Originally published: London: Allen Lane, 2008.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [637]-645) and index.

The Bin Ladens are shrouded in secrecy, living in one of the most closed, unaccountable countries on earth. Little has been known about the world that created Osama - until now. In this gripping account prizewinning journalist Steve Coll has interviewed those closest to the family who rose from Yemeni peasants to jetsetting millionaires in two generations. In doing so, he reveals a Saudi Arabia torn between religious purity and the temptations of the West, telling a story of oil, money, power, patronage and dangerous cultural extremes. Review: 'Enthralling ! explains a great deal about the tentacles that run from Riyadh to touch a wider world, tentacles of corruption, ambition, hedonism and dislocation ! a classic saga' Observer 'A rich and fluent portrait of a family and a country and of their deeply conflicted relationship with America' Economist 'Grippingly told ! ought to be read by anyone who really wants to understand the origins of the current crisis' Los Angeles Times