‫الصحراء تشتعل: لورانس العرب وأسرار الحرب البريطانية في الجزيرة العربية‬

by James Barr, جايمس بار

إنه العام 1916، الحلفاء يخوضون غمار الحرب الكبرى، فيما يدعو السلطان العثماني إلى الجهاد الإسلامي ضدّ كلّ من ليسوا مسلمين باستثناء الألمان. لكن الشريف حسين، حاكم مدينة مكة المكرّمة، كان يضيق ذرعاً بالحكم التركي ويعمل على إيقاظ النزعة القومية العربية، فاستح

Genres: History, Middle East, Nonfiction, Biography, World War I, Military Fiction, Politics

331 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

I read Modern History at Oxford University. Since then I've worked in Westminster in politics, as a leader-writer for the Daily Telegraph, in the City and most recently in Paris. Now, I'm back in London.

My book on Lawrence of Arabia and the Arab Revolt, Setting the Desert on Fire, was first published in 2006.

Something that struck me while I was working on that book was the degree of rivalry between Britain and France for dominance in the Middle East. A Line in the Sand - my latest book - picks up this theme, and describes how this little-known struggle transformed the Middle East, from the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War to the violent birth of the state of Israel in 1948.

I have started work on my next book.

Reviews

[Omar Kassem · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب الثاني الذي أقرأه لجايمس بار،والذي ُببهرني بأسلوبه في سرد الاحداث التاريخية بمنطقية وسلاسة ومن دون اي تحيّزات مُسبقة

الكتاب غني وصادم..يوضح مجريات وكواليس الثورة العربية على العثمانيين..إن صح تسميتها ثورة بالاساس!
تناقض العرب..تشتتهم..استهتارهم
دور لورانس العرب الكبير في قيام الثورة وتوطيد نفوذ بريطانيا بعد الحرب وتمهيد الارض لتنفيذ بنود اتفاقية سايكس بيكو بعدها

كتاب ممتع بلا شك.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain's Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918 is a good 4 Star account of the WWI conflict in the Middle East, pitting the Arabs and the British against the Ottoman Empire. Despite the subtitle, T.E Lawrence is not the sole focus of the book. Barr puts Lawrence’s action in perspective, looking at how the entire theater campaign unfolded. Political, diplomatic and military events are covered in some detail. Many others had roles in the desert fighting and get recognized here. Here is an account of the attack to take Jeddah and gain a foothold for the British:

The attack on Jeddah went rather better. On 9 June two British ships, the Fox and theHardinge, arrived off the port, having been alerted by Storrs’s telegram to Cairo that an attack was imminent. In a reflection of the low priority that British commanders in Egypt gave to helping Husein, neither vessel represented the cream of the British fleet: according to her short and energetic commander, “Ginger” Boyle, the Fox was “almost the slowest and oldest ship commanded by a Captain in the Navy,” while the Hardinge had been lent from the Royal Indian Marine. As planned, at nine o’clock that night both ships turned on their searchlights and began to fire the first of over seven hundred shells at Turkish positions outside the town. Then, early the following day, a force of about four thousand local tribesmen attacked the beleaguered port. “We were horrified at the Arab method of attack—they were simply advancing in a mass, quite openly some of them firing their rifles in the air,” a British sailor recalled. “The Turks simply waited and then poured a withering fire into their ranks.” Trying to help the Arabs regain the initiative, the British became unwittingly embroiled in the port’s highly factional politics when Boyle invited a local tribal leader aboard the Fox to point out possible targets inside the town that he could shell. Boyle became suspicious when the man identified some unlikely looking buildings. “Months after I heard that my picturesque sheikh was in reality a merchant of the town,” he later wrote, surmising that the man taken advantage of this opportunity to rid himself of trade rivals.”

The political machinations are a constant impact on events. The British have to abide by the Sykes-Picot agreement but are reluctant to give France a role. The French have done little to help. The scene when Jerusalem is taken, the first time in Christian hands since the Crusades, was well described:

The British government had been waiting for this moment. Almost three weeks earlier Robertson had contacted Allenby, advising him that “in the event of Jerusalem being occupied, it would be of considerable political importance if you, on officially entering the city, dismount at the city gate and enter on foot. German Emperor rode in and the saying went round ‘a better man than he walked.” Robertson now hoped Allenby would offer a humble contrast.

