Wheels Across the Desert: Exploration of the Libyan Desert by Motorcar 1916–1942

History

GOUDIE, Andrew

Africa

Silphium Press

This is the first in a new series of guides to the archaeology of Libya, from prehistoric times until the invasion of the Bani Hilal in AD 1051. It deals with a region which offers the visitor not only the classical splendours of UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Sabratha and Lepcis Magna, but also a hinterland which is rich in standing monuments of the Punic, Roman and early Islamic periods. All are described and explained in a comprehensive gazetteer, packed full of plans and photographs, and with GPS coordinates and directions for visiting. "THE guidebook to Libya's archaeology" - David Mattingly

Tripolitania (Libya Archaeological Guides)

Kenrick, Philip

In recent years there has been a renewed interest in the “War in the Desert”, that epic struggle of the Second World War between Axis (Italian and German) and Allied (principally British Commonwealth) forces for control of North Africa, from 1940 to 1943. The current literature concentrates on the military battles, but war cannot be separated from politics: War and Politics sets out to fill this void by chronicling and analyzing the key political debates.For the first time, Kelly describes the political background to the future of the Italian colony of Libya, and the tribes, sects and factions dwelling in Cyrenaica, Tripolitania and the Fezzan, and their fundamental importance in the development of Libya towards independence in 1951. A prologue and an epilogue excellently summarise the preceding and following periods to place the story firmly within its historical context. The extensive bibliography is invaluable for those wishing to further their knowledge. With newly drawn maps taken from WWII sources and many black and white and colour photographs, some not previously published, this is not only a compelling and intellectually stimulating read but also a vivid one.The twists and turns of the politics of the war in the desert in War and Politics will be fascinating not only to the participants at the time but to historians and all readers interested in this period or geographical area.

War and Politics in the Desert: Britain and Libya during the Second World War

Kelly, Saul

<p>Egypt, Carthage and other African civilisations are well documented but the land and people between them are less well known yet also worthy of consideration. This collection of extracts from classical authors on subjects relating to ancient Libya presents more than fifty writers from Homer to the end of the Roman Empire and provides an eclectic mixture of descriptions of Libya, its people, flora, fauna, climate, geography and episodes in its history as presented by politicians, poets, philosophers, priests, historians and soldiers, both native and foreign.Newly translated and illustrated with a variety of photographs, maps, line drawings and specially commissioned illustrations, with a comprehensive glossary and suggestions for further reading and research, the book is suitable for both the general reader and the specialist.Readers are invited to dip in and enjoy whatever may take their fancy... voyages of exploration, the many uses of silphium, romantic poetry, the horrors of war, the dangers posed by snakes and scorpions, the exploits of kings and emperors, strange native customs, farming the desert and many other topics in both the texts and the illustrations which inform and amuse. Snakes, Sands and Silphium is an excellent introduction to ancient North African, complements any travel guide, and provides context for the archaeologist and historian.</p>

Snakes, Sands and Silphium: Travels in Classical Libya (Silphium Press Travel Writing)

Wright, Paul

From Tripoli to the ancient ruins of Leptis Magna, from the slave markets to the farthest reaches of the Sahara: here is a mosaic of unknown places, handed down to us by the foreign visitors and travellers who experienced them first hand over four centuries (1550-1911). European consuls (and their sisters and wives), archaeologists, explorers, sailors and colonisers have all left colourful accounts of their Libyan experiences: the bustle of the suqs and gossip of the harem, the terrors of slavery, the endless, parched caravan marches across the desert and the characters they met along the way. Almost fifty contributors bring a fresh perspective to a country that has fascinated foreigners for millennia.

