During the late 1940s British governance of the Western Aden Protectorate was being tentatively extended, with a good deal of courage and optimism, by a handful of hardy officials whose reputation for incorruptibility and even-handedness went before them. Of these the young Nigel Groom was one. Posted to the almost inaccessible Wadi Bayhan in 1948, he was to spend nearly two years among the people of what was once a part of biblical Sheba. The Bayhanis and their neighbours, whose ancient lineage was evident all around in the imposing remains of pre-Islamic cities, irrigation works and formal inscriptions, exerted a powerful fascination on the young Political Officer which has never since waned. As representative of a distant government, Groom naturally met with an ambivalent reception from these people of Sheba, many of whom lived in areas still uncontrolled and unadministered. The book recounts, in frequently comic but sometimes tragic detail, a young official’s efforts to influence obstinate rulers and to demonstrate, to clans and tribes who for centuries had settled disputes by violence, the benefits of the rule of law. His doubts and moral dilemmas, his personal relationships, and the pitfalls of inexperience amongst the intricacies of a tribal society, are honestly described, and add depth, dramatic tension and occasional hilarity to the tale. This book depicts the people, customs and antiquities of this remote part of Arabia with engaging verve and candour. Its close, sympathetic and skilful observation of a single locality places it in an unusual niche among accounts of Arabian travel. It is essential reading for all those with an interest in pre-Islamic archaeology, colonial history, and Yemen’s transition to the world of today.