On 11 December, Allenby entered Jerusalem. It was “a brilliant day; hoar frost here. . . and then iced sunshine, with no wind,” he told his wife. “The procession was all on foot,” he reassured London in a telegram later that day. Behind, in the multinational force that followed him, walked Clayton and Lawrence, who had come over from Aqaba by airplane to discuss the next stage of the campaign and swapped his Arab robes for a uniform. “The indescribable smell of Jerusalem rose to meet us,” wrote another British officer, “a mixture of spices and sweet herbs, strange eastern cooking and dried fruits, camels and native garments and open drains.” Film footage from that day shows the large inquisitive crowds that turned out to see the British and, to the sound of distant artillery and rifle fire beyond the city walls, hear Allenby’s pledge that he would uphold religious freedom in the holy city. “Great enthusiasm—real or feigned—was shown,” Allenby recorded.

The inflexible French negotiator Francois Georges-Picot was also present. Although the French had played almost no part in the capture of the, city, Picot was determined to ensure that his agreement with Sykes was not ignored. At the buffet lunch following the formal declaration in Jerusalem, he raised the topic of the future government of Jerusalem.

“Tomorrow, my dear General, I will take the necessary steps to set up civil government in this town,” announced Picot, according to Lawrence. Instantly there was silence. “Salad and chicken mayonnaise and foie gras sandwiches hung in our mouths unmunched,” Lawrence remembered, “while we turned our round eyes on Allenby and waited.”

Allenby went red.

“In the military zone the only authority is that of the Commander-in-Chief, myself.”

Despite the heroics of TEL, he and his band of Arab guerillas did not win single-handedly as the embellished story would have us believe. His raids and struggles are told as they supported or did not support the overall campaign strategy. My first exposure to TEL was the epic, “Lawrence of Arabia”. That man is only partly recognized here and many events did not occur as presented. History is not as dramatic as Hollywood depicts. Read this book and learn about others who fought. The impact of the “caliphate” on the islamic world then is also of interest. Learn why it is an important construct and why it is important today.

[Mostafa · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب مُفصل في مناقشة الحرب العالمية الأولى في الجبهة الشرقية، لم أتوقع أن يكون أسلوب جيمس بار مغرق في الاقتباس الأدبي بهذا الشكل وهو ما أضفى نوعًا ما من الملل إلى حد ما، ولكن ليس ملل مُنفر من القراءة، ويأتي الكتاب ليؤكد إسهام فواز طرابلسي عن "سايكس-بيكو-بلفور" وكيف أن تلك المعاهدة وُلدت ميتة وكذلك ظلت ميتة، ولم يعد كونها في التاريخ أكثر من تعزيزًا للتفكير التآمري العربي، الذي نحبذ كثيرًا أن نفكر وننطلق من خلاله نظرًا لما فيه من اختزال لحقائق الأمور وغياب للسفسطة والتفصيل.. يحاول كذلك بار أن يلقي ظلالًا من التحليل النفسي لشخصية لورانس وهي إضافة مهمة، كذلك سرد الصوت التركي الألماني وهذا أيضًا ملمح مهم في الكتاب

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent general history of the Arab Revolt. Unlike other books on the topic, Barr puts Lawrence’s role in context, including the activities of all the other players involved: Feisal, Abdullah, the French, the deluded Turks, the rather typical Germans, and all the various Brits who were busy squabbling, interfering, and generally being a pain in the butt.

Barr is very good at providing context and background. He describes the conflicts between the British and the French, the disputes between political and military leaders over the necessity and aims of the Arab Revolt, and Lawrence’s complicated relations with his nominal superiors. Barr gives us a good portrait of Sherif Hussein and his sons, explaining their mixed motivations of nationalism and self-interest. He describes the contrast between the Islamic zeal of the Arabian sherif versus the nationalism of the Syrian Arabs.

Barr gives the right amount of coverage to all the related issues, such as Allenby’s Palestine campaign, the Balfour declaration, the Sykes-Picot agreement, and others. Barr also includes his own observations regarding his personal visits to the sites where the events of the revolt took place. These first-hand accounts are often inserted into the narrative, and they are both helpful in gaining insight as well as annoying in breaking up the narrative.

