Setting the desert on fire : T.E. Lawrence and Britain's secret war in Arabia, 1916-1918 / James Barr

Includes bibliographical references (p. [355]-362) and index.

Key figures in this book -- Maps -- A note on the text -- Prologue -- A clear-thinking hatchet man -- Will this do? -- The uprising starts and stutters -- The blame game begins -- The French arrive -- This was the man -- Crisis over Rabigh -- Turning point -- Wajh -- The first railway raids -- Differences over tactics -- Fighting for us on a lie -- Stalemate in the Hijaz -- Triumph at Aqaba -- The impact of Aqaba -- Impolitic truths -- Difficult times -- Gaza and Yarmuk : victory and failure -- Dara or Azrak : where was Lawrence? (15-21 November 1917) -- The Balfour declaration and its aftermath -- Fighting de luxe -- New conditions -- A complete muck-up -- Preparing for the push -- Holding operations -- The Dara raid -- The road to Damascus -- A house with no door -- Epilogue.

Greed and intrigue combine explosively in this gripping tale of how the mercurial Lawrence of Arabia changed the Middle East forever. It was T. E. Lawrence's classicSeven Pillars of Wisdomthat made the Arab Revolt a legend and helped turn the British intelligence officer into the mythical "Lawrence of Arabia." But the intrigue behind the revolt and its startling consequences for the present-day Middle East have remained a mystery for nearly one hundred years. James Barr spent four years trawling declassified archives in Europe and crossing the hostile deserts of the Middle East to re-create the revolt as the international drama it really was. A colorful cast of Arab sheiks, British and French soldiers, spies, and diplomats come together in this gripping narrative of political maneuvering, guerrilla warfare, and imperial greed.Setting the Desert on Fireis a masterly account of a key moment in the history of the Middle East, and a portrait of Lawrence himself that is bright, nuanced, and full of fresh insights into the true nature of the master mythmaker.