Amazon.com
A biography of the woman who, indirectly, was the catalyst for many of the troubles in the Middle East, including the Gulf War. In 1918, Gertrude Bell drew the region's proposed boundaries on a piece of tracing paper. Her qualifications for doing so were her extensive travel, her fluency in both Persian and Arabic, and her relationships with sheiks and tribal and religious leaders. She also possessed an ability to understand the subtle and indirect politeness of the culture, something many of her colonialist comrades were oblivious to. As a self-made statesman her sex was an asset, enabling her to bypass the ladder of protocol and dive into the business of building an Empire.
Book Description
Turning away from the privileged world of the "eminent Victorians," Gertrude Bell (1868—1926) explored, mapped, and excavated the world of the Arabs. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab leaders, and her connections and information provided the brains to match T. E. Lawrence's brawn. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.
In this masterful biography, Janet Wallach shows us the woman behind these achievements–a woman whose passion and defiant independence were at odds wit the confined and custom-bound England she left behind. Too long eclipsed by Lawrence, Gertrude Bell emerges at last in her own right as a vital player on the stage of modern history, and as a woman whose life was both a heartbreaking story and a grand adventure.
Customer Reviews:
Outstanding woman, mediocre biography........2007-08-23
As has been mentioned by others, I too wonder at the literary excesses of this book. "She sensed his profound hunger....". "....her heart pounding, her cheeks burning hot, and as his blue eyes burned with desire, he took her in his arms".
Gertrude Bell, an outstanding woman, deserves a better, a more maturely written biography. Thankfully, they are out there.
This book needed an editor.......2007-08-05
I began to read this book with anticipation. I was a put off by the sort of breathless tone more worthy of a bad romance novel.
About twenty pages in, I was surprised by a reference to the Ottoman Empire expanding since the 13th century from Constantinople. The Ottoman Empire expanded around Constantinople from the 13th to the 15th centuries, until they finally took the city in 1453, and promptly renamed it Istanbul.
I soldiered on, until I was informed that British were fighting Germans in the Boer war in the late 1890s. The Boers, descended from Dutch colonists, would have been surprised to hear themselves described as German.
These two mistakes, obvious to anyone with a decent knowledge of history, ruined my willingness to accept anything else in the book. I put down the book, never knowing if Miss Bell was able to overcome her lost early love.
Gertrude Bell's life seems to be worthy of a good biography. This isn't it.
Insightful Read.......2007-07-04
A book which skilfully interweaves historical facts with the anecdotes and day-to-day life of a woman struggling to find her place in the Middle East.
Was left with a sense of awe from her accomplishments and the beginnings of an inkling as to the political and religious turmoil and troubles of this region based on the history retold by Janet Wallach.
Desert Queen: The extraordinary Lief of Gertrude Bell.......2007-03-09
I only wish George W and Chaney would have read this book before entering into War with Iraq. The history of British rule and their failure to solve the Tribal problems at the establishment of Iraq as a new State after the breakup of the Otterman Empire. This only proves that History can repeat itself.
If Only Washington Leaders Would All Read This Book.......2007-01-23
Yes, I would venture to say that anyone who reads this book as well as Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" would be better qualified to shape US foreign policy in the Middle East than those who are now doing that... When will we ever learn?
Amazon.com
This is the exciting and highly literate story of the real Lawrence of Arabia, as written by Lawrence himself, who helped unify Arab factions against the occupying Turkish army, circa World War I. Lawrence has a novelist's eye for detail, a poet's command of the language, an adventurer's heart, a soldier's great story, and his memory and intellect are at least as good as all those. Lawrence describes the famous guerrilla raids, and train bombings you know from the movie, but also tells of the Arab people and politics with great penetration. Moreover, he is witty, always aware of the ethical tightrope that the English walked in the Middle East and always willing to include himself in his own withering insight.
Book Description
The monumental work that assured T.E. Lawrence's place in history as "Lawrence of Arabia." Not only a consummate military history, but also a colorful epic and a lyrical exploration of the mind of a great man who helped shape the Middle East as it exists today.
Customer Reviews:
A Unique Masterpiece.......2007-09-25
This is one of the great books of the 20th century. That it could be written at all is almost a miracle in itself. Take a brilliant Oxford student trained in the old classical tradition, place him in the Arabian desert as advisor to the wild Bedouin tribesmen during their revolt against the Turks and have him write with an acute sensitivity and unparalleld insight into what was transpiring before him and you may have some notion of what the book is like.