In the epilogue Barr writes “Just as Husein was armed by the British government in 1916, Osama bin Laden was one of those armed by the US government in the 1980s to fight a war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. The supply of gold and guns to both recipients has had disturbing and unforeseen consequences: such as the dangers of war by proxy.” While it is convenient for making a point, there is actually no evidence that the US ever armed bin Laden during the Soviet war; while the US did arm radical Islamists like Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Jalaluddin Haqqani, these mujahideen never actually became international “terrorists” in the mold of al-Qaeda, they were eventually defeated or co-opted by the Taliban when they took over.

But, in all, an excellent history of the Arab revolt.

[Tamgrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book by chance at a local used bookstore without knowing much about T.E. Lawrence besides the fact that he was "Lawrence of Arabia" and someone had made a famous movie out of his life at some point. The book has an interesting thesis: T.E. Lawrence was one of the first military leaders to realize how changing technology could strengthen the hands of guerilla warriors. This allowed him to champion a cause (self-determination in the Middle East) that seemed extremely unlikely and make it into a success. However, because that cause had always seemed so unlikely, the British over-promised several allies, and this overpromising set the stage for enduring conflicts in the region.

It's a solid premise, and well-argued in the book. However, in narrating the events of the military campaign, the book sometimes feels bogged down. It's possible that someone who is very interested in military history would really enjoy it: I've never read much military history and I struggled to remember all the actors, their motivations, and their role in the conflict. I would recommend this if you want to know more about Lawrence of Arabia or want to understand some of the trench-level decisions in the Middle East during World War I that set the stage for major conflicts like the conflict in Israel-Palestine. But if you're not already interested in military history, I do not think this is a book that will change your mind.

[Sam Norton]

Certainly a worthwhile read. Where the film "Lawrence of Arabia" would lead you to believe that Lawrence was a lone British officer sent out into the desert to find and recruit the Arab tribes to fight against the Ottomans. "Setting the Desert on Fire" shows that, as with most historical films, what's on the screen isn't necessarily what actually happened.



"Setting the Desert on Fire" also seems to be symptomatic of a pattern in historical writing that I have come to notice, in particular in writing on the Middle East. The course of the narrative often seems to become bogged down in minutiae, and a greater understanding of the general course of historical events seems to be lost. I guess, however, this is a necessary evil, as the minutiae may be important, depending on why you are reading the book. As someone who is reading for pleasure, with a slight academic interest in this particular historical period, it makes it somewhat more difficult to grasp the overall thrust of the story.

[أمل. · Rating 5 out of 5]

أكتب وأمسح ثم أكتب وأمسح!!
الكتاب وكما كُتب على غلافه "صادم"، شيء مؤسف ومخجل وقمة في العار والشنار.

يتناول الكتاب تاريخ الجزيرة العربية في آخر حكم العثمانين والانقلاب أو "الخيانة" التي حدثت بسبب تأليب بريطانيا العرب على الأتراك.

وتكلَّم عن أهم الأم��ر التي شهدتها تلك الحقبة:
لورانس العرب، وسايكس بيكو، ثورة العرب، خيانة الشريف وابنه، قدوم ابن سعود، والمصيبة الكبرى في بيع فلسطين!

المضحك المبكي في الأمر أنه في الوقت الذي كان الشريف في مكة ويطمح بأن يكون مسيطرًا أو "خليفةً" على سوريا وفلسطين، كان ابنه فيصل جالسًا مع حاييم وايزمان-أحد أهم روَّاد الحركة الصهيونية-، للوصول إلى حل فيما يخُص الدولة اليهودية في فلسطين، بل كان يرى بأن في قيام الدولة اليهودية مصلحةً كبرى للعرب :)
حالة خضوع وتبعية لا مثيل لها!!
..

-وكلمَّا قرأت التاريخ تأكدت بأن الظلم طبيعة الإنسان، وأن أسواط الطغاة
تمتَّد من التاريخ إلى الآن باختلاف الأشخاص والزمان والمكان.

*قراءة هذا الكتاب مهمَّة جدًا ليس لمن يهتم لتاريخ الجزيرة العربية بل مهمَّة لفهَم كل ما جرى بالأمس وسيجري اليوم وغدًا.
لكن قوِّي قلبك وأنت تقرأ!

