Hi! You're looking at an excellent condition book which is VERY RARE, hard to find and OUT OF PRINT and a classic memoir written by GEORGE BILAINKIN and chronicling a journey through Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the early 1940s--the book is a FIRST EDITION and HARDCOVER with the ORIGINAL DUSTJACKET and is NOT a remainder copy and NOT price-clipped, with the 10s. 6d. net price on the lower corner of the front inner flap.  This book is in excellent condition and the book itself has slight dustwear and some light age spots on the page edges, a tiny vintage Cairo, Egypt book shop sticker on the upper right corner of the front board, and owner's name and place of purchase (Cairo) and tiny number on the upper right of the blank first page and light browning on the left edge of the blank first page, a tiny ding on the upper tip of p. 166 and just slight shelfwear and very light evidence of gentle browsing but no other significant flaws; the dustjacket has a small piece of tape on the BACK surface of the upper spine tip, small tears on the spine and opening tips and a small torn out triangle on the upper right corner of the front surface, small tears on the upper right and lower center of the back surface, some very light scuffs on the surfaces and just light shelfwear otherwise but no other significant flaws!   The book is titled Cairo to Riyadh Diary and it was written by GEORGE BILAINKIN; it was published by Williams and Norgate Ltd. in London in 1950 and is a STATED 1st EDITION copy.

In this book George Bilainkin records what he saw and heard during a visit under unusually privileged conditions to three strategically vital, and historically fascinating, countries in the Middle East. In Saudi Arabia he had opportunities to speak in lonely, primitive Riyadh, to his host King Ibn Saud.  In Ta'if, garden city near Holy Mecca, he met the second son of the vigorous, frank ruler of Saudi Arabia, H. R. H. Emir Feisal, Foreign Minister.

In Egypt, Bilainkin learnt from the then Prime Minister, Nokrashy Pasha, in a 2 1/2 hour conversation, the real background of Anglo-Egyptian difficulties. 

Finally, during a brief stay in Palastine, the author spoke at length with the famous chemist, Dr. Chaim Weizmann, later president of the new state of Israel; the Arab leader, Jemal al Husseini, the last British High Commissioner of Palestine, General Sir Alan Cunningham, and others.  

Mr. Bilainkin presents remarkable observations about the little known drama of February 4, 1942, when British tanks crashed into Abdin Palace and King Farouk's throne hung perilously in the balance.  There are also intimate word pictures, too, of the elusive Haj Amin al Husseini, Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, and of the life of Egypt's monarch.

A fantastic find, and a beautiful copy of this book!