Although a bit confusing in his presentation of dozens of key characters unfamiliar to the reader, Lawrence paints an extraordinary sketch of a time and people otherwise just a footnote to World history. The richness of the text and word pictures were worth the time spent laboring through massive amounts of detailed narrative.

TE Lawrence (1888-1935) the British soldier, poet and scholar wrote this insightful personal account of the Arab Revolt based on his war journals which is as confronting as it is poetic and beautiful. How could one not be enthralled by the writings and perspectives of a fine intellectual mind tormented by the reality of war and hypocrisy? What makes this book unique and powerful is Lawrence's sensibility as a poet and a soldier. Even if you are not into war history, this is a riveting book you can't afford to miss.

TE Lawrence (1888-1935) the British soldier, poet and scholar who wrote this insightful personal account of the Arab Revolt based on his war journals is as confronting as it is poetic and beautiful. How can one not enjoy the writings and perspectives of a fine intellectual mind tortured by the reality of war and hypocrisy? What makes this book unique and powerful is Lawrence's sensibility as a poet and a soldier. Even if you are not into war history, this is a riveting book you can't afford to miss.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is one of the most famous books written about World War I, and it also perhaps represents the most unusual story. T.E. Lawrence, i.e. the same Lawrence of Arabia of 1960's technicolor fame played by Laurence Olivier, had spent his early adult years living in Syria and was unusually fluent in Arabic. When WWI broke out, he had a rare combination of skills that lay fallow until he was appointed as British liaison to Prince Feisal to support the Arab Revolt in the Hejaz against Turkey in 1916. There was probably no other single more auspicious personnel appointment in the Middle East than this one.

With his Arabic fluency, appreciation of Beduin culture, and his rare energy and drive, Lawrence was absolutely unique in his ability to envisage and help lead the Arab Revolt. Time and time again he restored hope to Feisal and and Arab tribal chieftains with British encouragement and material backing. But even more than this, he personally led countless sabotage and military missions against Turkish railway communications and key positions, e.g. Akaba, Wejh, etc.

He alone among British officers in the Middle East seems to have understood the fundamentals of guerrilla warfare - hit and run, propaganda, recruitment, plunder. Along with Feisal, he understood the absolute necessity of securing local chieftains' support and participation in their guerilla operations. (These are lessons American and British commanders currently in Iraq should consider. Informants during the Arab Revolt were especially dangerous in defeating guerrilla activities. Also, ongoing tribal conflicts often prevented combined attacks on the Turkish occupiers.)

In fact, with Lawrence's charisma and near continual stream of successes he receives a steady flow of personal adherents who become his bodyguard force, towards the end of the war numbering over 90 persons. The book also explicitly describes his capture, torture, and escape in Deraa. But the vast majority of the book vividly captures his personal experiences during his continual travels across the expansive and geographically-varied Arabian peninsula.

The book is not so much a historical narrative of the Arab Revolt as it is a personal narrative, by turns descriptive, poetic, anthropological, and philosophical. And although the book is generously complemented by numerous portraits of the 100+ personalities mentioned in the book, I found it difficult to remember each person's background and significance. Likewise, although there are a few maps in the book I had a great deal of trouble following his journeys on those maps. Finally, despite that a few chapters are written in high poetic style the majority of the book is easily read and comprehensible. An excellent adventure book with a truly unique story!

I read this book after visiting Turkey and Jordan some years ago and was bedazzled by it in every respect. A remarkable military campaign, the extremely complex Lawrence and the account of WWI with the historical figures Ataturk, Feisal, Allenby etc. The victory of the Arabs and the British, with all the military daring and intrigue is one of the most amazing stories of the war. That Lawrence just happened to be a literary giant as well and could write as intensely well as perhaps any other 20th C English writer (that I know) is one of those strange coincidences that defies probability.

The book was all the more enjoyed for having explored Jordan (and Wadi Rumm in particular on foot) and for some chance encounters with bedouin there in the middle of nowhere. A different way of life that still survives in some parts.

The movie "Lawrence of Arabia" is based on the book, but is just a visually stunning film, but has no complexity. Admittedly I haven't seen all of it, but I would rather read the book again.

