Seven Pillars of Wisdom

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Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the autobiographical account of T.E. Lawrence - also known as 'Lawrence of Arabia' - of his service in the Arab Revolt during the First World War, published in Penguin Modern Classics. 
 
Although 'continually and bitterly ashamed' that the Arabs had risen in revolt against the Turks as a result of fraudulent British promises of self-rule, Lawrence led them in a triumphant campaign which revolutionized the art of war. Seven Pillars of Wisdom recreates epic events with extraordinary vividness. In the words of E. M. Forster, 'Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, Lawrence has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams'. However flawed, T.E. Lawrence is one of the twentieth century's most fascinating figures. This is the greatest monument to his character and achievements, and formed the basis for the Oscar-winning film Lawrence of Arabia, staring Peter O'Toole and Alec Guinness. 
 
This edition includes maps, drawings by Eric Kennington, and index of place names and a preface by A.W. Lawrence. 
 
Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935) was born in Wales and educated at Jesus and Magdalen Colleges, Oxford. He was commissioned on the outbreak of the First World War and in 1917 was officially attached to the staff of the Hejaz expeditionary force, under General Wingate. After the war, Lawrence was Advisor on Arab Affairs in the Middle Eastern Division of the Colonial Office. In 1927, embarrassed with the 'Lawrence of Arabia' legend, he changed his name by deed poll to Shaw'. In addition to this book, of which Lawrence lost almost the whole manuscript at Reading station in 1919, he wrote Revolt in the Desert (1927) and The Odyssey of Homer (1935), a translation in prose. 
 
If you enjoyed Lawrence of Arabia, you might also like Wilfred Thesiger's Desert Sands, available in Penguin Classics. 
 
'I am not much of a hero-worshipper, but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world' 
John Buchan, author of The Thirty-Nine Steps

Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935) was born in Wales and educated at Jesus and Magdalen Colleges, Oxford. He was commissioned on the outbreak of the First World War and in 1917 was officially attached to the staff of the Hejaz expeditionary force, under General Wingate. After the war, Lawrence was Advisor on Arab Affairs in the Middle Eastern Division of the Colonial Office. In 1927, embarrassed with the 'Lawrence of Arabia' legend, he changed his name by deed poll to Shaw'. In addition to Seven Pillars of Wisdom, of which Lawrence lost almost the whole manuscript at Reading station in 1919, he wrote Revolt in the Desert (1927) and The Odyssey of Homer (1935), a translation in prose.

Although 'continually and bitterly ashamed' that the Arabs had risen in revolt against the Turks as a result of fraudulent British promises of self-rule, Lawrence led them in a triumphant campaign which revolutionized the art of war. 
 
Seven Pillars of Wisdom recreates epic events with extraordinary vividness. In the words of E. M. Forster, 'Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams'. However flawed, Lawrence is one of the twentieth century's most fascinating figures. This is the greatest monument to his character and achievements.

T. E. Lawrence

Robert Fisk

It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language.As a narrative of war and adventure...it is unsurpassable

Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams

I am not much of a hero-worshipper but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is one of the major statements about the fighting experience of the First World War

More recently he has won an amazing new reputation as the most perceptive writer on the subject of guerrilla warfare, so that his memoir about the Arab Revolt - Seven Pillars Of Wisdom, the basis for the movie - is now a "must read" in Iraq. It is the best textbook for conventional forces facing the problem of having to cope with an enemy who has no known rules, who emerges out of nowhere and strikes at random

His book is still a wonderful, exciting and sometimes moving account of a great adventure

Seven Pillars, elegantly written and deservedly regarded as a classic, also remains fascinating in its own right, as military history, for its close observation of the desert life of the nomadic Arab tribesmen, and perhaps most of all for its insights into the character of the still-enigmatic Lawrence

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom is about the war in the desert in the way that Moby Dick is about catching a whale

I was asked to write a preface for the latest edition and realised why Churchill called it one of the "greatest books ever written in the English language

WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY ROBERT FISK 
 
Seven Pillars of Wisdom is an unusual and rich work. It encompasses an account of the Arab Revolt against the Turks during the First World War alongside general Middle Eastern and military history, politics, adventure and drama. It is also a memoir of the soldier known as 'Lawrence of Arabia'.Lawrence is a fascinating and controversial figure and his talent as a vivid and imaginative writer shines through on every page of this, his masterpiece. Seven Pillars of Wisdom provides a unique portrait of this extraordinary man and an insight into the birth of the Arab nation

T. E. Lawrence

Praise for Seven Pillars of Wisdom

It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language.As a narrative of war and adventure...it is unsurpassable

Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams

I am not much of a hero-worshipper but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world

It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language.As a narrative of war and adventure...it is unsurpassable

Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams

I am not much of a hero-worshipper but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world

It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language.As a narrative of war and adventure...it is unsurpassable

Round this tent-pole of a military chronicle, T. E. has hung an unexampled fabric of portraits, descriptions, philosophies, emotions, adventures, dreams

I am not much of a hero-worshipper but I could have followed T.E. Lawrence over the edge of the world

Books by T. E. Lawrence

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