For a generation 'Aitchison XI' lay on the desks of the Arabia specialists in the Foreign Office, London - doubtless alongside Lorimer-s Gazetteer and the Persian Gulf Historical Summaries. Thus it must be counted among the small number of standard reference works on the history of the Persian Gulf. The attractions and value of Aitchison's work are several. The original documents cited go beyond the formal treaties drawn up by the British Government, and include numerous undertakings made by local Rulers, many being translated from the Arabic. Aitchison prefaces each section with an...