I read this book after visiting Turkey and Jordan some years ago and was bedazzled by it in every respect. A remarkable military campaign, the extremely complex Lawrence and the account of WWI with the historical figures Ataturk, Feisal, Allenby etc. The victory of the Arabs and the British, with all the military daring and intrigue is one of the most amazing stories of the war. That Lawrence just happened to be a literary giant as well and could write as intensely well as perhaps any other 20th C English writer (that I know) is one of those strange coincidences that defies probability.

The book was all the more enjoyed for having explored Jordan (and Wadi Rumm in particular on foot) and for some chance encounters with bedouin there in the middle of nowhere. A different way of life that still survives in some parts.

The movie "Lawrence of Arabia" is based on the book, but is just a visually stunning film, but has no complexity. Admittedly I haven't seen all of it, but I would rather read the book again.

Lawrence of Arabia. we have all heard the name and or seen the movie. But who is this guy who was able to unite semitic tribes and help force the turks and germans out of the desert and back into the mountains of Turkey. This is a well written book that is 80 years old. It is a look at a time before oil dominated the economy of this very harsh land. Lawrence autobiographically explains his part in the Arab uprising and how he won confidence and trust from a people who avoided all outside contact. Lawrence's style of writing was difficult at first but by the third chapter the reader will adapt and then it gets fun. This is a must read for anyone doing business or war in the mideast. If only our present leaders would have read this book first. They might have avoided a few of their missteps.

I first read this book in the early 1960s and because of it T. E. Lawrence became my favorite author. And after all of these years he still is. It's not a frivolous book; the writing does demand your attention and effort. The book is full of adventure, humor, history, analysis, and biographical insight of Lawrence and the Arabs and their life. And as other reviewers have noted, much of this book helps people understand the Arabic situation today.

No writer has ever provided a better psychological analysis or been more clear and honest about his strengths and weaknesses than T.E. Lawrence himself. Read what he wrote before you read what others have written.

A number of good reviews of this book have already been written here so I won't repeat their commentary. Just let me say that to really understand this book, it does help to have a useful background about TEL and his life. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" represents only a couple of the early years in his adult life, yet those years strongly impact the rest of his life in many ways(approximately another 15 years). And, conversely, it's also true that the life he led after his Arabian adventure influenced the way he told the story of his experiences. The quickest way for readers to acquire this necessary background is to visit "TELawrence.net," a web site dedicated to placing all of T. E. Lawrence's writings online. The full text and publishing history of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and his other books, translations, and writings are there, as are approximately 700 of his letters, with many more to be added. It brings together in a searchable website all of T.E. Lawrence's published works and letters that went out of British copyright on 1 January 2006. In addition, UK copyright still covers writings by Lawrence that were first published after January 1, 1956. While the text of these writings cannot be posted, this site will tell you what they are, where to find them, and will identify them; each cite will include page references in the chronological and alphabetical contents lists.

`Lawrence of Arabia's' oddly-titled book is a worthy read that most people know by the stunning movie that made its central figure a household name. Before or after seeing the movie, this intriguing written chronicle of T.E. Lawrence's efforts to mold the Arabs of the Hejaz (part of today's Saudi Arabia) into a force that would throw off yoke of the Ottoman Turks and so break the weakest link of the First World War's Central Powers offers a beguiling peak into the mind of one of the twentieth century's most enigmatic figures.

We may never know how much of Lawrence's description of his outsider-insider role among the desert Arabs reflects fact and how much is fiction. No matter. He has written a fine piece of literature even if one grants him only the most tenuous link with events as they happened. This reviewer tends to concede Lawrence rather more than the minimum, as to find a little too detailed the revisionist literature that casts him in bohemian post.

Recent East-meets-West events in the Middle East lend Seven Pillars an aspect of déjà vu. Nine decades before American Special Forces were organizing the Kurds to harass the Baghdad government, Lawrence was working in an unofficial theatre of Britain's Mediterranean war, prodding the quarrelsome tribes to rise up in a sufficiently organized manner so as to break the Ottoman Empire's southeastern front and ease General Allenby's march through Palestine and Syria.

Then as too recently in our time, promises made by the regnant empire were not kept after the important risks had been taken. The Arabs got Damascus' glories back from the Turks and relegated that empire to relative obscurity. However, for reasons that had as much to do with lack of political vision among Arab leaders as with promises that Britain had made to Europe's Jews in its Balfourian moment and jostling by Britain and France for Middle Eastern supremacy, the Arabs never fulfilled the grand vision of pan-Arab unity and self-determination.

