This 128 page paperback version may be a good read. I don't know, haven't read it. My copy is the 946 page hardcover edition. It is thorough, balanced and an excellent read. If you can find that version, get it!

Using extensive documentation, including documents unreleased by the British government when earlier, more speculative biographies were written, Jeremy Wilson produced a phenomenal work of great scope and power. The book may be too exhaustive for casual readers, who will find the reams of speculative nonsense written about Lawrence more to their liking. Wilson also carefully deconstructs many precious Lawrence myths: that Lawrence was homosexual, for instance, is unproven (there's no evidence that he was sexual at all); that he made up large portions of his adventures is also proven untrue -- though in his later writings he sometimes shaped a story to sound better and certainly he had to dance around descriptions of his intelligence work. But these are both side issues. Lawrence lived a life of tremendous accomplishment in the First World War, but in other fields, such as archaeology and literature. Wilson is fair, and corrects Lawrence's own accounts when necessary. This is not a work of hagiography. It is the most well-documented biography of Lawrence, and Wilson quotes primary documentation extensively -- perhaps too extensively. It's a must for the library of any Lawrence fan, and the only necessary secondary reference work for anyone who wants the truth about Lawrence. Those who require something more nonsensical and speculative in their diet may add Knights "Secret Lives of Lawrence of Arabia".

I had previously read the Robert Graves book on Lawrence. This was far more superior. It was engrossing, detailed and made me want to know more about this incredible man. There didn't seem to be any bias for or against Lawrence by the author. It moved quickly. It's apparent that he did a very detailed job of researching Lawrence. I am know looking for other books that might uncover even more information. Enjoy!

I hesitated in buying this translation of the Odyssey having grown up with verse translations, most notably that of Fitzgerald. A prose translation somehow put me off; it seemed like the very meaning of Homer's words would be rendered into something different. One day, I read about the translation that T. E. Lawrence had made and, intrigued, I decided to read it for myself. I was very glad that I did.

Lawrence made his translation with an eye for the details and color of the text. He claimed that his experiences in the war in Arabia helped him to understand the writer of the Odyssey, and I think this did aid him in his approach to his translation. The introduction to this printing of Lawrence's translation provides an interesting comparison to another widely used prose rendering of the Odyssey, and one can instantly discover how much more vivid and faithful Lawrence is to the original. So, Lawrence's Odyssey is a translation I will return to in my future reading of this classic tale.

I have read the Odyssey several times in several translations, and this one, by the famed "Lawrence of Arabia" is the best of them all. No other translation that I have read makes this classic more readable and more enjoyable. Some translations plod, and obscure the excitement of the original, this one turns it into a real page-turner. If you've never read Homer and wonder which of the many translations to read, this is the one; I can recommend no other to introduce "newbies" to the classic world of epic fantasy and adventure.

T.E. Lawrence (the English officer who brought together the various peoples of the Arabian peninsula against the Ottoman Empire during World War I; better known as Lawrence of Arabia) called the epic poem "The Odyssey" by the Greek poet Homer "the oldest book worth reading for its story, and the first novel of Europe". The tale of King Odysseus, struggling to return to his home of Ithaca and his family after the Trojan War, is one on par with the finest of contemporary fantasy. Combining as it does a sprawling saga of a ten-year adventure with such fabulous creatures as the Cyclops Polyphemus, the hideous man-devouring Scylla, and the lethally-alluring Sirens with many of the gods of the ancient Greek pantheon (Athene, Poseidon, Calypso, Hermes, and others besides), one can even today marvel at its author's imagination and ingenuity. Then too there is the rich humanity of its mortal characters; the cunning Odysseus, his virtuous wife Penelope, his stalwart son Telemachus, the boorish suitors of Penelope, Eurymachus and Antinous, the august king Menelaus, and a great many more. It is a heady mixture. Lawrence's prose translation is written with a lyrical, romantic deftness. It harkens back to the high epic stories of Sir Walter Scott. But Lawrence never minimizes the sometimes brutal craftiness of Odysseus, nor his casual unfaithfulness to his wife, nor yet his still tender yearning for her and his son. And Lawrence glories in the ancient Greek tradition of "manly tales, manfully told", both in the novel itself and in Odysseus's recounting of his journey to his benefactors. Here indeed is a true flavor of those olden times. As wild and magnificent today as it was 2,500 years ago, "The Odyssey", in whatever form it takes, is still a story by which all other tales of fantastic adventure can be measured.

This is an amazing book. I have read several biographies about T. E. Lawrence that deal mostly with his campaign in the Middle East and his life in the ranks. What a surprise to meet Lawrence , the sensitive man of letters, in this well documented book which, by the way, is not a biography. Lawrence's criticism of famous and less known writers and poets never leave you indifferent.I highly recommend it to readers who are interested in literature and who, like me, believe that T.E. Lawrence was a far more profound man than "Lawrence of Arabia".

