Lawrence of Arabia: The authorised biography of T. E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson.

Lawrence of Arabia: The authorised biography of T. E. Lawrence by Jeremy Wilson.  Hardcover book published by Heinemann 1990, 1188 pages with a few black and white photographs and illustrations.

This is a large daunting volume by anyones standards.  The sort of book that requires commitment and care to both the book and the reader.  I read it many years ago and I can’t quite remember how I managed it at the time, but obviously I did despite its unwieldiness.  What I do remember is that the book opened up the whole world of Lawrence to me which lead me to read Seven Pillars of Wisdom.  To this day, Seven Pillars is a book that I look upon as a milestone in my reading history and as being a must read for anyone else interested in reading.  I’ve found a few copies over recent years and have had no difficulty in selling it either by recommendation or by fulfilling requests.  Those of you that know the book, know what I’m talking about.  Those of you that don’t…. click here.  Just last weekend I had two separate customers ask me for anything about Lawrence and I did manage to sell a copy of the letters which from memory were edited by the author of this biography.  Lawrence still has many admirers and his relevance, legacy and controversy is worth mentioning in relation to the current issues that plague the Middle East and most recently Syria.  Not bad for a guy that has been dead for more than 75 years.  If you don’t know what the “relevance, legacy and controversy” is all about, I know of a book that should sort this.