The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Robert Lacey (Author), Frederick Davidson (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1997

Fascinating history of the oil-rich Middle East. 16 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

From AudioFile

Robert Lacy meticulously presents the gargantuan saga of the Al Sa'ud family and their Kingdom, Sa'udi Arabia. The sheer complexity of the material and the inaccessibility of Arabic nomenclature make this a very difficult book to present in audio. To keep facts straight, the listener needs the detailed appendices provided in the written format. Frederick Davidson's well-paced, crisp and forthright reading commands the listener's attention, and his able attempts at varied accents are welcome. Ironically, the supercilious edge to his voice reiterates the patronizing and dismissive attitude of the Western superpowers towards the Sa'udis before the 1973 oil crisis. B.M.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (August 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786106433
• ISBN-13: 978-0786106431
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,698,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

"It's all here," says Tom Brokaw " - Islam, the family tree, a sea of oil and money to match, palace intrigue and the place of Osama Bin Laden. This is high drama and an epic tale. Dazzling - on every level". Robert Lacey is an historian and biographer whose research has taken him from the Middle East ("The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Saud") to America's Mid-West ("Ford: the Men and the Machine"). "Majesty", his pioneering biography of Queen Elizabeth II, is the definitive study of British monarchy - a subject on which Robert lectures around the world, appearing regularly on ABC's Good Morning America and on CNN's Larry King Live. To research and write his latest book, "Inside the Kingdom", he went to live in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for three years. You can read more about Robert's new book - and also view his acclaimed TV film report for PBS NOW on Saudi extremists - on his website www.insidethekingdom.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good backround to this fascinating and terrifying land, July 11, 2004

By 

Erica Bell (Washington State) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud (Paperback)

If all your knowledge of Saudi Arabia comes from a couple of screenings of "Laurence of Arabia" and a nervous eyeful of screeming extremists blaring out of the front pages, this book is a must-read. From a Western point of view, the whole concept of Saudi is impossible madness, but Mr. Lacy very deftly untangles its subtlties in a vivid, sympathetic style that mercifully excludes both political correctness and zenophobia.

Arabia's rise from Ottoman backwater to fabulous wealth is an odyssey too weird for fiction. Mr. Lacy concentrates on the country as pawn of the Europeans in the 1800's and moves into the tummultous 20th century and the rise of the house of Sa'ud, their capitalization on world events, their fatal attraction to wahabbiism, and their government based on tribal loyalties and a system of patronage so labyrinthine it will make your head spin.

It's a heck of a read, and Mr. Lacy does it by immersing you in their world. By the time scientists from Standard Oil California appear poking around the eastern peninsula "searching for signs of the sea", it is they who seem alien. The book only needs an update to bring it up to speed with Saudi's frightening present.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative explanation of a complex country., March 17, 1998

By 

Jack Wallace, Jr. ([e-mail]) (Montgomery, AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom: Arabia & The House of Sa'ud (Hardcover)

I stumbled upon this book shortly after my return home from the Persian Gulf War and it answered all of the questions that naturally arose from living for an extended period in such a unique country. It is a must read for anyone who is going to Saudi Arabia or who will be dealing with subjects of the Kingdom. Saudi Arabia is indeed a kingdom in a sense that is long gone from our historical perspective. As one of the Royal Saudi Air Force officers told me recently, the country is the "private property" of the Saudi family. Reading this book will give you an appreciation of the skill and leadership of Abdul Aziz ibn Sa'ud that allowed him to consolidate power in this vast desert land. If you are among those who have seen the "Emerald City" while at LogBases Alpha, Bravo, or Echo (226th ASG, Hooah) you must buy this book.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written and documented Historical Narrative, June 14, 2005

By 

Des (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Kingdom: Arabia and the House of Sa'Ud (Paperback)

Few academic books are composed and delivered in an engaging style. This book has accomplished that level of excellence. One criticism of this book is not enough information on the royal family-almost no books on Saudi Arabia will deliver that info. Nevertheless, the info on the royal family in his book is sufficient to boost more interest in the House of Saud. One thing is for sure: if you have a quest for History the book is a must read. However, the book is verboten in the kingdom.