From the back of the book:
Only sixty years ago, Arabia was a poverty-stricken desert peninsula ruled by petty sheikhs and sultana. Today, as Sa'udi Arabia, ruled by the richest family ever known on earth, it dominates the money markets of the world. A freak of geology gave the Kingdom oil, and the family of Sa'ud has exploited it fiercely.

Robert Lacey spent four years living in Arabia among princes and camel-herders, international businessmen and religious scholars, in gleaming cities and in primitive desert encampments. He vividly portrays a land of astonishing contrasts. As the price of oil makes the West poorer and the Kingdom richer, we envy and fear this country. Robert Lacey's book helps us understand it.

Left at the Street Library.

Release #21 for the 2024 Royalty Challenge.