Lawrence claims to know that they never would. So, the reticence he feels about his `great fraud' grows as the Arab revolt accumulates victories even as it becomes ever more clear that they would not become more than convenient ancillaries of the victorious Brits.

In the midst of these geopolitical abstractions, Lawrence writes poignantly of those Arabs who have become his fellow travelers. Never quite becoming one of them, he nonetheless depicts his extraordinary role as a quasi-Westerner among them. Readers who have found some such entrance into an adoptive culture will both grimace and chuckle at the author's ironic comments upon the occasional British comrade-in-arms who joins him in the desert without exercising his ability to understand that the Arabs are his hosts rather than his subjects.

At a time when Western men in arms and men in armchairs--not to mention women in both--need as much as ever to comprehend that they are not the first to sketch out a future for the Arabs, Lawrence's classic is worth a dust-off and an enjoyable read. The news or your Arabic-speaking neighbor may look different when you lay down Seven Pillars--whatever its proportions of fact and fiction--and focus again.

I wanted something that was relevant to events in the Arab world in a context that I could understand. Aljazeera comes in English, it is plain enough to read, but I'm afraid I don't really understand it. I was looking for an understanding of the background of people native to Arab parts of the world with a focus on an audience that matched my demographic. What was it that lead up to this point? What things are familiar to these people? What things are taboo? What do they want? These are things I want to know.

Certainly most people have seen the movie. The movie is not why I read the book. I read it because it is a journal of an English man who was said to have "gone native" in the Arab world at a critical moment in its history. I felt I could relate to this man. To this end, the book illustrates the perspective very well.
I should not have been surprised that in the editions 600 or so pages that the story from the movie was a rather embellished minor episode in the book. There were many long treks across the desert in the book, not just one.

The book is very well illustrated. There are many drawings of people in the book. My only thought about the effort to include so many drawings is that there could have been a better map. Most of the book has to do with going from one place to another. It is a war story after all. I found myself looking for maps on Google.

My personal analysis is that the Arab history of this time places a fiercely independent people with strong family and tribal ties into a situation with the outside world lacking these benefits and encumberments. They did not appear to be nations as much as tribes and individuals. This thread at least still seems to be true to a degree. On the other hand, an outside man who was willing to adopt the dress, language and customs of the Arab world did quite well in securing trust and cooperation. It is clear to me that there is common ground. The Arab revolt during WWI was a struggle for freedom and recognition. Everyone wants that, so it makes a good story.

T.E. Lawerence was certainly an extraordinary figure in history based on his achievements with the Arabs during WWI but not all heroes are great writers and Lawrence is NOT a good writer. Do yourself a favor and get a book on Lawrence of Arabia by a professional history writer or although not exactly historically correct (but close enough) watch the fabulous movie "Lawrence of arabia". You will still get the true feeling of what it was like back then and what Lawrence was trying to accomplish. His book will just confuse the reader.

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. The resulting book, "Revolt In The Desert," 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 and is the foundation (albeit an abridged one) for which Lawrence wrote "Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph," currently under review.

Lawrence gave the title to this work as a tribute to an unpublished work of fiction about seven cities that he had intended the same name. "Wisdom hath builded a house: she hath hewn out her seven pillars." --Book of Proverbs (9th Chapter, 1st Verse).

Seven Pillars is an extraordinary book detailing the life of T.E. Lawrence during his exploits as an English Officer assigned to Cairo, Egypt. Lawrence became engaged in the role of a guerilla fighter, intent on fostering Arab unity while appearing to serve his military superiors. The target of his ire being, primarily, the Turkish army in occupation of a large part of the Middle East area which culminates in the liberation of Damascus. Lawrence was well known for harassing the Turkish occupation army and for destroying their rail lines and communications.

Lawrence, however, was wary of British Petroluem interests and was always aware of the Empire's colonial designs for the region.

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;" "Seven Pillars" is a fantastic first person account of an important part of English history which has has substantially affected the United States and the world.

Private by even today's standards, Lawrence did much to try to find anonymity upon his return to England, including enlisting in the RAF and Tank Corps under nom de guerres. Seven Pillars encompasses the extraordinary narrative of Lawrence's exploits and should occupy shelf space in every Anglophile and historian's library.

Without hesitation, unblushingly 5 stars.

