Sand Oil and Dollars Alan Ashmole

[Austrokiwi]

ISBN 978-1-4490-6448-8

A cheap purchase.  This book is best described as reminiscences of a mid 20th century middle eastern based bank manager.    The Author worked  for the British Bank of the Middle East. He worked in Basra, Kuwait, Dammam, Beirut, Bahrain, Muscat, Abu Dhabi, and Tripoli. The author succumbed to stress in Tripoli and suffered a nervous breakdown;  which lead to him resigning to ultimately become a bulldozer driver.....however he was subsequently contacted to take on a temporary project: the management of the issuance the First Oman Currency. For those interested in middle eastern money  the part of the book that covers the Oman currency is the most interesting. Although mostly autobiography the book is worth reading  to gain an understanding of the pre oil boom middle east.