Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1935

Brasch D568.4 LD43 1935

London: Jonathan Cape

As a child, Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935), ‘developed a taste for archaeology and chivalry’. His first visit to the Middle East was in 1909 when he visited Syria and Lebanon. In 1911, he returned to Syria as an employee of the British Museum, and took part in an archaeological dig, staying for three years. At the start of WWI, he joined the British Intelligence Service in the Middle East; he knew the region well and could speak Arabic. During the War, he sympathised with, and fought on the side of the local Arabs in their bid to gain political independence from the Ottoman Empire. Seven Pillars of Wisdom is Lawrence’s narrative of the Arab Revolt, which ends with the liberation of Damascus in October 1918. The image above is how most people picture the man who became the celebrated Lawrence of Arabia.