SCALPEL IN THE SAND
Dr René Chang

René Chang worked as a surgeon at the ultra-modern Riyadh Military Hospital, Saudi Arabia between 1979 and 1989. This book records his experience of working amongst, and interacting with ordinary people. It is a time-capsule of a period of great changes. He participated in the development of new services including a kidney transplant programme that achieved international renown, a comprehensive hospital-wide Nutrition Support Service, the Major Disaster Response Plan for KKIA and seminal research which caught the attention of the medical world. He had the rare privilege of teaching the first group of Saudi women to graduate as doctors. Thus, he was well placed to observe the "green shoots" of women’s emancipation and also their problems. This book should contribute to improving relations between the West and the Muslim Arabs

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INSIDE THE KINGDOM
Robert Lacey

“The author has come up with a timely and worthy sequel to his first book on the subject. ‘The Kingdom’, Robert Lacey's magisterial study of the history of Saudi Arabia and her powerful ruling dynasty, the Al Saud, has for nigh on 30 years provided a definitive introduction to one of the world's most wealthy, yet most secretive, states.  This sequel is the product of three years spent reconnecting with old haunts and contacts, and new faces too, to take stock of the process of adaptation and reform that has been gathering pace through the reigns of three Al Saud monarchs.”   This review of the book, by Sir Alan Munro, was published in the Middle East International Magazine (MEI). 
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Sir Alan Munro, current Chairman of the Saudi-British Society, was a former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and is also author of ‘Arab Storm: Politics and Diplomacy Behind the Gulf War’ (see below).

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"Saudi Women Speak" by Mona Almunajjed. Publisher: Arab Institute for Research and Publishing. ISBN 9953-36-918-6.

"Interesting work. The closed, conservative...society of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is being challenged from within by women. In this taboo-breaking book, Saudi sociologist Mona AlMunajjed has interviewed 24 brave, highly educated and public spirited Saudi women, each of them a powerful agent of change. United in a reformist vision for their country....the future of the country may well lie with them." Patrick Seale, Journalist and leading writer on the Middle East.

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ARAB STORM
Politics and Diplomacy Behind the Gulf War

The author of the book Sir Alan Munro, former British Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and a Chairman of the Saudi-British Society, presents a superb account of the diplomatic interplay, the difficult communication with the international media, and the politics of war surrounding the Gulf war in 1990. The book is an opportune reminder of the pressures, difficulties and the potential of international diplomacy in the region and a thoughtful analysis of the politics of the Middle East.

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BEYOND THE DUNES
An Anthology of Modern Saudi Literature

“Beyond the Dunes” is a remarkable insight into the uniqueness and diversity of contemporary Saudi Arabian literature presented for a first time to an English-speaking audience. Mansour Aal-Hazimi, Ezzat Khattab and Salma Kkadra Jayyusi have included a selection of poetry, novels, personal accounts, drama and essays providing a fascinating glimpse into the challenges, dilemmas and identity struggles encountered by Saudi nationals, striving to balance between modernity and traditional values.

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TRAVELLERS IN ARABIA:
British Explorers in Saudi Arabia

This wonderful masterpiece is based on a collection of unique photographs from the great British travellers to Arabia over the past 150 years together with lectures held at the Saudi Arabian embassy in London in 2004 and fascinating essays by three British personalities. The book’s editor, Eid Al Yahya, aims to inform the readers about the history of Arabia and its early contacts with Britain in visual terms. He presents an absorbing story of adventurous travel, of hospitality and hardship, and of political intrigue, as Britain and other western powers sought alliances within this isolated region that was destined soon to emerge as a crucial player on the international stage.

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