Genral Abizaid quotes this book on a regular basis. The London Times (May 22, 2005) reports every American working as a liaison officer with the Arabs carries a copy of this book with them. This month's Army Magazine (online version, July, 2005) has an article called T.E. Lawrence and the Mind of an Insurgent. In it Genearl Giap (who whipped us in Viet Nam) is quoted as saying that Seven Pillars of Wisdom was his guerilla war bible, that he never went anywhere without it. My point is, T.E. Lawrence's well deserved reputation as a military genius has been fully restored after decades of angry revisionists taking out their frustration over the mess in the Middle East on Mr. Lawrence. This book is all things to all people. If you're looking for a vivid, intense description of war in the desert, this is where to go. If you want a damn good adventure story with well drawn characters, look no further. No better travel book has ever been written about the Middle East. Want to understand the Arab mind as well as a Westerner can? This is where to start. As a penetrating, revealing self analysis it has no equal. And, as General Giap and Abizaid have said, there is no better guide to guerilla war. This book is a masterpiece on every level and we should be so grateful we have it.

T. E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia, is not just a character in an overrated movie. I found him to be much more engaging in his print narrative, Seven Pillars of Wisdom. But even here, in purportedly a true account (that he later confessed was embellished), he comes across as a divided person. He tells the most personal of details (who among us would casually tell of being urinated on by a camel while lying half dead of some illness?) but retains a very remote, properly British reserve on every single page. This is my first complaint with Lawrence; he recites events very quickly and without much explanation. I think part of this comes from his target audience - British readers in the twenties, who would be expected to know more of the personal and place names. Still, there is virtually no background and even with the maps, trying to keep track of where he's going and what he's doing is difficult. Since I'm on the subject of problems, I'll bring up the other one, his honesty. Nowhere in the book itself does he say that he's embellishing anything. That admission came later in his life, so the text itself gives no hints as to what's true and what isn't. My best understanding is that he portrayed the Arabs as being more heroic and effective than they really were. If so, I have to wonder when. This matters because while the earlier parts of the book involved very up close and personal narratives of the battles and travels, later parts remain more remote, with Lawrence announcing that he sent of so-and-so number of fighters to some location where they routed the Turks in X number of days. If his embellishment was in this latter portion, then the damage is minor. Certainly there would be plenty of opportunity to simply state that the Arabs were good when they weren't. But if he made up the more detailed events of the earlier parts, then this is a serious problem. I'm inclined to think the former case is likely, since the early chapters aren't really all that flattering of Arabs. He often finds their mind-set to be maddening, though he was a student of the Middle East and spoke the language long before the war started. He comments once (somewhat obliquely) that British troops on maneuvers for extended periods by themselves could come into an Arab town, take a look at the available Arab women, and promptly turn to homosexuality. PC he is not.

Having sat through the movie version years ago with no real idea what it was about, it was nice to finally see what made Lawrence famous. Basically, during the First World War, he was tasked with trying to incite Arab nationalism against the Turks, who then controlled much of Arabia. He lived among them, trained them, and led raids. Typically, this involved attacks on Turkish trains and lightning raids on outposts and towns. Trying to keep the clannish Arabs focused on the bigger task proved a monumental undertaking, requiring among other things Lawrence's assurances that British promises of independence would be kept after the war's end. He expressed in the pages some curious guilt, believing that he was lying. Strictly speaking, he was, since the post-war peace did not work out exactly as planned (when do they ever?). Though outside the context of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the interested reader can find plenty of evidence that the Arab leaders were far from innocent babes in the post-war partitioning (see Karsh, Empires of the Sand for an example with complicated writing worthy of Lawrence). Lawrence gives them too little credit.

What still eludes me is the source of Lawrence's great fame. Not that his exploits are unimpressive. But how did anyone in the public find out about them at the time? This, however, is also a side issue. Lawrence tried, I think, to downplay his own actions. He was never happy with his own fame, later changing his name to Shaw just to avoid publicity (Shaw of Arabia just doesn't work, does it?). But overall, despite the clipped and remote style, the confusing movements and spellings (place names get different spellings on the same page), and his own efforts at obscuration, Seven Pillars of Wisdom still contains a truly heroic and inspiring bit of storytelling.