Okay, so I haven't actually read the book, but there haven't yet been any reviews and so it might be useful to provide something which fills the space. I do know, however, that Mr. Orlans is my uncle, and so I have at least some idea of the care, work, and time that went into writing this book. It's probably well-done and worth reading.

Having read everything ever written on Lawrence, and even written a book myself, I can unconditionally state that this is the best book in the field. I unconditionally reccomend it to all readers, whether neophytes wanting to learn about the "myth behind the man," or seasonsed Lawrence experts. Although each essay shines in its own way, Stang's stands out as a major new contribution to Lawrence scholarship.

Having read everything ever written on Lawrence, and even written a book on him myself, I can state without qualification that this book contains the best work ever produced on Lawrence "of Arabia." I reccomend it both to the first-time reader wanting to go beyond the Lawrence of legend, and to the long-time academic devotee of the military and intellectual career of this icon of the 20th century. Although each essay is excellent in its own way, Stang's stands out as a pillar of Lawrence scholarship.

This book is a insight into the world at the dawn of the 20th century. This is a sweeping comprehensive factual account that should be in the collection fo any book reader.

Indy and his father and mother go to Egypt in 1908 and meet T.E. Lawrence or Lawrence of Arabia. They all go on an expadition and find the tomb of Kah and when the man responsable for guarding the tomb dies, Indy fears the curse of the mummy's tomb has come true. You, dear reader, will be taken on adventure to the Pyramids and you will meat some facinating people along the way.

I read this because of my great love of the movie. Interesting enough, this is the first time that the real life was far more interesting than the myth. What happened in Arabia might have been his coup de grace of achievements, but hardly the only aspect that makes him a ledgend. He was an archeologist, thinker, writer, humanitarian, culturalist, adventurist, and only a military genious by circumstance. This book makes it all clear and vivid.

I have read biographies before, but none that held on to my imagination so tightly while still using the historical records. I am only sorry that it has the unfortunate sub-title as authorized biography because many who think it will be a dry "whitewashed" examination of his life will miss a wonderful book. I can't heap praise on this book, and the life of T.E. Lawrence, enough. There might be books with far different and valid interpretations, but hardly as fun and interesting to read. The size of the book at nearly a thousand pages is worth every bit of paper printed on it. I guess I should congradulate the author for a fine presentation of a wonderful character.

The best book on the making of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA. This is really a beautiful book. It contains many color photographs and artwork on David Lean's masterpiece. It covers every aspect of production. I refer to it constantly. Indispensable. A must have.

Young Indiana Jones is on a two-year lecture tour with his mother and father and they stop in Oxford to pick up his privit toture Miss Semore and they head to Egypt, the first country of the lecture tour. while there indy meets T.E. Larence or ned and uncovers a mummy and solvs a murder.

Reporters have been known, now and then, to play fast and loose with the facts to entertain their readers or elevate themselves. This phenomenon is not limited to our own age. For proof, look no further than Lowell Thomas' fanciful volume, With Lawrence in Arabia. In 1917, Thomas was a 25-year-old part-time instructor at Princeton, a "fledgling showman from Ohio who had knocked about North America in search of fame, fortune and adventure," according to historian David Fromkin (A Peace to End All Peace). Thomas then raised enough money to travel to Britain and the Middle East front as a World War I cameraman. With his coverage began the Lawrence of Arabia myth.

Eight copies of Seven Pillars of Wisdom were published by Oxford in 1922 (six still exist). The first limited edition was followed in 1926 with the private publication of 211 copies of the book. In 1935 another limited run was published. But the same year, Seven Pillars was reprinted at least four more times. Now, there have probably been dozens, if not hundreds of printings.

This work assured T. E. Lawrence a place in history as 'Lawrence of Arabia'. It is a military history, colorful epic and lyrical exploration of Lawrence's mind.

Nevertheless, it is largely fiction. Fromkin writes that when poet and scholar Robert Graves proposed to describe the liberation of Damascus in a biography of Lawrence, the subject himself warned Graves, "I was on thin ice when I wrote the Damascus chapter...."

A onetime junior officer in the Cairo Arab Bureau, Lawrence admitted that Seven Pillars of Wisdom included a false tale of Arab bravery to aggrandize the followers of Sharif Hussein of Mecca and his son Feisal. Indeed, as early as 1818, reputable newsmen reported that the Australian Light Horse division liberated Damascus from Ottoman control, not Feisal's Arab troops, who marched in afterwards, for show.

