AL KHAMSA ARABIANS II, Topeka, KS., published by Al Khamsa, Inc. 572 pages. Many photos of bedouin-bred Arabians, an extensive anthology of excerpts from literature about the Arabian horse, maps, glossary, information on Al Khamsa foundation horses and pedigree index tracing Al Khamsa Arabians back to their foundations. Also has a progeny section. Some libraries have these but is primarily available through Al Khamsa, Inc. 

AL KHAMSA ARABIANS UPDATE (1998) the sequel update ancestry volume to the above book. The volume covers younger stock and progeny lisitings for many Al Khamsa horses registered since publication of the above volume. (See below)

ARABIANA, 1975, edited by William A. Simpson,. An anthology of articles about Arabian horses and their owners reprinted from YOUR PONY and THE INTERNATIONAL RIDER AND DRIVER, 1959 to 1974. Articles concerning many outstanding Arabian horses from all countries that have been exported to the US are included, as are rare photographs and material on foundation bloodlines and breeding programs.

ARCHER, PEARSON, and COVEY: THE CRABBET ARABIAN STUD, 1978, Alexander Heriot & Co., Ltd., Cheltenham, England. Numerous photographs, many never before published. The story of historic Crabbet Stud, England, and its founders, Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt, their daughter, Lady Wentworth, and of the Blunt's Sheykh Obeyd Stud in Egypt. Compiled in part from family papers, this book contains much material on Blunt foundation stock, as well as information on the influence of these horses in other countries.

ARCHER, Rosemary and FLEMING, James, Editors: LADY ANNE BLUNT, JOURNALS AND CORRESPONDENCE 1878-1917, 1986 Alexander Heriot & Co., Ltd., Cheltenham, England. An extraordinary presentation of the essence of Lady Anne Blunts private writings. This book gives keen insight into the perspective of the Blunts' on the Arab horse both in his native land and in Europe. This is a must for all readers in understanding the role of the Blunts influence worldwide in Arabian breeding.

ASIL ARABIANS, currently in 5 volumes, edited by the Asil Club, Hagentorwall 7, D-31134 Hildesheim, Germany. The Asil Club is the European equivalent of AL KHAMSA with members in many countries around the world.  The two major sections in each contain an anthology of basic statements from the literature on the breeding of Arabian horses and a collection of pictures and corresponding pedigrees of individual horses of the members. Most quotations are translations from non-English literature and are therefore fresh and especially informative to the American reader. A beautiful collection of books about beautiful horses. Volume 5 is currently available. (See Asil Araber ad in this issue).

BLUNT, Lady Anne: BEDOUIN TRIBES OF THE EUPHRATES, 1879 (1st Edition in 2 volumes, London and New York in the same year; reprints available in both one and two volume form; 1960 edition by Best Publishing, Boulder CO. An account of Wilfrid and Lady Anne Blunt's first trip (1877-8) to the Arabian desert, the purchase of horses later sent to Crabbet, and several chapters on Bedouin customs, horsebreeding and strains of the horses.

BLUNT, Lady Anne: A PILGRIMAGE TO NEJD, 1881, 1st Edition London, John Murray, 2 volumes; reprints available in both one and two volume form. The Blunt's second trip (1878-9), this time farther into the interior of the Arabian desert, with descriptions of horses.

BORDEN, Spencer: THE ARAB HORSE, 1906 (1st Edition by Doubleday, Page & Co., New York; reprints include 1961 by Borden Publishing Co., Los Angeles; also published by Caballus Publishers in 1973 in one volume with the CRABBET STUD 1924 catalog under the title ARAB HORSES AND THE CRABBET STUD). Borden's stated purpose in this book was to encourage the maintenance of the purity of the original breed through knowledge of the Arab's history, characteristics, qualities, and strains.