Travellers in Turkish Libya 1551-1911

Arts & Photography

Wright, John

History & Criticism

This is the second volume in this series, which was launched to great acclaim in 2009. Cyrenaica (known to the Arabs as the Jabal Akhdar, the Green Mountain) has a terrain which resembles that of Greece or western Turkey. It was settled at an early date by Greeks and subsequently was part of the Roman and Byzantine empires before the advent of the Arabs. Each of these civilisations has left its mark on the landscape, not only at the locations of the major cities on the coast, but also at a host of lesser towns and villages whose ruins still dot the countryside. All are described and explained in a comprehensive gazetteer.- Historical background, from prehistory until the Italian invasion in 1911- Regional maps, site plans, drawings and reconstructions of individual buildings- Museum layout plans and guides to displays- Navigating instructions, with GPS coordinates for most sites- Lavish photography in colour

Cyrenaica (Libya Archaeological Guides)

<p>Captain Claud Williams’ memoir tells, first-hand, what it was like to be a Light Car Patrol commander during the First World War, while Russell McGuirk’s commentary provides the historical background to the formation of the Patrols and follows their activities from the British raid on Siwa Oasis to desert exploration and survey work and the Kufra Reconnaissance Scheme. Lavishly illustrated with original photographs from Light Car officers, this combined memoir and history provides a fascinating and informative picture of an unsung hero of the desert – the Model T Ford.</p>

Light Car Patrols 1916-19: War and Exploration in Egypt and Libya with the Model T Ford

Williams, Claud

Operation Idris provides the unofficial story behind the British Administration's cultivation of Sayyid Mohammed Idris as the figurehead for their project of indirect rule in Cyrenaica.   Operation Idris looks beneath the veneer of the British administration of eastern Libya (Cyrenaica) from the time that Rommel's Africa Korps was driven out of North Africa by the Allied forces. Drawing on the diaries and memoir of his father, who served in the administration, Richard Synge provides the essential detail of Britain's overall political strategy for the territory, which prioritized promoting the interests of the Sanussi brotherhood and its leader, Sayyid Mohammed Idris.  Jason Pack's Foreword provides useful historical context on the Anglo-Sanussi relationship, which was central to the British plan for indirect rule in Cyrenaica. The evidence presented here shows that pre-war British preconceptions were not shared by all of its own administrators. However, the strategic interest was so strong that even when the post-war negotiations over the future of Libya became stalled, Britain ensured the triumphant permanent return of Idris from exile in 1947 and encouraged and underwrote his unilateral declaration of Cyrenaican independence in 1949. These were the first steps to Idris being accepted as ruler of independent Libya in 1951.  The British Military Administration (BMA) in Cyrenaica was a period of transition, an interregnum, between the pre-war Italian colonization and the United Nations-sponsored independence for the whole of Libya. This account of British efforts to steer events at a time of profound upheaval throughout the Middle East is replete with invaluable new insights into the wider political and social phenomena of the BMA.  The files of the War Office and the Foreign Office serve to corroborate the overall story, but this book provides fresh angles on many of its dramas.  Locational maps and many previously unpublished photographs enhance the sense of immediacy.

Operation Idris: Inside the British Administration of Cyrenaica and Libya, 1942-52

Synge, Richard

Desert exploration, like climbing Everest or polar expeditions, is not for the faint-hearted, and many of the vivid tales within this fascinating biographical history end in tragedy. However, the informative and absorbing descriptions of the extraordinary journeys, challenges and achievements of these intrepid figures, are captivating. They risked their lives variously for good old fashioned epic adventure, solitude, fame, the answer to mythical questions and some were even spies. They experienced fear, excitement and hardship in their journeys into the unknown. There are many books on exploration but remarkably few on desert exploration. Moreover, some of the great desert explorers of the last three hundred years are now very little remembered or appreciated in comparison, say, with those who ventured to the poles, climbed Everest, or sought the source of the Nile. Yet, crossing unknown deserts is no less challenging. This volume finally brings these Great Desert Explorers into the limelight, with short, illustrated biographies of around 60 of the most interesting, intrepid and important explorers of the world’s greatest deserts. There is also a brief introduction to each desert region. The many original quotations, illustrations and maps, contemporary figures, as well as plates of a range of desert landscapes make this a colorful, lively and informative read.

Great Desert Explorers

Science & Math

Nature & Ecology

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