Abstract
MR. PHILBY's achievement in crossing the Rubal Khali, “The Empty Quarter” of southern Arabia, of which he tells the story in this volume, is sufficiently well known to call for little further comment. It was a project which had been a cherished ambition for fourteen years, and it was an ill turn of fortune that the honour of priority should have gone to Mr. Bertram Thomas by the narrowest of margins. Mr. Philby's chronicle of strenuous exploration makes fascinating reading and, apart from its scientific value, is of permanent interest as a record of what may well be the last exploration on any considerable scale in Arabia by camel train. The author foreshadows the advent of the motor car.
The Empty Quarter: being a Description of the Great South Desert of Arabia known as Rub’ al Khali.
By H. St. J. B. Philby. Pp. xxiv + 434 + 32 plates. (London: Constable and Co., Ltd., 1933.) 21s. net.
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[Short Reviews]. Nature 132, 561 (1933). https://doi.org/10.1038/132561a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/132561a0