BROWN, William Robinson: THE HORSE OF THE DESERT, 1929 (1st Edition by Derrydale Press, New York; reprints 1947-8; new edition 1967 by Jay Schuler Co., Springville NY). Brown was President of the Arabian Horse Club in 1918 and founder of the Maynesboro Stud in 1912. The book contains a complete background on the Arabian horse. It covers the habitat that fixed the Arabian type, its origin, history, qualities, and usefulness for cavalry. Brown has included an extensive list of the strains and families of Arabian horses, along with his opinion that "the indiscriminate mixture of strains by breeders ... has led to an inevitable loss of type much more quickly than the uninformed would suppose." A valuable source. Still one of the most attractive and informative books on the Arabian horse.

CONN, Dr. George H.: THE ARABIAN HORSE IN AMERICA, 1957 (1st Edition by Countryman Press, Woodstock VT; reprints include A. S. Barnes, NY in 1965 and Arco Publishing CO., Inc., NY in 1977). Dr. Conn presents thoroughly researched information on the Arabian horse and its influence on the light breeds. The book contains complete lists of all horses of Arabian breeding, purebred and partbred, imported to this country between 1730 and 1948. It describes the evolution of the Arabian Horse Registry.

DAVENPORT, Homer: MY QUEST OF THE ARABIAN HORSE, 1909 (1st Edition by Dade & Co., NY; many reprints; latest reprint by Caballus Publishers in 1973, in one volume with DAVENPORT STUD CATALOG 1910 under the title DAVENPORT'S ARABIANS). An entertaining and factual account of the purchase of Arabian horses from the bedouins of Arabia. Contains valuable material on the foundation animals of one of the most influential American importations. Photographs and Davenport's drawings add to the enjoyment of the book. (See also below)

CRAVER, Charles and Jeanne, THE ANNOTATED QUEST. Starting from the above mentioned Homer Davenport book, MY QUEST OF THE ARABIAN HORSE, the Cravers have carefully and thoughtfully annotated this text with many pertinent facts and photos detailing the information about the horses and related aspects of this intriguing expedtion. Includes color photo section of Davenport related stock and an ancestral index.

DICKSON, H. R. P.: THE ARAB OF THE DESERT, 1949 (1st Edition by George Allen & Unwin, Ltd., London; reprinted 1951; reprinted by MacMillan, NY). Mr. Dickson was British Political Agent to Kuwait for many years and a scholar regarding that part of the world. This very interesting book gives a close insight into bedouin life in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. It has only one chapter on the Arabian horse, but that chapter is excellent. A fascinating, worthwhile volume.

FORBIS, Judith: THE CLASSIC ARABIAN HORSE, 1976, Liveright, New York. Mrs. Forbis traces Arabian horse history from 1580 BC to the present. Photographs of ancient and modern art depict horses of past and present, the conditions under which they were kept, how they were trained, and how the strains were developed. Emphasis is on the Egyptian Arabian horse.

FORBIS, Judith & SCHIMANSKI, Walter: THE ROYAL ARABIANS OF EGYPT AND THE STUD OF HENRY B. BABSON, 1976, Thoth Publishers, Lufkin TX. A history of the stud founded by Mr. Babson in 1932 from Egyptian stock, with extensive research of the entire bloodline deriving from this importation, including the sources in Egypt. Numerous photos including many never before published.

FORBIS, Judith: AUTHENTIC ARABIAN BLOODSTOCK, 1990, 2nd edition available from Ansata Publications, Rt. 2, Box 312-A Mena, AR 71953. An extensive anthology of 30 years of the Forbises writings, life experience and knowledge gained concerning Arabian horses while travelling and living in the Middle East. Includes chapters on Prince Mohammed Ali, Dr. Branch, the Inshass Stud, Strains, extensive Racing Statistics, and much more. Includes many, many photos of horses from turn of the century to present making this one of the most pictorial records of the ancestors of Egyptian Arabians.

FORBIS, Judith & SHERIF, Gulsun, THE ABBAS PASHA MANUSCRIPT, Ansata Publications 1993. A magnificent art book of 743 pages in the style of an old manuscript. Divided into four parts including 19th century Arabian horse hist ory in Europe and the Middle East. Part 3 contains an english translation of the bedouin testimonies of the ancestry of the Arabian horses in the collection of 19th century Egyptian Viceroy Abbas Pasha. 743 pages.

