Oil in Arab lands has in recent years loomed as an increasingly important factor in the life and economy of the people and in international affairs. About two-thirds of the world's proved oil reserves lie on Arab soil. Millions upon millions of pounds sterling and of American dollars are invested in the oil industry here.

But our concern in the region is not merely political or economic. Our cultural ties with the area have preceded by generations all such contacts. They date from the second quarter of the last century when American teachers, preachers, archeologists and social workers began to flock to the eastern borders of the Mediterranean which had cradled Judaism and Christianity and contributed immeasurably in medieval times to our scientific and literary heritage. The beginnings of the third and closely-related monotheistic religion, Islam, also lay in this Arab area. It was mainly the work of those Americans, jointly with the work of British and French educators, that served to awaken the Arab East from its slumber and set it on the road of progress and modernism. The resultant intellectual renaissance contributed to the revitalization of the entire Moslem society of which the Arab community constitutes the core.

The following pages are intended to tell briefly and simply the story of these Arabic- speaking people and of their culture. It enrolls before us one of the truly magnificent and instructive panoramas of history. The contents have been distilled from the author's larger volume entitled History of the Arabs, published first by Macmillan in London and New York. Originally produced by Princeton University Press, The Arabs: A Short History has since gone through numerous editions, here and in England, and translated into a number of European and Asiatic languages including French, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Urdu and Indonesian. It is hoped that through this pocket edition, revised and brought up to date, the book will increase its usefulness as a guide to the layman and an introduction to the student.