Prepared under the direction of the Historical Section of the Foreign Office, the aim of these handbooks was to provide British delegates to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 with detailed information on the geographical, economic, historical and political aspects of the countries concerned. The volumes offer a wealth of authoritative information provided by the Intelligence Divisions of the Admiralty, the Military and the Foreign Office. This three-volume set covers the countries and issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa including Turkey, Syria, Persia and the Persian Gulf, Palestine, Mesopotamia and Armenia.

This edition which is thematically arranged for the first time, is introduced by William Roger Louis, a leading authority on the British Empire and Commonwealth and decolonization.