"العراق والخليج الفارسي" [و‎‎٦] (٨٦٢/١٦)

PREFACE
I n 1915 a Geographical Section was formed in the Naval Intelli
gence Division of the Admiralty to write Geographical Hand
books on various parts of the world. The purpose of these Handbooks
was to supply, by scientific research and skilled arrangement, material
for the discussion of naval, military, and political problems, as dis
tinct from the examination of the problems themselves. Many dis
tinguished collaborators assisted in their production, and by the end
of 1918 upwards of fifty volumes had been produced in Handbook
and Manual form, as well as numerous short-term geographical re
ports. The demand for these books increased rapidly with each new
issue, and they acquired a high reputation for accuracy and imparti
ality. They are now to be found in Service Establishments and
Embassies throughout the world, and in the early years after the last
war were much used by the League of Nations.
The old Handbooks have been extensively used in the present
war, and experience has disclosed both their value and their limita
tions. On the one hand they have proved, beyond all question, how
greatly the work of the fighting services and of Government Depart
ments is facilitated if countries of strategic or political importance
are covered by handbooks which deal, in a convenient and easily
digested form, with their geography, ethnology, administration, and
resources. On the other hand it has become apparent that some
thing more is required to meet present-day requirements. The old
series does not cover many of the countries closely affected by the
present war (e.g. Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Portugal, to name
only a few); its books are somewhat uneven in quality, and they
are inadequately equipped with maps, diagrams, and photographic
illustrations.
The present series of Handbooks, while owing its inspiration
largely to the former series, is in no sense an attempt to revise or
re-edit that series. It is an entirely new set of books, produced in
the Naval Intelligence Division by trained geographers drawn largely
from the Universities, and working at sub-centres established at
Oxford and Cambridge, and is printed by the Oxford and Cambridge
University Presses. The books follow, in general, a uniform scheme,
though minor modifications will be found in particular cases; and
they are illustrated by numerous maps and photographs.