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A funny one this. It's probably more of a 3.5 as a rating, but the scope of activities and the number of personalities involved meant that I found myself constantly flicking to the list of key figures and the maps. So much is condensed into so few sentences that all names became confusing and that can be quite frustrating when you can't get into the flow of reading.

I knew next to nothing about the events in Arabia during World War One, other than the famous tale of attacking Aqaba from the desert rather than from the sea, and so while this is clearly a well researched book and I have learnt a great deal, I probably haven't got as much out of Barr's research as someone who was already more aware of the main events.

There are some wonderful anecdotes about those involved in the guerilla war that Lawrence helped the Arabs wage against the Ottomans and there are some fairly startling insights into the foreign policies of the great powers, who were still jockeying for position to both protect their existing interests and seek to expand their empires further. As Barr himself summarises, the success of Lawrence's tactics was astonishing and was ahead of its time, but the betrayal felt by the Arabs has had an impact that has trickled down to the present day.

[Khaled · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب غني جدًا بالمعلومات والمصادر لمن أراد الاطلاع على الثورة العربية (زعموا!) على الدولة العثمانية.

وأنا أقرأ الكتاب، تظهر لي بين ثنايا السطور بين كل صفحة واختها كلمة الامام ابن حزم عن ملوك الطوائف في عصره: «والله لو علموا أن في عبادة الصلبان تمشية أمورهم لبادروا إليها، وربما أعطوْا المدن والقلاع للنصارى طوعًا، فأخلوها من الإسلام، وعمروها بالنواقيس، لعن الله جميعهم، وسلَّط عليهم سيفًا من سيوفه».

تتكرر القصة، وتتكرر المأساة، وبنفس الأخطاء! يكفيك من هذا الكتاب ان تستشف "أن أحدهم كان يتحرج تورعًا عن لقاء البريطانيين والفرنسيين داخل مكة لأنه فعلٌ محرم شرعًا، لكنه يوافق على لقاءهم في جدة والتحالف معهم والإئتمار بأمرهم والحرب تحت رايتهم ضد اخوانهم المسلمين الاتراك (اللذين هم بالمناسبة تحالفوا مع ألمانيا وأنزلوا بالعرب الفظائع ايضًا).
كان يعترض على البريطانيين بخصوص صيغة اللقب الممنوحة له قائلًا لهم:" لم أخذلكم أبدًا، و لم أخذل حكومة صاحب الجلالة، ولن أفعل ذلك أبدًا".

خزي و عار وشنار لا يمسحه الدهر والله!

[Majd · Rating 4 out of 5]

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في هذا الكتاب بقوم المؤرخ جايمس بار برصد الثورة العربية الكبرى ضد العثمانيين التي قادها الشريف حسين بتحريض من بريطانيا وقام لورانس العرب بهذا الدور.
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يتتبع الكاتب تطورات بريطانيا للتعاطي مع العرب وحرصهم على الا يعادوهم حتى لا يتوحدوا مع الاتراك ضدهم ورغن ان هذا المتفق عليه الا انهم اختلفوا في بعض التفاصيل كمن هو الزعيم العربي المناسب او هل ينبغي المراهنة على العرب لخدمة بريطانيا او لا، والكثير من الامور التي تبين تباين وجهات النظر في المعسكر الواحد، كذلك يسرد التحركات العسكرية للورانس العرب وتعاطيه مع الشريف حسين وابناؤه كقادة العرب المستقبليين.
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الكتاب غني جدا جدا ويعيبه ذكر الكثير من التفاصيل بشكل ممل احيانا، بشكل عام الكتاب مرجع مهم.
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#كتاب_أنصح_بقراءته#كتاب_أعجبني #مطالعة #خير_جليس #تقييمات_مجد_الزاير #دار_الساقي #مجد_الصحراء_تشتعل

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barr's first book is a solid account of the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918 and the man behind the legend of Lawrence of Arabia. It's not the best or most comprehensive book on the subject that I've read and doesn't dig too deeply into the complex, fascinating personality of T.E. Lawrence, but it provides a good general overview and proved an engaging read.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the awful title this is actually rather a good piece of popular history. Most accounts of the Arab revolt are closely centred on T.E. Lawrence and tend to be biographical or semi-biographical in approach. However, he was one of a number of British soldiers operating behind enemy lines, with the Arabs, in the Hejaz, and the author has done a good job giving us a broader picture. Lawrence is still a fascinating and critical figure in the venture, but the wider perspective is very welcome.

