1. [Malta Content] – [Luke, Sir Harry] / Pirie-Gordon, Christopher.

Long (2-page) Manuscript Letter (MLS) / Autographed Letter, signed (ALS) by Christopher Pirie-Gordon, 14th Laird of Buthlaw, “formerly Assistant-Resident in Amman and seconded for service under the Foreign Office, following the winding-up of the Palestine Administration”, to Sir Harry Luke from Pirie-Gordon’s post in Taiz (Yemen). Pirie-Gordon writes: “‘My dear Harry Charles, thank you so very much for your recent letter. Iremain almost aghast at the extent of your “wanderlust”. Brazil and Penang combined with almost permanent residence in Malta and a flat in London seem quite a good way of keeping at bay in suggestion of the humdrum or routine in life”. Pirie-Gordon describes his recent activities, including a ‘visit to stay with our Ambassador in Addis Ababa’, where he found the Ethiopians ‘a friendly courteous people’. Regarding the situation in the Yemen Pirie-Gordon writes: “We have been through a rough summer here during the Crown Prince’s period of Regency with one unpleasant afternoon in Taiz when the army ran amok”. The fact that the country did not have ‘the long awaited revolution then, when the Imam [Ahmad bin Yahya] was out of the country’, has convinced Pirie-Gordon ‘that revolutionaries of the necessary calibre are just not to be found locally’. Of the Imam he writes: “If someone bumps the old man off (no easy undertaking) or if Allah decides that he can do without him no longer then all hell will be loose and the War of the Roses will probably be declared at once.” In the meantime the country will ‘probably slide into a nice quiet anarchy’. Regarding ‘His Majesty’s gracious message’, Luke’s ‘mental imagery’ of ‘the Dragon breathing fire’ is ‘not inapt’. Pirie-Gordon now turns to his own future, which ‘remains shrouded in mystery’. His aim is to secure a ‘particular post’, despite ‘the Ambassador in the country concerned’, who is ‘anxious to have it for an old boyfriend of his own’. The letter ends with Pirie-Gordon describing his ‘highly international social life’, which, he declares, ‘suits me well’.

[This item is part of the Sir Harry Luke – Archive / Collection]. Taiz [Yemen], 8 October, 1959. Quarto. Two pages. From Sir Harry Luke’s personal library. The letter comes with a publication, edited by Hector Bolitho: “The British Empire”, in which are contained two essays on the Colonial History of the Empire by Sir Harry Luke: I.The Mediterranean Colonies and Aden” / II. “The British Islands of the Pacific”.

2. [Middle East Collection with Kuwait / Iran (Persia) / Yemen / Jordan] Naylor, David (Dave).

Collection of two (2) large boxes with rare and sometimes inscribed, Printed Materials and very rare Geological Surveys with Maps (for example it includes the very rare Geological Survey of Iran) from the private Reference- library of Geologist Prof. David (Dave) Naylor regarding Kuwait, Iraq (near Basrah), Lebanon, Jordan (Halat Ammar and Al Mudawwara), Jordan in general, Arava Valley (Dead Sea). See a full list of the contents below. These materials are all publications, sometimes official government papers or maps or academic publications from fellow geologists as well as for example official publications of talks given for OAPEC. All publications are revolving around the evaluation of Petroleum Deposits, Petroleum Geology and Stratigraphy or Hydrocarbon in the “Near and Middle East” – Maps and Charts and offprints, all of them rare publications and some only reprinted for private circulation. The focus of the publications ranges from very scientific-geological (″The Fauna of some Recent Marine Deposits near Basrah, Iraq”) to actual problems of prospecting (″Some Problems of Petroleum Geology in Kuwait”). These two boxes are only the Middle East Section of the David Naylor Collection (see all the Materials we own from the David Naylor-Reference library on our website). The collection also includes books related to the region (inquire for separate list).

Amman (Jordan) / Kuwait / Mexico / Potsdam, etc., c.1958 – 2011. Quarto. c. 1200 pages plus maps. Hardcover Boxes / Two bespoke made Boxes for the private reference library of Geologist David (Dave) Naylor. Very good condition with only minor signs of wear.