Riyadh,?? May 2025 – Tashkeel Publishing and Distribution has released the long-awaited English edition of “Laith the First: The Unknown King of England”, a novel by best-selling Saudi author Dr. Waleed Alshalan.
The novel spans nearly a thousand years of history, beginning with the reigns of Henry I and Henry II during the rise of the Plantagenet dynasty, and concluding in the year 2016. It presents a biography of a putative English king, Laith the First, who was born and buried in the ancient city of Dumat al-Jandal in modern-day Saudi Arabia.
The novel combines elements of history, action and romance. It also contains layers of mathematics and cryptography.
According to the author, the novel aims to emphasize the principle of the unity of destiny and the intertwining of human history, to introduce the heritage of the historic city of Dumat al-Jandal, and to educate the Arab reader about British history through the method of edutainment.
Released in 2017, the Arabic edition of the novel received widespread positive feedback, achieved strong sales, and holds a rating of over 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads.
The text of the novel, which was translated into English in 2025, took the author three years to research and write.
The novel’s original Arabic edition featured a visually rich cover by renowned calligrapher Fahad Al Majhadi and award-winning photographer Hussain Daghriri, with striking charcoal illustrations by Rawan Al-Shalan.
Waleed Alshalan is a Cybersecurity researcher and academic. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from King Saud University, followed by a Master’s degree (with distinction) and PhD in Information Security from Royal Holloway, University of London.
Alshalan has authored two scientific books that are taught at several universities, in addition to dozens of papers published in international journals. He has also written 3 novels, including “Leonardo Davin Ci”, which topped the bestselling list in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
