Dedication -- Introduction -- Historical background -- Sea of abundance -- Pearl-diving -- Captains of commerce -- Shipbuilding -- Life afloat -- Mariners' tales -- Photographic notes: Al akus.

The Arabian Album is Ronald Cordrai's record of the seafarers of the Emirates at the middle of the last century, a brief glimpse at a small section of history which he was priviledged to witness. Codrai would have been delighted that this book - like all his othe rworks - will be enjoyed by those living and working in the part of the world portrayed in his photographs. This in itself symbolises the vast changes that have occurred since those days when there were no newspapers, telephones, faxes, television or e-mail; when typewriters were as few as motor vehicles and the nearest printing press was in Bombay. Commenting on his love for photography, Ronald Codrai remarked : " Photography has always been my hobby, and during my stay and travels in south eastern Arabia I took numerous photographs. Many were the happy evenings I spent processing then in an improvised darkroom in our home, then washing the results in the sea the next day as we swam._BOOK JACKET.