It's a long book. You will learn a great deal about blowing up a railroad bridge in the desert, about camel rides, thirst, and hunger and the heroism and brutality of war. The portraits of Sheik Auda, Sherrif Ali and Prince Faisal of the two Arab boys who Lawrence takes under his wing are masterpieces in and of themselves. The nobility and savagery of the desert tribesmen contrasted with the cold stoicism of the British and the inculcated cruelty of the Turks are just some of themes addressed during the course of the work. There are brilliant passing insights as to the Semitic inspiration for all the revealed religions and their relation to the desert beautiful descripitions of the terrain the weather and the obstacles encountered. When Lawrence says that from the beginning he believed the Arab revolt would succeed because it grew out of a sympathetic population was opposed by a modern army that could not garrison the territory occupied one wishes that President Bush had read it instead of just seeing the movie. Read it yourself.
The Hejaz War.......2007-06-10
The Hejaz War of 1917 was written by Colonel T.E. Lawrence at the Paris peace talks in 1920 -21. Lawrence understood the Arabs thay did not conquer territory but they brought the Arab tribes together to conquer the Ottoman Turkish Army whom they considered poor soldiers. The Hejaz is the Red Sea coast parallel to the extinct lava fields of the 3,000m high Hejaz mountains. The Hejaz railway, linking Damascus with Medina, was attacked by Lawrence's Hejaz army until the Turks could no longer repair it. The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the bible of Guerilla Warfare and should be read by General Petraeus US Armed Forces Commander, Iraq.
The taking of Damascus intact in 1918 by the arab army before General Allenby's allied army at least ensured Sheikh Feisal became King of Iraq. The Sykes -Picot treaty of 1916 ensured the Middle East was divided up by Britain and France directly leading to the present Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Stylistic autobiography with insight.......2007-01-09
Mr. TE Lawrence was not only a gifted tactician/strategist but also a scholar of the highest order. His writing style is rich and descriptive avoiding the dry pitfalls sometimes associated with autobiographies. The story of the Arab revolt from the man who helped shape and guide it is an invaluable resource to have. TE Lawrence's thoughts on irregular/unconventional warfare are insightful and still lessons to be rememembered today. An enjoyable and insightful read- perfect for any military history collection.
Learning the Arab way.......2007-01-05
For me, the complexity of the Middle East seemed unfathomable. By reading this book, carefully, delving into the author's text, I have a better understanding of the people of the Middle East and their many tribes and cultural ways. I also can begin to understand their rivalries and methods of dealing with each other. It is a very complex society that will take the USA years to understand and deal with.
Extraordinary - History and the Man.......2006-11-10
At a critical time, the right man steeped forward (if somewhat indirectly) to encourage an Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire. This classic war novel is more than the usual, as it reveals a character tortured with self analysis.
Highly recommended.
Product Description
early edition of Lawrence's classic account of his Arabian adventure.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent book but the paperback edition reduces it by half.......2006-06-16
The 5 stars are for the hardback version of the book, not the paperback. Why?
The Jeremy Wilson book about T. E. Lawrence is the best and most accurate book ever written about Lawrence, but the paperback edition of the book has been edited down to about half the size of the hardback, from 1188 pages to slightly less than 500 pages. That's a huge reduction! Therefore it's better to buy the hardback copy and not the paperback.
Restating history in the shadow of a great movie.......2003-09-14
The hero of David Lean's cinematic masterpiece of 1962 is unforgettable to anyone who has seen this marvelous movie. Jeremy Wilson attempts a meticulous, factual biography of T. E. Lawrence. His book provides a less romantic portrayal of Lawrence, who however remains a towering and distinctive personality, but emerges more as a tragic hero than the movie character. Wilson shows Lawrence's compromises with the diplomatic maneuverings of Britain and France come to the fore in this book. Another interesting chapter of Lawrence's life --not shown in the movie -- is his own writings. This book explains the context in which Lawrence's own work Seven Pillars of Wisdom came into being. While there have been several other books on Lawrence, this one is easily one that serves as the basic reference, and which looks at other biographies, some of which questions Lawrence's own accounts of his life. In one of two appendices, for example, Wilson takes up a controversy surrounding the veracity of Lawrence's claim and torture at Deraa (which is strongly hinted in the scene in the movie where Lawrence is tortured by his Turkish captors). Overall, this book is invaluable for anyone with a curiosity to go beyond the movie.
