an unfamiliar land. - The present collection comprises vol. 11, no. 5; vol. 14, nos. 5-8; vol. 15, nos. 1-3 and 5-6; vol. 16, nos. 1 and 2. - 11 issues addressed to Michigan resident Florence E. Lostuzzi on verso.
8vo. 5 booklets: (2), 14; 5, (3); (4), 15, (1); (4), 29, (3); (4), 20 pp. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Set of booklets on Aramco benefit plans, informing employees of terms and conditions of life insurance, retirement income, a medical payment plan, and a savings plan offered by the company, the latter seeking "to encourage Employees to save part of their earnings systematically so they will have additional financial security in the later years of their lives". - Front cover of one booklet scratched with loss to text; front cover of another somewhat foxed.
4to. 2 vols.: VIII (but: X), 112 pp., final blank leaf; I-(XIV), 179 pp., final blank page. With numerous black and white photographic illustrations as well as several colour-printed illustrations, maps and charts in the text. Contemporary printed wrappers. Spiral binding. Second edition. The well-known handbook series prepared by the Arabian American Oil Company for the benefit of their staff as operations began to expand after WWII. First published as a set of five booklets in 1950. Although intended for the instruction of Aramco's own employees, the series "attracted widespread interest outside the company and the demand of copies was so great that two years later, in January 1952, a revised hardbound edition was published" (Nawwab). The present spiral-bound second edition was apparently produced simultaneously. Subsequent editions in a single volume appeared in 1960 and 1968. - Part I discusses the history of oil production and the role of the United States, in particular the evolution of Aramco oil exploration in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the company's pioneering role in the country. Part II describes the work and life of Aramco employees in Saudi Arabia. Parts III-V provide some background on Arabia and the Middle East, including information on the Saudi government, as well as on Arabian culture and customs. - Apart from refineries, tanks, drilling operations, oil wells, the city of Jeddah, the Dammam oil field, Dhahran Camp, the Ras Tanura refinery, and the construction of pipelines in the desert, the photographs include pictures of royal visits to Aramco operations, showing King Ibn Saud and Crown Prince Saud in Dhahran in 1947, as well as the Sheikh of Bahrein in 1939, mosques and scenes of the Hajj, life at the Dhahran expats' camp, local farmers and fishers, as well as Arabian hospitality and wildlife. Further, the illustrations comprise charts showing the changes in U.S. consumer demand between 1908 and 1948 and U.S. production increase from 1859, as well as maps of the American interest in the Middle East and a world map displaying oil reserves and the inter-regional movements of petroleum in 1948. - Extremities slightly worn; some tears to first volume. Interior crisp and clean. OCLC 83399405.
4to. 2 vols.: VIII (recte: X), 112 pp., final blank leaf; I-(XIV), 179 pp., final blank page. With numerous black-and-white photographic illustrations as well as several colour-printed illustrations, maps and charts in the text. Contemporary printed wrappers. Spiral binding. Second edition. The well-known handbook series prepared by the Arabian American Oil Company for the benefit of their staff as operations began to expand after WWII. First published as a set of five booklets in 1950. Although intended for the instruction of Aramco's own employees, the series "attracted widespread interest outside the company and the demand of copies was so great that two years later, in January 1952, a revised hardbound edition was published" (Nawwab). The present spiral bound second edition was apparently produced simultaneously. Subsequent editions in a single volume appeared in 1960 and 1968. - Part I discusses the history of oil production and the role of the United States, in particular the evolution of Aramco oil exploration in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the company's pioneering role in the country. Part II describes the work and life of Aramco employees in Saudi Arabia. Parts III-V provide some background on Arabia and the Middle East, including information on the Saudi government, as well as the Arabian culture and customs. - Apart from refineries, tanks, drilling operations, oil wells, the city of Jeddah, the Dammam oil field, Dhahran Camp, the Ras Tanura refinery, and the construction of pipelines in the desert, the photographs include pictures of royal visits to Aramco operations, showing King Ibn Saud and Crown Prince Saud in Dhahran in 1947, as well as the Sheikh of Bahrein in 1939, mosques and scenes of the Hajj, life at the Dhahran expats' camp, local farmers and fishers, as well as Arabian hospitality and wildlife. Further, the illustrations comprise charts showing the changes in U.S. consumer demand between 1908 and 1948 and U.S. production increase from 1859, as well as maps of the American interest in the Middle East and a world map displaying oil reserves and the inter-regional movements of petroleum in 1948. - Extremities slightly worn. Interior crisp and clean. OCLC 83399405.
Oblong 12mo (60 x 102 mm). 2 pp. Insurance ID for the Aramco employee Orlin Orace Thomas, verifying his claim to have medical expenses covered under the Aramco medical payment plan. - Right corners slightly worn.
560 x 430 mm. Folding poster with several black-and-white photographic illustrations. First edition. Scarce Aramco poster on the benefits of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline) established in 1950. Celebrating seven years in the business, it presents the busy workforce behind the Tapline as well as the jobs it created, proving "that nationals of many countries and varying backgrounds can be welded into a harmonious, efficient work force". Among the images are the terminal at Sidon, pumping units, new townsites that emerged around Tapline pump stations, and medial care for Tapline employees. - Occasional light browning along folding lines. - All early issues of the eductional Aramco posters as reprinted in 1969 are rare.
