Gum Arabic

Preface
I Lustre
Precious jewels
It makes your hair curl
Tears of the acacia
Gum, balm and resin
II Modest gum
Glue
Ink
The best gum sticks to the teeth
III Noble gum
Rubens' portrait
Healing properties
Othello's plea
To Timbuctoo
IV Wealth of Nations
Nothing but the pain
Nixon's secret
Free trade or privilege
All anomaly!
V The gum wars of the eighteenth century
The stakes
Brüe and A.li Shanzura
Floating watchmen
Cumming and A.mar ould A.li Shanzura
VI Mystère et boule de gomme
Far from here
These barbarous meetings
A battle of cunning and fraud
Impotence and prestige
Saint-Louis
VII Sudan: the roller-coaster
Do the world a favour
I saw a man in El Obeid
The promised land
Manna from heaven
VIII Chad: the idea of kitir
Purity and danger
Land rights and religion
The inner circle
Arabian nights
IX Intangible tears
Definitions
To stock or to substitute
Botany
Chemistry
Bibliography
Index