Revolt in the Desert

The Arab Revolt of 1916-1918, when the disparate tribes of Arabia rose up as one great force to defeat an empire, was one of the most turbulent periods in the history of the Middle East and a pivotal element of the Middle Eastern arena of World War I. It sounded the death knell for the Ottoman Empire and paved the way for a new colonial power in the region - the British. It was T.E. Lawrence, a young army officer with a brilliant military mind and unmatched knowledge of the region and the Arab people, who - alongside the charismatic Faisal I - led the Revolt. These were epic events that changed the shape of the Middle East and affected Lawrence for the rest of his life. His magnificent first-hand account of the period is now a classic of 20th century literature. Revolt in the Desert, the abridged and far more accessible edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, became an instant bestseller when it was first published in 1927.

“The race of heroes is not dead. [This book] is a great epic of deeds. Lawrence himself is already a legend. But seldom does the hero of a legend write his own account of his acts and deeds. More seldom still does his legend survive the writing. But Lawrence triumphs over everything. -- New York Times Book Review Not a dull or empty sentence from end to end.-- George Bernard Shaw, writer”

'I am not much of a hero worshipper, but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world.' - John Buchan; 'I deem him one of the greatest beings alive in our time - we shall never see his like again. His name will live in history.' - Winston Churchill; 'T.E. Lawrence has fully as much literary as military genius. He shows himself to be one of the great writers, and the question comes into one's mind if he be not the only one of the great writers of the world who was also a great man of action.' - Literary Review; 'Not a dull or empty sentence from end to end.' - George Bernard Shaw; 'The story of such an adventure as no other man in our own times has had: there is wit, truth, beauty and complete simplicity in the telling of the tale.' - New Republic; 'The race of heroes is not dead. [This book] is a great epic of deeds. Lawrence himself is already a legend. But seldom does the hero of a legend write his own account of his acts and deeds. More seldom still does his legend survive the writing. But Lawrence triumphs over everything. It is as though this spare little man, pronounced physically unfit for military duty, were destined to outshine in the memories of men great captains and generals, giants and paladins.' - New York Times Book Review

T. E. Lawrence was born in 1888. Educated at Oxford, he was later made a research fellow of All Souls College. During the First World War he was attached to the Hejaz Expeditionary Force and later transferred to General Allenby's staff. In 1921 he became Advisor on Arab Affairs in the Colonial Office. In 1927, uncomfortable with his 'Lawrence of Arabia' legend, Lawrence changed his name to Shaw and joined the RAF. He was killed in a motobike accident in 1935 at the age of 47. Author of the classic Seven Pillars of Wisdom - his famed account of the Arab Revolt - Lawrence also wrote a prose translation of Homer's Odyssey and was the author of 'Crusader Castles' and 'The Mint'.

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