Second printing. First published Beirut, 1965

Bibliogr. p. 201-208. Index p. 209-213

This book deals with the Utbi States in the Latter part of the 18th century. The author traces the rise of the Utub, the ancestors of ther present influential families and rulers of the oil Sheikhdoms of Kuwait and Bahrain
From the early 18th century in eastern Arabia, the book traces the settlement of the Utub and the driving forces behind their rise in trade, history, politics and commerce. It attempts to answer many questions about the growth of Kuwait. The rise of of contemporay Wahhabi Saudi Arabia is also treated at length.
The history of the Utub has so far been neglected. The author's specialized background as an Arab historian puts him in a unique position to bring out the first study in english of this missing link in the rise of power in Eastern Arabia