"In these pages," T.E. Lawrence writes in the Introductory Chapter of SEVEN PILLARS, "the history is not of the Arab movement, but of me in it. It is a narrative of daily life, mean happenings, little people. Here are no lessons for the world, no disclosures to shock peoples. It is filled with trivial things, partly that no one mistake for history the bones from which some day a man may make history, and partly for the pleasure it gave me to recall the fellowship of the revolt. We were fond together, because of the sweep of the open places, the taste of wild winds, the sunlight, and the hopes in which we worked" (p. 24).

"He was a poet, and a scholar, and a mighty warrior," one of the characters in Sir David Lean's 1962 movie, "Lawrence of Arabia," said about Lawrence. Like many readers, it was Lean's movie that prompted me to read Lawrence's personal account of the Arab revolt. Lawrence (1888-1935) was a British soldier (although it is unlikely that he ever considered himself a real soldier) who unified Arab factions against the occupying Turks in 1916. Written after World War I (1914-18) in 1919, SEVEN PILLARS follows Lawrence's guerrilla adventure through "the naked desert, under the indifferent heaven" (p. 29) and over the course of 660 pages into Damascus, Syria in October, 1918.

SEVEN PILLARS triumphs as a book in several ways. It may be read as Lawrence's unique, first-hand, account (drawn from his war-time notes) of the historical events later depicted in Lean's film. As such, SEVEN PILLARS is fascinating memoir and a great soldier's story, demonstrating Lawrence's keen memory and intellect. It may be read also as a "rare adventure" through a hostile Arabian environment (p. 158). As such, SEVEN PILLARS reads like an entertaining adventure novel, revealing Lawrence's talents as a writer. Or, it may be read as an insightful psychological study of the Arab mind wanting to chart its own course through history. As such, it will satisfy any reader interested in understanding the ongoing Middle East conflict.

G. Merritt

a flamboyant and intellectual British officer named T. E. Lawrence embarked on a journey to the Arab prince Feisal (later King Feisal I of Iraq) in the Hejaz (present-day Saudi Arabia), where he would eventually unite warring Arab tribes against the Turks, sabotage railroad lines, and rewrite the political history of the Middle East.

"Seven Pillars of Wisdom" is T(homas) E(dward) Lawrence's own adventure-strewn, lyrically written account of these events.

After watching Sir David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia," I wanted to read this book to find out the real story behind the film. It's an enjoyable read and I was surprised to find that the film is (for the most part) accurate. However, as you can imagine, the political situation in the film was simplified, some things were changed and a *great deal* of interesting people and events were omitted for time's sake. Here in the book, they are presented to us in full and colorful detail, just as Lawrence remembered them.

"Seven Pillars" is a fascinating examination of war, politics, loyalty and human psychology, as well as the Middle East and its people as Lawrence came to know them. It's not an easy read, but if you're willing to give it a little extra effort, you'll discover a book that's both exciting and insightful, whether your interest is in history (of the military or the Middle East), adventure, or just the memoirs of an uncommon man.

The book in its depth, scope and subject matter reminds me of A Bright and Shining Lie. As with that book, it suffers from an overload of details that are distracting to someone unfamiliar with the events. I'm sure that to so one more intimately familiar with the historical events of the time the book would be a fascinating and informative read. I though came away with the most from the chapters that stuck with broader historical and political commentary, rather than the specific names of who slept in what tent when, who owned which camel (and said camel's gender) and what ulitmately killed the camel (mange, dehydration, neglect, etc).

The complexity of the desert lies in not in its terrain or its people, but in its politics. The extreme economic scarcity inherent to the land has created a tangled web of inter-tribal alliances, loyalties, and rivalries that put medieval Europe to shame. In this book, T.E. Lawrence describes how he put his phenomenal understanding of this system to work, overcoming and manipulating tribal differences and clan rivalries, in driving the Ottoman Empire out of the Arabian peninsula.

As his irregular army fights and raids its way to Damascus, Lawrence's misgivings about his duty as an English soldier to serve England first, even if it means misleading the men who so trustingly follow him, is a source of great anguish. He clearly does not consider himself to be a "real" soldier, though he is expected to act as one. The double life he must lead wears him down greatly; he finally tires of the desert that he once loved, and requests to be sent home.

Though the tales of minor skirmishes and major battles as well as the humorous anecdotes are quite entertaining and captivating in their own right, the great strength of this book is in its description of the complex socio-political system of the Bedouin nomads of Arabia and the even more complex mind of its author.