[Lee Tempest · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hm. I admit, I'm drawn to historic tales of fellow Englishmen of which I resonate with, but not this one. James Barryman, as a much-vaunted historian unfortunately disappointed me. I find it so because he's one of those people who fail to make T.E. Lawrence's story a more personal one. Ah well, might as well get Lawrence's actual book, the Seven Pillars, that'll be more of an arsekicker.

[Saleh · Rating 4 out of 5]

" غني و صادم " كما هو مكتوب على غلاف الكتاب .. الكتاب مليء بالأحداث و الكثير من الفوضى .. قراءتك لهذا الكتاب سوف تجعلك ترى عالمنا العربي بشكل مختلف .

[Sherin Samir · Rating 2 out of 5]

يتناول هذا الكتاب نشأة المملكة العربية السعودية والأوضاع حينها في بدايات القرن العشرين والصراع على النفوذ والسيطرة على قبائل العرب وبدو شبه الجزيرة العربية بين الشريف حسين ودعم بريطانيا له، وابن سعود ودعم فرنسا له في الصراع الخفي بين الإمبراطوريتين،

وإستخدام العرب للهجوم على القوات العثمانية التي كانت تسيطر على المنطقة للدفع بها للإرتداد شمالا الي حدودها، والإنقسامات التي كانت داخل أروقة السياسة البريطانية بين دعم كامل للعرب لإنشاء دولة عربية موحدة واسعة تشمل الحجاز والاردن وفلسطين وسوريا، وبين حصر الدولة العربية الوليدة في الحجاز والاردن ومناطق من سوريا تحت وصاية بريطانيا وفرنسا .

ورغبة بريطانيا في تأمين قناة السويس محور التجارة الخاص بها القادمة من الهند وكامل آسيا بالسيطرة على فلسطين، وكذلك السيطرة على بلاد ما بين النهرين لوضع يدها على حقول النفط المُكتشف حديثاً ولما له من آثار على الآساطيل العسكرية والتجارية التي تُبقي عليها كقوة عظمى ورغبة فرنسا في السيطرة على الشام كاملا وكذلك الرغبة اليهودية في إحتلال فلسطين.

التناقض والإستغلال بين الإتفاقية السرية حينها إتفاقية سايكس بيكو وتطورات المصالح والمواقف،
ودور لورانس في توحيد قبائل العرب ودعم نفوذ الشريف حسين والحرب حتى الانتصار على القوات العثمانية وإخراجهم من الجزيرة العربية، وشكل الإغارات والتحرك داخل المنطقة وما واجههم من صعوبات ومشاكل وخفايا السياسة التي كانت تلعب وتدير في الخفاء وأخيراً التنصل من وعود بريطانيا للعرب بعد الإنتصار .

قد يكون هذا الكتاب التاريخي السياسي أكثر قرباً وإيضاحاً وإهتماما، للقرآ من منطقة المملكة العربية السعودية والمملكة الأردنية لتفهمهم أكثر للمنطقة ولسكانها وتاريخها، لم يتناول الكتاب تفاصيل التنافس والصراع ما بين الشريف حسين وابن سعود، فقد كان من جانب واحدٍ فقط .

[Mouza · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يحمل من الحقائق الصادمة و المؤسفة الكثير ،

بأسلوب الكاتب الرائع ستتعرف على الدور الكبير الذي لعبه لورنس العرب في تشجيع و تحريض القبائل العربية لثورتهم ضد الدولة العثمانية ، و كيف دمر خط سكة حديد الحجاز الذي كان يربط بلاد الشام بالحجاز لنقل الحجاج و البضائع ،

**
الثورة العربية الكبرى بقيادة الشريف حسين و ابنائه ، و بمساندة من بريطانيا للتخلص من حكم العثمانيين المستبد ،وبناء دولة عربية اسلامية
كانت للاسف أحلام وردية ،ولم تكن ثورة كبرى بل خديعة كبرى !!!

