Revolt in the Desert

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.

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.

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.

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.

How can you give only a four star rating to a piece of first hand historical evidence? After all the author was also the man that helped lead and coordinate the arab revolt.Any student of Lawrence will be able to tell you that the version of 'Revolt in the Desert' that finally reached the public was a heavily censored sanitised version of what really happened. Lawrence himself has been reported by contemporary sources as having burnt the first couple of drafts due to some of the content (potential references to Lawrences ambiguous sexuality, alleged atrocities carried out by sections of the arab army on Turkish POWs etc. Lawrence was also a self confessed - and reported as - a line shooter). All this said if you've read official military histories of this period and know a bit about Lawrence then this book will help you get the feel of sand in your boots. A good piece of source material or a rattling good adventure yarn but you would do well to keep in the back of your mind who wrote this and when it was written.Enjoy, a rare treat to read a campaign history by one who was there and writes with the flair of an academic as opposed to a soldier.