Lawrence and the Arabs

T. E. Lawrence began his lifelong affair with the Middle East as a student at Oxford, taking a four-month walking tour of Syria to study the Crusaders' castles. He later returned to the area as an archaeologist and was attached to British Army Intelligence in Egypt at the outbreak of World War I. In 1916, he set out on his greatest adventure: with no backing, Lawrence joined Arab forces facing almost insurmountable odds in a rebellion against Turkish domination. His brilliance as a desert-war strategist made him a hero among the Arabs and a legend throughout the world, earning him the moniker "Lawrence of Arabia." But his near-pathological dislike of publicity led him to a life of self-imposed obscurity as T. E. Shaw, anonymous RAF soldier. This is the official biography of a unique leader of men whose larger-than-life presence still echoes.

T. E. Lawrence began his lifelong affair with the Middle East as a student at Oxford, taking a four-month walking tour of Syria to study the Crusaders' castles. He later returned to the area as an archaeologist and was attached to British Army Intelligence in Egypt at the outbreak of World War I. In 1916, he set out on his greatest adventure: with no backing, Lawrence joined Arab forces facing almost insurmountable odds in a rebellion against Turkish domination. His brilliance as a desert-war strategist made him a hero among the Arabs and a legend throughout the world, earning him the moniker "Lawrence of Arabia." But his near-pathological dislike of publicity led him to a life of self-imposed obscurity as T. E. Shaw, anonymous RAF soldier. This is the official biography of a unique leader of men whose larger-than-life presence still echoes.

Robert Graves was one of the leading English men of letters in the twentieth century. Born in 1895, he fought in World War I and won international acclaim in 1929 with the publication of his autobiography, Goodbye to All That, an appraisal of the effect of the war on his generation. After the war, he was granted a Classical Scholarship at Oxford and subsequently went to Egypt as the first professor of English at the University of Cairo. He is most noted for his series of novels about the Roman Emperor Claudius, and his works on mythology such as The White Goddess. He died in 1986.

Robert Graves was one of the leading English men of letters in the twentieth century. Born in 1895, he fought in World War I and won international acclaim in 1929 with the publication of his autobiography, Goodbye to All That, an appraisal of the effect of the war on his generation. After the war, he was granted a Classical Scholarship at Oxford and subsequently went to Egypt as the first professor of English at the University of Cairo. He is most noted for his series of novels about the Roman Emperor Claudius, and his works on mythology such as The White Goddess. He died in 1986.