Good overview but leave many questions open.......2003-06-01
This book is a good read and interesting for people who want to get a good overview on the topic and are interested in history. The author sticks to the facts and let Lawrence speak through his letters. This, however, lets many questions of his character open. The author avoids getting deeper into his personality and for those who are interested in the psychology of his character will be a littlebit disappointed. The author does not (like one of the reviewers says) clearifies whether he was homosexual or not, nor does he discusses deeply his relationsship his parents and so on. The book is complementary to the film which makes a better statement about his personality and after reading this book I even more impressed about the film.
The Best Bio of Lawrence: Factually and Objectively.......2001-11-11
Jeremy Wilson's bio of T.E. Lawrence is a great resource and, for a subject so riddled (more than any other I know) by ulterior motive by other authors -- whether it is hero-building or hero-trouncing -- and is probably the only worthwhile biography of TEL ever written.*
*I will give exception to Robert Graves, who's work has literary merit, but its age and rushed composition leaves it unfortunately incomplete and inadequate in points of fact.
Wilson does a great job of putting Lawrence's accomplishements and failures during the Great War into context: a great deal of the book is spent on the background policies and overall Eastern war effort to show us exactly where Lawrence fit in. A great description of Larwrence's time as a young idealist in Syria before the war is also provided. In these two areas there is no greater work provided on Lawrence. However, I find the work loses its scholarly charm after the war, where too much is spent dwelling on the possible pyschological underpinnings of Lawrence, and attempting to explain TEL's motives behind his erradic behavior. This kind of amateur science was handled responsibly for most of the work, but the temptation to delve into the pool of conjecture and broad speculation proved too great for Wilson, as with most authorities on the subject.
The work is well-researched, a bit thin in style, and full of notes and a helpful appendix. Not perfect, but definitely the best pick for a Lawrence bio out there.
good.......2000-08-23
I found this extremely readable, and written clearly (a relief after trying to plow through T.E. Lawrence's own murky 7 PILLARS OF WISDOM, a book he himself did not like after he learned that good writing is clear writing). I wouldn't have, and a lot of you reading this, wouldn't have come to this book without the movie, so I would like to mention some things that the movie was wrong about, according to this book. 1) T. E. Lawrence did have to execute an Arab with his pistol, but he DID feel remorse about it and did NOT experience a perverse pleasure at it. 2) He was not homosexual. He in fact asked a girl to marry him, who turned him down. It was standard in that era that an educated Englishman still be a virgin in his mid-20's, and the only reason he stayed a virgin until his death in his 40's was that he was raped by those Turks (as is obliquely referred to in the movie), and as a consequence was (tragically) repulsed by physical human contact thereafter. So he became, as he himself described it, "A lay monk." A first-rate book for anyone interested in the heroic Laurence. (I say heroic because after taking Aquaba, he was up for a Victoria's Cross, England's highest military honor. But he needed an English witness to the event, when only Arabs witnessed it. So he did not get a Victoria's Cross, AND LAWRENCE DIDN'T CARE. He perhaps, then, wasn't as vain as the movie portrayed him to be, either.)
Book Description
Passionate about Arabia, then an inhospitable land of nomadic and warring tribes under Turkish control, Bell wrote this account of her extraordinary 1905 trip across the Syrian Desert from Jericho to Antioch.
Customer Reviews:
A very innocent time.......2005-11-27
Bell was one of many "arabists" who traveled throughout the Middle East near the end of the Ottoman empire. This book is really an interesting travelogue and insight into Middle Eastern culture from the view of a privileged English woman who was viewed as curiosity by those she visited and traveled with. In a way, this is a fairly innocent view of that part of the world, but you could do worse than read this book. Much of the clannish nature of the cultures she wrote about is unchanged from her era (and indeed, from centuries before) and is worth the couple of hours it will take to read this book.
Travels in Turkish Syria.......2004-08-09
Gertrude Bell is probably one of the most interesting women of pre-World War I England. A daughter of privilege and she was educated and curious at a time when women of her class were expected to marry well and have children to police the Empire. Bell broke this mold and was the archetype of the "traveling Englishwoman" of the high British Empire.
