National Geographic Magazine – July 1956 – Desert Sheikhdoms issue

An original issue of the July 1956 edition of National Geographic magazine, notable for its article entitled “Desert Sheikhdoms of Arabia’s Pirate Coast” by Ronald Codrai.

The article features 39 rare early photographs of the Trucial States, including 30 in colour, of people, daily life, sites, seafaring, markets and more across Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other locations.

It describes life in the mid-1950s including notes on social customs, the economy, fishing and pearling, and others.

Codrai worked in the oil industry in the UAE and Oman in the 1940s and 1950s, and became one of the most prolific photographers of the country during that period. His work was subsequently published in numerous later books on the different Emirates. Colour photography from this period in the UAE is scarce.

In very good condition indeed. Bright and crisp externally. Clean inside with no writing or marking. Published by the National Geographic Society in Washington.