GREELY, Margaret: ARABIAN EXODUS, 1975, J. A. Allen Ltd., London. A record of the Arabian horse from biblical times to the present day with emphasis on England, especially the Crabbet Stud and its influence throughout the world. The historical material -- photographs and excerpts from Blunt papers -- is of special importance.

GUTTMANN, Ursula: THE LINEAGE OF THE POLISH ARABIAN HORSE, 1968, Ernst Holder, Marbach/Lauter, Germany; translation by Erika Schiele, discussion by Dr. F. B. Klynstra. For those interested in exploring the background of Polish breeding, this is an excellent reference. The many large pedigree forms have made this a costly book and examination before purchase is recommended.

HARRIS, Albert: THE BLOOD OF THE ARAB, 1941, privately printed by the Arabian Horse Club, Chicago IL. A standard work on the origins of Arabian breeding in America by one of the breeders who was there at the beginning.

OTT, Miss Jane Llewellyn: THE BLUE ARABIAN HORSE CATALOG, 1961, Pine Hill Farm, Newport VT. Based on the Author's research this is an informative cataloging of those horses imported to the U.S. and their ancestors, which trace entirely to the bedouin tribes and are suitable for reproduction of bedouin type. This was the first cataloging of its kind in America and a significant influence on preserving bedouin oriented bloodlines. The last supplements to the Catalog were dated 1969 and the book has been out of print for a long time but there are still a few copies available from the author. For more information about THE BLUE ARABIAN HORSE CATALOG, write to: Miss Jane Ott, Rt. 1, Box 980, Tappahannock, Virginia 22560.

RASWAN, Carl: BLACK TENTS OF ARABIA, 1935 (1st Edition, London, with 97 photos, is now out of print; multiple reissues in England, the US, and Germany, but not containing the complete set of photographs and appendices of the original) and DRINKERS OF THE WIND, 1942 (1st Edition, New York; earlier 1940 version, London, more complete but not available; reissued in several languages, the latest in English in 1971, which is abbreviated from the first edition). Both of these books are romantic accounts of Raswan's life in desert Arabia, with accounts of daily life in the bedouin tribes and their usage of Arabian horses.

RASWAN, Carl: THE ARAB AND HIS HORSE, 1955, privately published. The best simple discussion of worldwide Arabian breeding in combination with a presentation of the essentials of Raswan's understanding of the principles according to which horses were bred in desert Arabia. Considerable discussion is given to the principles of strain breeding.

RASWAN, Carl: THE RASWAN INDEX, 1st Edition of 7 volumes printed over several years in Mexico, now a collector's item. The Index is arranged like a dictionary of Arabian horses, with material gathered from thousands of notes, cards, and photographs accumulated in over thirty years of travel. It can be used to trace the pedigrees of many Arabian horses beyond American stud books to Europe and the desert. This is not a simple source, but it is well worthwhile to own and study it. A recent complete edition is now available only from Mrs. Carl Raswan, 3221 Calle Noguera, Santa Barbara, California 93105. It is more than 1400 pages, two volumes, on acid free stock.

SCHIELE, Erika: THE ARAB HORSE IN EUROPE, 1970, Borden Publishing Co., Alhambra, California, translated by Anthony Dent. A survey of the use of Arabian blood in  the many countries of Europe and the British Isles. A beautifully produced book, full of Mrs. Schiele's marvelous photography.

TWEEDIE, Major-General W. : THE ARAB HORSE HIS COUNTRY & PEOPLE, 1894, 1st Edition in England, U.S. Edition published by Borden Publishing Co. Los Angeles, 1961. Major-General Tweedie had extensive experience in the British Diplomatic service in the Middle East. His book is handsome and one of the most scholarly accounts of the Arabian horse in its native land in English by any author having first-hand knowledge of the subject.