Author: [PERSIA - BRITISH AUTHORITIES - NOTABLE PERSIAN TRIBES & PEOPLE].
Title: Tribes and personalities of Western Persia.Baghdad, printed at the Government Press, 1918. 8vo. With 2 folding genealogical charts, respectively showing the family trees of the royal Qajar house and the chiefs of the Qaraguzlu tribe, and a printed ornament on the front wrapper. Restored red printed paper wrappers, with a clear plastic protective wrapper.
Description: [1], [1 blank], 134, [2 blank] pp.First and likely only edition of an extremely rare publication from the British intelligence in Baghdad. It was published at a time when resitance in the region against the British authorities was high, after the February 1917 revolution, which caused the Russian forces to depart, and during the Persian Famine of 1917-1919. The work lists, in alphabetical order, different tribes and influential individuals in Western Persia (present day Iran), from Qajar royalty to enemy spies. Each name is followed by a few lines with information about the person or tribe and often mentions whether they are pro- or anti-British. The work offers a wealth of fascinating historical anecdotes and provides a remarkable record of the personalities that attempted to fill the power vacuum created by the departure of Russian forces.The descriptions of the different tribes are quite extensive and usually contain information about their history and chiefs. Most tribes have been marked in blue pencil, possibly by a member of the British authorities in 1918, but this is difficult to ascertain. Some of the individuals mentioned in the work are relatively well-known, like German agents Wilhelm Wassmuss (1880-1931) and Oskar von Niedermayer (1885-1948). Initially they had been regarded as major threats, but their threat level had apparently deceased, as their descriptions are surprisingly short. Also of interest are the entries on the numerous marginal figures that are not otherwise known, including former Foreign Minister Mu'avin ud Daulah (dates of birth and death unknown), who "means well but is quite useless" (p. 66) and Ahad, Mirza (dates unknown) "a merchant of Bijar, a clever man; for us." (p. 5). More detailed entries focus on tribal leaders, Qajar diplomats and powerful merchants. With a stamp at the head of the front wrapper ("SECRET") and several markings in red and blue pencil throughout. The back, spine and edges of the front wrapper have been restored, with most of the original front wrapper preserved. The leaves are slightly browned and occasionally very slightly foxed (mainly pp. 83-86), a short paragraph on page 11 has been replaced by a small strip of paper glued onto the page containing the corrected text. Otherwise in good condition.

Keywords: [80CBADC1D9E8] CARTOGRAPHY & EXPLORATION|[80CBADC1D9E8] CARTOGRAPHY & EXPLORATION -> [ABC_000674] Anthroplogy & Ethnography|[7F0260752519] EUROPE|[7F0260752519] EUROPE -> [C75C7FA1125B] United Kingdom & Ireland|[BFFF1D78AE20] HISTORY, LAW & PHILOSOPHY|[BF