Bell is today best remembered for her role in building modern Iraq. But the Desert and the Sown takes place before World War I, and details her adventures in Syria. Bell was not a professional archeologist and you will need to look elsewhere for detailed scholarly studies of the places she traveled. Her usual method was to go off and visit some famous or not so famous ruin, spend a day or two there taking pictures and etching inscriptions, and then moving on.
But this book is a remarkable travelogue of Syria and Palestine before World War I. She details her travels, the problems, the difficulties, who she met and what they talked about. The Turks rightly viewed her with suspicion - a child of the English ruling class, they saw her as an unofficial English agent, making contact with local tribal leaders who could be used against the Turks if war broke out.
The book is a quite remarkable insight into the politics of the near East, and given the current crisis, one that should be read by all looking to figure out where to go next.
My only compaint about the book is not Bell's writing, but rather the edition. The photographs would be better served on glossy paper, and better maps should be provided.
Marvelous Book.......2003-03-11
Having read a current bio about Gertrude Bell (Desert Queen), which I found a bear to get through due to the less than amazing quality of writing, I was curious about Bell's own writings and thrilled to find some still in print. Gertrude Bell could write!! What a wonderful book. Having an interest in archaeology and the history of ancient civilizations, I enjoyed the material she offered. But even if those aren't areas of interest to you, the people she met and talked to give one a better understanding of the midEast and of people in general. This was a hard book to put down. My only desires were that a map had been provided and that all of her wonderful pictures would have been printed on glossy paper so they could have been better appreciated. (I would have paid the extra!)
Book Description
1927. This book, originally written in 1919, was printed for the author and his friends, not for general publication. Lawrence abridged the original work and the present volume is about one-half the size of the original. Lawrence stated that if he was asked why he had abridged an unsatisfactory book instead of recasting it as a history, he would plead that to do so nice a job in the barracks which were his home since 1922 would need a degree of concentration amounting in an airman to moroseness; and an interest in the subject which was exhausted long ago in the actual experience of it.
Customer Reviews:
"Shakespeare Moderne"- Arguably one of the greatest literary works of the 20th century. "Not a wasted word.".......2006-10-01
Okay, a bold title deserves justification.
The worst one could say of T.E. Lawrence is that he was an iconic British hero. I won't slather this book review with biographical fodder, but will instead, review said book.
In "Revolt in the Desert", Lawrence shows his mastery of language that rivaled the greatest English writers of all time.
This abridged version of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is a glimpse into a shadow of history, if not a brilliant mind.
Deletions of censored and edited sections are obvious throughout (remember it's abridged!) and make the mental navigation of the story difficult at times, but you'll manage.
Lawrence's imagery is often painful even frequently comical.
The average modern reader doesn't have the benefit of drawing on history that, for the book's first audience in 1927, was not distant news. If you know some WWI history, rejoice! If not, get out a Dummy's Guide to WWI or be prepared to stumble through some historical figures, Arab tribes and military equipment scarcely heard of today, although not any less important. American foreign policy in the Middle East would be well served if this were mandatory reading for U.S. State Department officials.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ. AUTHORS, EVEN DEAD ONES, DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS.
5/31/07
Having since read Lowell Thomas's book "With Lawrence in Arabia," I cannot begin to put into words the complete brilliance of the personality that was T.E. Lawrence.
Thomas's book must be regarded as an important foreword to "Revolt in the Desert." Reading Thomas's book will better ground those readers less familiar with the topical information Lawrence's book assumes a prior knowledge of.
Thomas was a contemporary and, for a time, companion of Lawrence. Thomas's book is an Americanized version of the story of Lawrence's desert exploits and gives a glimpse into the life of a man far to modest to revel in or write about his own well deserved glory.
A classic, though strange and oddly written.......2006-09-14
T.E. Lawrence was an unusual character. The bastard son of an Anglo-Irish baronet and a serving girl, he attended Oxford and earned a degree in history and archaeology. Those degrees led to a position on an archaeological dig in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire. He learned the language, and adopted their mode of dress, and learned everything from customs to how to ride and fight. When World War I started, Lawrence joined the British army (along with three of his brothers, all of whom were killed in the war) and was assigned to British army headquarters in Cairo. He spent two years there in the Intelligence Bureau, working on maps and other things, but was sent to the Hejaz in 1916 to liase with the local Arabs, led by the self-styled Sharif of Mecca, Hussein, and several of his sons, most prominently Feisal. It was this assignment that led to his fame, because he helped lead the revolt of the Arabs for the next two years.