8vo. (2), 18 pp. each in English and Arabic. With several black-and-white photographic illustrations. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Exceedingly rare booklet about the Aramco compound at Ras Tanura, describing the facilities and the various steps of oil production, including emphasis on the safety record of Ras Tanura: "Employees working in the District have received the highest award for safety granted by the United States National Safety Council". The illustrations include impressive aerial views of the refinery as well as images of workers seeing to ensure smooth operations of the facilities. - Wrappers slightly spotted. Not in OCLC.
4to. (6), 59, (2) pp. each in English and Arabic. With numerous black-and-white and colour photographic illustrations. Original printed wrappers. Stapled. Illustrated report on the activities of Aramco for 1951 - the year of the completion of the Dammam-Riyadh railroad as well as of the discovery of the Sufaniya and Uthmaniyah oil fields. The personal copy of Aramco official Robert King Hall, a director of training, with his handwritten ownership to title-page. - The report discusses petroleum operations and facilities, industrial training of employees, the construction of pipelines, plants, tanks and loading facilities, as well as roads and housing. It points out the merit of Aramco medical facilities, as well as the progress of Saudi infrastructure. Further, the report includes well statistics and a double-page illustration showing two camels and a bedouin admiring an Aramco oil rig. - Extremities slightly rubbed. Cf. OCLC 2416997.
Folio. VI, 59, (2), 59 pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers. Stapled. 1953 issue of the "Taqrir an sair al-amal marfu ila Hukuma al-Arabiya as-Suudiya min qibal Sarikat az-Zait al-Arabiya al-Amrikiya", printed in Arabic and English throughout. Profusely illustrated, the annual journal issued by ARAMCO reported on the year's work and activities in the form of essays and statistical figures. A few years previously, Aramco had moved their headquarters from New York to Dhahran, jointly with King Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud managing to negotiate a larger share of the profits for the Saudi Arab Government. The principal oil fields at the time were Ghawar and Safaniya, soon to be confirmed the largest onshore and the largest offshore field in the world, respectively. - Some notes in ink to Arabic title-page. In good condition. Cf. OCLC 2416997.
Folio. VII, (1), 52, 52 pp. Colour illustrations throughout. Original illustrated colour wrappers. Stapled. Yearly report of the Arabian American Oil Company (now Aramco), covering the year 1954, when the production reached a "new high in the Company's history", something "achieved despite the increasingly keen competition resulting from a substantial surplus of producing capacity in the Middle East" (p. VI). Contains tables showing the company's produce, photos of oil fields and drilling stations, sections on transportation, personnel, marketing, safety, the local economy, etc. The text is included in both English and Arabic. - In very good condition. Cf. OCLC 2416997.
280 x 330 mm. Graphic poster. In English and Arabic. Rare poster with safety instructions for Aramco bus drivers. Prepared by the Transportation Department, it reminds the drivers that "one bus should never pass another", as well as to "keep plenty of space between buses": "The lives of your passengers are in your hands". Apart from the safety rules in English and Arabic, the poster shows sketches of six fully occupied coaches. - Very well preserved.
455 x 575 mm and 435 x 560 mm. 14 folding posters: 13 graphic posters and 1 photographic poster. With instructions in English and Arabic. A collection of Aramco safety posters featuring bright illustrations, bold colors, and techniques that give a nod to popular culture. The earliest poster in the set, dating from June 1984 ("Stop accidents before they stop you"), was designed by Ninoy Lumboy - perhaps the most productive artist of Aramco safety posters in the 1980s. "For the three years from 1982 to 1984 he designed almost every poster published by the Loss Prevention Department. While Lumboy was prolific, he was also amazingly inventive, merging elements of the cubism and impressionism art movements with pop art to create colorful and striking posters. He described his technique as 'crosshatchism' - a method of painting where an artwork is rendered with multiple layers of intersecting sets of parallel lines" (Bartlett). - Other than the Lumboy-poster, only 2 posters bear their artist's name or at least initials: Jenny Dahroug ("Wear hearing protection"), and J.v.D. ("Hand tool tips"). The remainder of the set are anonymous creations not ranging behind the above-mentioned in effort or style. Also, the set includes one photo poster featuring Aramco employees as models - a technique "that would become standard practice for the company's safety publications" (ibid.) from 1986 onwards. The present specimen shows two uniformed guards strapping into their car seats, ready to respond to a call, captioned with the slogan "The danger may not always be obvious. Buckle up". - Margins slightly worn. A unique ensemble. Bartlett, Saudi Aramco and the Art of Safety, 227 & 238.
4to and oblong 8vo. 4 brochures and a folder, the latter comprising (55) ff. Prospectuses for Aramco benefit plans, briefing the employees on terms and conditions of life insurance, retirement income, social security benefits, a medical payment plan, a savings plan, disability plans, and the compensation plan for expats. The latter includes the photocopy of a typed letter signed by Aramco official W. E. Whitley, inviting an employee to attend a meeting on the compensation plan at the Dhahran training center. - Some margins slightly worn.
560 x 430 mm. Folding poster with several black-and-white photographic illustrations. Aramco poster celebrating technological advances in Saudi Arabia triggered by their cooperation with America. Featuring pictures taken by Aramco employees, it presents the Saudi Arabians' industrial achievements and their growing infrastructure, including railways, loading cranes, accurate scales, gas stations, and machines manufacturing blocks of concrete. The text accompanying the images bursts with praise for the Saudi spirit: "For over two decades now the Saudi Arabs have been building their ancient land into a modern nation [...] The drilling bit that bored down into the desert did more than strike oil - it quickened the life blood of a whole nation".