By 1921, Fromkin writes, Winston Churchill was in charge of Britain's Arab policy in Mesopotamia and tapped John Evelyn Shuckburgh to head a new Middle East department and Foreign Office man Hubert Winthrop Young to assist him. They arranged transport and supplies for Feisal's Arab army, earning hearty endorsement from Churchill's Masterson Smith committee, which simultaneously took grave exception to T.E. Lawrence as a proposed Arab affairs adviser. The committee considered Lawrence "not the kind of man fit to easily fit into any official machine."

Fromkin reports that Lawrence was frequently insubordinate, went over his superiors and in 1920 publicly disparaged Britain's Arab policy in the London Sunday Times as being "worse than the Turkish system." He also accused Britain of killing "a yearly average of 100 Arabs to maintain peace." This was of course untrue.

Efraim and Inari Karsh write, in Empires of the Sand, that Lawrence's Damascus victory was "less heroic" than he pretended. Feisal was "engaged in an unabashed exercise in duplicity and none knew this better than Lawrence, who whole heartedly endorsed this illicit adventure and kept most of its contours hidden from his own superiors." Yet Lawrence basked in the limelight Thomas created in London, attending at least five of the showman journalist's lectures.

As an unfortunate result of Lawrence's subterfuge, he had a large hand in shaping the modern Middle East.

Bad enough, we suffer to this day the consequences of Lawrence's fabrications.

Worse, a new generation of readers seems to accept as gospel the Lawrence of Arabia myth that stemmed from Lowell Thomas' hype and Lawrence's own Seven Pillars of Wisdom. While few seem to know it, this was long ago debunked. Those who want to know what really happened should at minimum also consult Fromkin's A Peace to End All Peace and the Karsh's Empires of the Sand. Alyssa A. Lappen

Those who enjoyed David Lean's magnificent "Lawrence of Arabia" and picked this book up wanting to gain a deeper insight into T E Lawrence will be sorely disappointed if they expected to see the film reflected clearly in the book. True, the main incidents in the film are there in the book, albeit in a totally different context: you begin to realise how freely Robert Bolt (and presumably Lean himself) adapted Lawrence's account to make the film hang together more dramatically.

Many of the previous reviewers have commented that the book is a rewarding if demanding read, that it doesn't really "get going" until about 100 pages in, and that the constant shifts of scene and entrances and exits of characters are sometimes difficult to follow. All that is true - a friend of mine advised that Lawrence is easier to read about than to read. But I felt that choppy nature of the narrative was inevitable when one considers the type of warfare Lawrence describes: hit-and-run guerilla action undertaken by (often mutually antagonistic) Bedouin tribes. Just as Lawrence's raiding parties would emerge at unexpected places out of the desert, so the reader must be prepared for the text to jump from location to location, event to event, and must I suppose be prepared for much of the text (particularly the first 100 pages) to be devoted to how Lawrence managed to muster support both from the Arabs and from the British.

Parts of the book will remain with me for a long time - for example - Lawrence's descriptions of how he dug his camel out of the snow, the descriptions of the Bedouins' eating habits, the non-romantic description of life in the desert (defecating camels, infestations of lice and so on). However, what does come over is Lawrence as a tortured soul: he both loves and despises the Bedouin; professes that he knew from the start that the British (and therefore he himself) were merely using the Arabs against the Turks and would not honour their promises at the end of the War; is both proud (particularly of Allenby) and ashamed of the British; and is both spiritually and physically attracted to the Bedouin men, yet embarrassed by this.

It helps to have even a superficial knowledge of the Middle East campaigns in World War One: I felt that the danger of not having that overview is that one would tend to think that Lawrence's campaign was the pivotal factor in those campaigns rather than a contributory one (Allenby's campaigns are referred to only obliquely by Lawrence, even though in the later stages of the book he does emphasise the supportive role he was playing). Fair enough, as Lawrence was not writing a general history of the campaigns, but I feel (as my friend advised) that reading about Lawrence now that I have read him would be interesting.

Movies are often more dazzling than the events they are based upon, but this is a rare instance in which even Hollywood and David Lean could not do justice to their larger than life subject matter. Although Lawrence seemed to think he was writing a history of WWI in the middle east, his account of the war is episodic and confusing. But that doesn't matter at all. This is one of the most astounding adventure stories ever told, all the more amazing because it's true. Or, if you're not an adventure enthusiast, read it as a travelogue of the middle east. Lawrence will fascinate you with such seemingly prosaic things as the texture of the Arabian sand. In many ways, this is one of the greatest books ever written. Lawrence was, however, a product of his times. His attitude toward the Arab people vascillates between admiration and patronization, and some readers might find this aspect of the book distasteful.