After the war, Lawrence served the British government for several years, and then wrote a long book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which recounted his experiences. Lawrence was a strange, twisted, odd character, and for reasons that are too complicated to go into, he didn't want the book in wide circulation. He instead had it published in limited distribution; this led to the strange situation of people putting ads in the London Times offering copies of the book for rent. For other strange motives, Lawrence insisted on selling the book at a loss, which led to him incurring a debt from the sale of the book. This led to him in turn editing the book down to about half of what it was before: the result was the present book, Revolt in the Desert, which was released first in England and then America. The English version was withdrawn from circulation once Lawrence retired his debt, though the American version continued to be published and distributed.
Revolt in the Desert itself is a strange, unusual book. Lawrence participated in the revolt itself, and liased between primarily Feisal and the British authorities. During the campaign, he led forces that were very primitive, primarily Arab irregular cavalry, usually mounted on camels, and the most modern forces, fighting from armored cars and airplanes. All of these weapons and their handling is recounted with the usual eccentric British verve and energy.
I enjoyed the book a great deal, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
Never Meant For Publication & Mass Distribution!.......2005-11-15
In 1919 A.D., author T.E. Lawrence wrote out in a 400,000 word book "the whole bitter account of his adventure (in Arabia) and of his disappointment over the conclusion which the Peace Conference seemed to put to it." Lawrence left that manuscript replete with notes and many photographs in a handbag at the Reading railway station which was then stolen from that location. Lawrence tried to recount what he had wrote, but he never intended it for publication. Later, he had it printed on a newspaper press in Oxford, in an edition limited characteristically to eight copies, of which three, were afterward destroyed.
This book is the descendant in furtherance of Lawrence's re-written book, which he himself was never quite satisfied with. It stands as a purely personal record of his account in Arabia.
At the end of his Arabian exploits Lawrence, only 28 years of age, found himself in danger of being politely eliminated as an "upstart," while other men ruined the plans for which he was largely responsible. He recounts (as he planned to re-enter Arabia to aid Feisal):
"Storrs and I then marched off together, happily. In the East they swore that by three sides was the decent way across a square; and my trick to escape was in this sense oriental. But I justified myself by my confidence in the final success of the Arab revolt if properly advised. I had been a mover in its beginning; my hopes lay in it. The fatalistic subordination of a professional soldier (intrigue being unknown in the British army) would have made a proper officer sit down and watch his plan of campaign wrecked by men who thought nothing of it, and to whose spirit it made no appeal. Non nobis, Domine."
This review applies to the original 1927 A.D. edition of "Revolt In The Desert" as the first printing in America by the George H. Doran Company in New York City, NY.
The strange and still mysterious figure of T.E. Lawrence has become legend and has attained nearly cult icon status. Although somewhat different than that which was promoted by the 1962 David Lean movie "Lawrence of Arabia;" "Revolt In The Desert" is a fantastic first person account of an important part of English history which has has substantially affected the United States and the world.
Without hesitation or reservation. 5 stars.
Exciting and enjoyable.......2005-11-02
Very different that the "Lawrence of Arabia" movie. An exciting and enjoyable first hand account of the arab revolt against Turkey in World War I. Although it's hard to keep track of who is who and what is where, the writing and descriptions of the desert, the arabs and the action make it very worthwhile.
Worth the time.......2002-10-11
A good read. Honest, insightful, intelligent and exciting.
Book Description
Lawrence's story told through his own photographs, paintings, drawings, and ephemera, all supported by quotations from his mesmerizing firsthand account of his experiences.
From the moment that Alexander Korda first set out to turn T. E. Lawrence's life into a movie not long after Lawrence's death in 1935 (a passion that only became a reality in the 1960s through other hands in Peter O'Toole's riveting performance), the mythic figure of the man on the camel enacting a heroic dream has captured the imagination of each succeeding generation.
Now, seventy years after Lawrence's death and at a time when the Middle Eastern setting in which he acquired fame is constantly in the news, this visual biography takes us inside the mind of a man of extraordinary energy, ability, and charisma. Lawrence seemed to have everything in his hands, only to throw it all away and turn his life into an obsessive quest for anonymity and sanctuary.
Fiercely ambitious, yet ambivalent about recognition, Lawrence had a brilliant academic career at Oxford before the First World War. Army intelligence work in Egypt in the early years of the war was the prelude to his participation in Emir Feisal's great Arab revolt against the Ottomans, fame at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, and work with Winston Churchill after the war. But then came a relentless, restless, self-abasing search for obscurity under assumed names, followed by a mysterious motorcycle crash and death at the age of forty-six. 180 illustrations, 80 in color.