After reading this book I read all 35 Amazon reviews and was surprised that everyone had missed the point of this masterpiece. TE Lawrence wrote a masterwork of pro-homosexual propaganda. This book is about what it is meant to be a homosexual in an early 20th Century heterosexual world through the metaphor of a deceitful British Officer operating as a leader helping to create an uprising in the Arabic War zone in the First World War. Two further twists are added to the metaphor as Arabic culture is essentially homosexual in nature and Lawrence is forced to lie about the real British motivations throughout his time in Arabia. (But please be clear I am not gay). Lawrence learned how to operate successfully in the (for him totally foreign) Arabic world in the same way that gays had to learn how to operate in the heterosexual world of the West. But also kept secret the true British military intentions for over seven years in the same way that turn of the century gays were forced to stay in their closets, never revealing their true motivations.

While the book is extremely long and uses a small font size, Lawrence's prose is exceedingly economical and many of his sentences are structured in a way that a good deal more is left unsaid, yet understood, than sneers from the pages. His contemptuous descriptions and scornful imagery of his fellow men make plain an underlying self-hatred that even thousands of hours of buttock pounding on a string of prize camels cannot relieve. The strongest and most irresistible impressions about Lawrence are formed during critical moments when he executes a man, turns his back on an armed robber and slowly rides away, gets horny when whipped by Turkish soldiers for refusing to service their officer, rides endless camel miles without complaint, repeatedly radically deprives himself of creature comforts, and uses an unassailable sense of irony whenever dealing with his commanding officers. Knowing that his past roles in the army included being one of the people that hand-colored military maps, reflected appropriately upon his character.

A good part of TE's current reputation was built by the 5 Oscar winning movie Lawrence of Arabia, but the movie is only loosely based on the book and takes only the story themes in the book that are most complimentary to TE and least aligned with history. The movie bests the book in scenery; the book wins in all other dimensions. TE's view of the world is not easily classified into a stereotype as he vacillates between extreme cynicism and innocent trust, and derisive commentary and respectful remarks. Nevertheless, he clearly had a world class intellect and the cunning of a terrorist. His insightful commentary on Arabs revealing them as tribal, inward-looking, blinkered, narrow-minded, unthinking, vengeful and insular explains why this book is still recommended reading at several leading Western military schools. By the end of the book, Lawrence was a real person, but not one I would like working on my team. His sarcastic, arrogant, disdainful, sardonic, acerbic, mordant, derogatory, uncomplimentary, depreciatory, critical, sniping, self-important, condescending, scathing, and mocking mindset would quickly tire me. Read the book if you want to fully understand why I wrote the sentence that way!!

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is fascinating from cover to cover. The book is on some levels Lawrence's study of himself as much as a history of the battles in which he was involved. He writes, "Any protestation of the truth from me was called modesty, self-depreciation. It always irritated me, this silly confusion of shyness, which was conduct, with modesty, which was a point of view... I was not modest, but ashamed of my awkwardness, of my physical envelope, of my solitary unlikeness which made me no companion, but an acquaintance, complete, angular, uncomfortable, as a crystal." This type of introspection is most uncommon in a military man.

Not a squeamish soldier, Lawrence was once forced into a situation in which he executed a murderer, and on another occasion he authorized "take no prisoners" after the Turks conducted one of their numerous brutal atrocities. But there were some things even Lawrence recognized as boundaries of civilized behavior best not transgressed. In the final chapters he explains why he thought better of his initial inclination to kill several petty warlords who were participating in and would in the future likely betray the Arab Revolt -- he did not want to teach his Arab followers that "precautionary murder" was a legitimate part of political struggle. One is left wondering what he would have to say about today's politicians who promote "preemptive defense" as a legitimate strategy and standing policy. At least Lawrence's terminology was far more honest and direct.

T.E. Lawrence narrates with passion and in his peculiar style the years he spent in the Middle East, first as archeologist before WWI then as "free agent" of the British government in its fight against Turkey and Germany during WWI. Lawrence knew from the beginning of the Arab campaign that he was a "fraud" because of the duplicity of the French and British. Lawrence rightly perceived that if the Arabs won the war against Turkey and its German ally, the powerbrokers of that time would steal from the Arabs the fruit of their victory. Promises of self-government afterwards would be dead paper. After the end of the hostilities, Lawrence skillfully advised King Feisal and his delegation to get as many of the spoils of war as possible from the victors at the Conference of Paris. After the conference, the French could largely be blamed for undermining the regime of King Feisal in Damascus and pushing him to ultimately leave for Baghdad. The contemporary Middle East could have been very different from what it is now. History has the annoying habit of repeating itself over time because of the widely shared inability of mankind to learn from past mistakes.