هي في الاساس خطة مدروسة لتقسيم الدول العربية و احتلال فلسطين و اعطاء اليهود وطن قومي ،
و أوفت بريطانيا بوعد بلفور و باتفاقية سايكس و بيكو
و حطمت آمال الشريف حسين و ابناءه،

باختصار كانت خدعة 💔

*****

قراءة التاريخ تساعدنا في فهم واقعنا الحالي،، أنصح بقراءته 👍🏻

[Nicholas Gokey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. The information throughout the majority of this book is good and T.E. Lawrence’s story and the subsequent Arab revolt are all very interesting topics, however I just felt that this book was not very enjoyable to read. At time James Barr does a good Job presenting the journey of Lawrence in an interesting way, but in others it is clear he is a British author and where his bias lies. He critiques the Arabs often and sometimes unnecessarily. Overall if you are interested in the Arab revolt and Britain’s war in Arabia and the Middle East, this is a good book for information, yet sometimes seems like a slog to get through.

[Michael Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a british scholar, so it reads accordingly. Thus 3 stars. But if you can get past the writing, the story is fascinating and still very relevant today with the wounds caused by the British "betrayal" of the Arabs still unhealed...

[Makram Noureddine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was very interesting and has a lot of details about how the arabic evolution grew back then, however the Arabic version needs to add some pictures about the map locations of the places where the battles took place.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

very historically detailed, lots of characters to remember but I enjoyed the read.

[Jeffos Hagemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a few years of history around WWI of how the Middle East became its modern self with some Lawrence of Arabia details. Main character index and maps help the history.

[Mona · Rating 3 out of 5]

مثقل بالتاريخ

كتاب دسم جداً وصعب قرائته يحتاج له تركيز كامل ، أحسست قليلاً وكأني ابحث في كتاب مدرسي .. رغم أن الموضوع مشوق 👩🏻‍🎓

[Pbwritr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous book! Really went into the intricate detials of the political and diplomatic situation in the Middle East during WWI. Amazing to see how Lawrence quickly became an advocate and a mentor for some of the tribes, with 2 primary goals: to prevent the French from claiming Lebanon when the war was over, and to gain Arab help against the Turks, which would, in turn, buttress their claims for territory. Lawrence moved back and forth across the area and Egypt, negotiating with the Arabs, pleading with his bosses, arranging logistics, and helping to blow up railroads. Definitely inspires me to watch the movie again in closer detail.

[Lynne-marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After having read Hero and Gertrude Lawrence: Queen of the Desert, I was eager for more stories of the Arabian peninsula during WWI, and this seemed just the ticket. Sadly it turned out to be a military man's account of the goings on of the formal haggling of the state department, the Arab Bureau and the British intelligence, with only weak asides about Lawrence or the actual action in the desert. It was, I'll be frank, just the thing for a military buff, but not for the Arabian enthusiast or a devotee of Lawrence.

[Gareth Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear, well-organised account of the war in Arabia. Other reviewers have commented that it is rather dry, and it certainly is. However, the story is so interesting that the book becomes quite compelling. It's not without colour, and there are a number of colourful and some quite moving incidents presented in Barr's understated text. Perhaps, Barr could have introduced more colour and certainly more background to the major protagonists. Nevertheless it is a compelling read. perhaps more of a 3.5 than a 4, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt.

[Dermott Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broad but detailed account of T.E. Lawrence's role in Britain's imperial ambitions in early 20th century Arabia and the Middle East. Although ostensibly intended as another front in the Great War conflict, Lawrence's machinations gave this conflict of camel guerrilla warfare, double dealing diplomacy and downright treachery, an entirely different perspective. Anyone who wants to understand the underlying complexity of today's Middle Eastern maze of alliances, should read this.

[Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was glad to have come across this title at the library and quite enjoyed reading it. I had known the name of T.E. Lawrence, but discovered that I knew very little of his story. This book really filled in a big gap in my knowledge of world history, particularly the history of the Middle East.

[Heather]

Fascinating history to delve into!

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not enough info about T E him self but over a lot of info about WW! in the east.

[Libby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Barr tells the story of T. E. Lawrence from a broader perspective than Lawrence's own. A bit dry at times. I wish he'd included more about modern day Jordan, et al.