Customer Reviews:
more of a pictorial really.......2007-10-03
I have been fascinated with T.E. Lawrence for most of my life. I'm a bit puzzled by it really, since I despise Britain's colonial meddling throughout the world and find war very distasteful, as well. I own Lawrence's "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" which is really the best source for learning about his life and work in the Middle East. There are other books out there which are biographical that contain far more substance than this book but the real treasure here is the many, many photographs taken by Lawrence himself. The photography in this book really gives you a sense of how he saw the world, beginning with his family until his death. This is more of a coffee table book, but worth having if you are an admirer of this very interesting man.
Customer Reviews:
Waxing poetic on TE Lawrence.......2007-01-09
Sir Liddel-Hart knew TE personally and admired him greatly. Liddel-Hart began this work as a general work on the Arab revolt but ended up waxing poetic about his longtime friend and hero. At times it may be a bit too gushing but the fact that TE was an incredible individual is without dispute and Sir Liddel Hart would not be the first to succumb to hero-worship. TE Lawrence's story is one with many lessons about a people who have grown weary with being ignored by the world. TE Lawrence saw himself as a savior of sorts for such peoples in the Arab world. His contributions to irregular warfare are numerous and Sir Liddel Hart is the perfect choice to bring those lessons to us in describing the life of Lawrence. The language is grand and sweeping making it an easy and enjoyable read while telling us much about the life and campaigns of TE Lawrence. A great resource for anyone interested in his life or in his contributions to military history.
Firsthand account.......2005-08-10
While not the best biography on the subject (that honor would go to John Mack's A Prince of Our Disorder), this account, while laudatory in the extreme, has the advantage of having been written by someone who actually knew Lawrence, and who had his subject's input. If it sound at times like a Boy's Own Adventure volume, it also has the immediacy which many other accounts lack, and one gets the feeling that Liddell Hart harbored a deep admiration for his subject.
An Insight into Modern War.......2005-07-23
I strongly recommend this book. Unlike most of the bio related books you can read on Lawrence, this one is dedicated to how he waged war (and written by an expert in warfare). Lawrence's methods were so advanced that they resonate to this day. For example, he developed methods of system disruption that incapactitated a "modern" army and threw an empire into disorder. You can see these methods in play today in modern Iraq. Well worth the time you spend.
A well-written, hero-worshipping work on TEL........1999-03-21
Liddell's book is enjoyable and well-written. However, it was written prior before a lot of relavent material on T.E. Lawrence was made public. Mack's biography of Lawrence (PRINCE OF OUR DISORDER) is much more comprehensive. All in all, however, it is a book well-worth reading for anyone interested in tracing the entire evolution of T.E. Lawrence's legend/story.
Book Description
Colorful characters, a larger-than-life hero, stirring battles, death-defying desert treks, and an adventure rich in mystery and romance, are all depicted by a great writer. That and more is what readers will find in this spellbinding biography of Lawrence of Arabia that is impossible to put down. Bestselling author and screenwriter Alistair MacLean follows Lawrence as he breaks with tradition to live with Arabs and, using modern-day guerrilla tactics, helps them defeat the Turks and gain an independent state. In addition to the enthralling details of the campaign, MacLean provides valuable insight into the origins of the Middle East we know today.
Book Description
This paperback edition of Malcolm Brown’s seminal selection contains 470 of the most insightful, revealing and historically relevant letters written by Lawrence between 1905 and 1935. His remarkable epistles to contemporaries such as Lady Astor, Noel Coward, Robert Graves, Mrs. Thomas Hardy, and Mrs. George Bernard Shaw disclose both the inner man and the political and military visionary often obscured behind the mystery and myth of "Lawrence of Arabia.” Among the letters is a wealth of intriguing correspondence that divulges the true nature of Lawrence’s role in the Arab Revolt, his anxieties about his illegitimacy, and his secret feelings on women and sexuality. In their entirety, these letters describe a remarkable but tragic life and provide ample proof of a gifted literary mind.
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General
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| Books
Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark (Modern Library Paperbacks)
Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations
The Desert and the Sown: The Syrian Adventures of the Female Lawrence of Arabia
Gertrude Bell: The Arabian Diaries, 1913-1914
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