Setting the Desert on Fire: T. E. Lawrence and Britain’s Secret War in Arabia, 1916-1918

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‘Packs as much punch as one of Lawrence’s train-blowing explosives’ – Sunday Times

‘Barr’s cogent, vividly written book puts Lawrence centre stage but does not lose sight of the uprising’s larger historical context’ – Financial Times

‘[Barr] introduces fresh materials to give new context to Lawrence and the present difficulties in Iraq’ – The Times
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The full story behind the desert revolt made famous by T.E. Lawrence in Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the film Lawrence of Arabia

It is 1916. The Allies are struggling in the Great War. The Ottoman Sultan calls for a pan-Islamic jihad against all non-Muslims except Germans. But Sharif Husein, ruler of the holy city of Mecca, is smarting under Turkish rule, fomenting Arab nationalism and lobbying the British to support him. It seems to the British a good idea secretly to encourage an Arab revolt.

Setting the Desert on Fire is a masterly account of this key moment made legendary by T. E. Lawrence, but here filled with a wide range of characters including the British Prime Minister Lloyd George, whose desire to capture ‘Jerusalem by Christmas’ had consequences that reverberate to this day.

Review

Barr expertly navigates an intriguing landscape of shifting alliances and labyrinthine politics peopled with eccentric characters to demystify a fascinating legend.– “Publishers Weekly”

[James] Barr has written a compact, scrupulously accurate chronicle of the revolt and Lawrence’s role in it, utilizing previously unavailable archival material…An excellent general history of a widely misunderstood struggle that largely defined the shape of the modern Middle East.– “Booklist”

A tightly-focused, fast-paced account…Mr. Barr’s achievement is to tell Lawrence’s story more clearly and objectively, helping to make sense of a complex war fought in an unfamiliar land and language.–Adam Kirsch “New York Sun”

About the Author

James Barr is the author of Setting the Desert on Fire. During the research for A Line in the Sand he was a Visiting Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford. He lives in London.