Despite Lawrence's disclaimer in his introduction, his "Seven Pillars of Wisdom A Triumph" offers valuable lessons to a contemporary audience to better understand the enduring complexity of the Middle East. Whoever has had the chance to journey through the Middle East can vividly remember at least some locations that Lawrence describes. The Middle East is one of the cradles of the Western civilization. Its cultural heritage is almost unmatched. The ancient law of hospitality is not an urban legend, but remains a reality of which Semitic people can be proud. Lawrence understood very well that condescending attitude towards Semitic people could only backfire. Treating its inhabitants with respect and understanding earned him their enduring trust. For those who have not had the opportunity to crisscross the region, Lawrence's narration provides a rare opportunity to gain valuable insights into the minds of Semitic nations. For example:

Lawrence observed that Semitic people were not inclined to compromise, pursing the logic of their respective incompatible opinions to absurd ends, without perceiving the incongruity (pg. 38). Does it not sound familiar for example in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today?

British forces won battle after battle against the Turks in Iraq until they reached Ctesiphon, where they met pugnacious enemy troops, and were abruptly checked. They fell back, dazed. Until the end of WWI, the British in Iraq remained an occupying force, with the local people passively neutral or sullenly against them (pg. 59-60, 636). Does that assessment not sound similar to the experience of the Coalition forces in Iraq today? Working tirelessly by both indirect influence and education rather than by forceful direction is key to avoid becoming or remaining a target practice.

Extreme patience was another lesson to Lawrence of what native leadership meant (pg. 122). Lawrence felt that Semitic people were looking for a stranger to lead them, one whose supremacy should be based on an idea: illogical, undeniable: which instinct might accept and reason find no rational basis to reject or approve (pg. 234). Would this not ring true to the ears of the architects of the road map to peace? External will power exercised on all sides with the same strength is necessary to get out of the current impasse in the Middle Eastern peace process.

The dream of both Lawrence and King Feisal is not dead. One day, the Middle East will be united in an Islamic Economic Community, precursor of an Islamic Union that has Islam, democracy and economic liberalism as its three founding pillars. There is no need for an old-fashioned caliphate. The capital of the future Islamic Economic Community could be, for example, in Amman or Dubai to avoid unhealthy rivalries between the larger and more powerful Semitic nations. Israel and the would-be Islamic Economic Community could be linked peacefully after the relationship existing between the European Union and The European Free Trade Association.

The is a book about men for men... About 7800 names appear in the book, half of them 'Ali' and all of them male. And it is in a way a glorification of terrorism -- at least terrorist tactics, albeit devoted to an arguably noble end. So I think I might never have read it had I not been urged on by a close friend...
But it's one of those few books which has genuinely altered my perspective. I find I keep bringing it up in conversation. Whatever one may say about the veracity of the statements made -- I gather they are to some degree in doubt -- there is no doubt about the depth of Lawrence's character. He writes beautifully -- completely beautifully.

The book is a sort of odd combination of psychology, history and fabulous anecdotes -- many of the best of which did not appear in the movie, by the way...

Lawrence, of course, loved Arabia, and clearly had very profound reservations about what he did. He questioned the validity of involving himself in the future of the Arabs to the degree that he did. He clearly felt it might have future unforeseen consequences. And he spends a fair amount of time candidly exposing his own motivations and doubts.

The picture he presents of the Bedou is generous. Nevertheless, it's hard not to be left with some sense of amazement at the extent to which diplomacy was necessary and the skill with which Lawrence was able to pull it off. Auda after being insulted on one occasion has to be physically tied down for a half hour -- otherwise everyone felt sure he would have killed several people. Such people in most Western nations are locked up. But what we throw out in this culture, Lawrence regards as material that he uses to create a sort of work of art -- some of Lawrence's reservations about his actions were rooted in an awareness that it was to some degree a form of self expression. So Auda gets untied and put at the head of an army composed of men some of whom he would otherwise have shot on sight.

As a woman, I'd feel a little less left out if it were a little less great.