Seven Pillars of Wisdom

The book is delightful. This Wilder Publications edition is terrible. I would reiterate the comments from these reviews: https://smile.amazon.com/Evolution-Revolt-T-Lawrence/dp/1495965481/ref=pd_rhf_se_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1495965481&pd_rd_r=4F0CBYC58Z75ZXRNWW9V&pd_rd_w=VpxAK&pd_rd_wg=wrfbt&psc=1&refRID=4F0CBYC58Z75ZXRNWW9V There are may serious errors in the text making it difficult to read. For example: Substituting "me" instead of "the" for every "the" for several pages; substituting "doth" for "cloth"; substituting "mends" for god-knows-what; missing punctuation; paragraph breaks mid-sentence. Try another publisher's version and avoid this one.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a great book, and you should read it. BUT; the Wilder Publications version on this Amazon page (gray cover, paperback, with a painting of T.E. Lawrence in Arab regalia and with "The Complete 1922 Text" in White on a black background SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS!!!Why?This was clearly put together by some sort of scanned image to text program that has a ton of flaws! Punctuation, capitalization, and paragraphs are all messed up - some letters are transcribed into numbers - because of this some sentences are puzzling to decipher, the publisher should be ashamed!This is especially terrible when one considers the amount of time T.E. Lawrence put into obsessing over the details while writing this book (punctuation, how paragraphs began and ended on specific pages, etc...)I'm disappointed this review will probably be lost in the sea of appropriate praise for this book and more people will probably end up disappointed with this piece of crap.

Colonel T.E. Lawrence, aka, “Lawrence of Arabia,” narrates his adventures in organizing and fighting Arab guerilla force that battled the Turks in World War I. In so doing he met and overcame many obstacles that ultimately enabled his unit to effectively support General Allenby’s conventional attack that defeated both the Turks and their German allies. His is a little-known story that deserves to be told. To accomplish his task Lawrence first had to assimilate himself into the tribal culture that was Arabia of 1916-1918. He learned to speak Arabic, rode a camel, wore Arab garb and ate Arab cuisine. By doing so he convinced the tribes to put away their centuries old feuds and unite to fight a common enemy, the Turks.Next, he battled overwhelming obstacles such as the vast, inhospitable terrain that was Arabia where supplies such as weapons, food and that most precious of all commodities, water were scarce. Taking all these factors into consideration he made use of all of them and effectively used them to his advantage against the enemy. His campaign against Turkish supply lines serves as a textbook for unconventional warfare today!The mission of U.S. Army Special Forces is to recruit and train indigenous forces and, on occasion conduct direct action missions. British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill organized his Commando units for that purpose in World War II. President John F. Kennedy did likewise in Vietnam. Conceivably Lawrence was the inspiration for them both. He could rightfully be called the first Commando and/or the first Green Beret!The campaign in Middle East is a little-known chapter of the first world war. Seven Pillars shows how guerilla forces can greatly assist conventional units. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have spurred renewed interest this coordination that began over a century ago. His is a great read that has great historical significance and contains valuable lessons for today!

Overall, I enjoyed the book, primarily the first-hand accounts of Lawrence's actions during WWI. It meandered quite a bit and was often confusing. The writing style is sometimes painful; it's not what I'd call an 'easy read.'Having already seen the movie, it was interesting to see how Hollywood depicted some of Lawrence's allies. The story took place almost 100 years ago. I mention it because, even today, it provides several insights on the region which explain current middle eastern issues, from both sides.At times, it is a rambling account of whatever seemed to be on his mind at the moment he wrote it. At other times, it was a very detailed oriented account of his actions helping lead the Arab Revolt. The problem is that it is very hard to follow the characters, who they are, their background. For example, if he wrote "I was surprised someone like Abdul would do this," you wondered exactly who Abdul was and what it was about his character, probably previously described, that made his actions a surprise. Also, in addition to having a list of major characters, I would buy an edition which has a MAP -- or you should have one ready. I found myself googling period maps to track his travels and his actions.I'm thinking about purchasing the Lowell account to see if it is a bit more coherent in style and content since Lawrence's is a very compelling story, and I'd like to learn more..

I decided to read Seven Pillars of Wisdom after reading Michael Korda's excellent biography on T. E. Lawrence, in order to put some flesh on the bones, so to speak. I have no intention of attempting a scholarly review as any attempt at an analysis of the man, the history of events and the politics of the region require more insightful discussion than there is space for. Nevertheless, here are my thoughts.For me, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is essentially three books in one. Firstly, it is Lawrence's own indepth self anaylsis of his role in the Arab Revolt. However, this is by no means a superficial assessment but probes his own motives and judgements. And at times these reflections border on philosophical thinking and require two or three readings to fully appreciate what he is trying to reveal. In addition, it must be remembered that Lawrence was a Oxford scholar in Edwardian England and some of the vocabulary can be a bit flowery at times. But the time spent mulling over his words eventually brings rich rewards.Secondly, it is a travelog. Lawrence's descriptions of The Arab tribes,the region and its weather place you directly in the eye of the storm ( excuse the pun). I had to keep reminding myself throughout the book that essentially Lawrence would be perceived as a bit of a geek in modern society. Yet here was this essentially bookish academic who not only travelled to a hostile region of the world, but then ingratiated himself within a totally alien culture and then played a significant role in motivating them to attack the occupying Turks. Finally, it is a book about war. As Lawrence said, " the Arab Revolt was a sideshow of a sideshow", nevertheless this does not detract from the mans achievements. What Lawrence achieved pioneered many military strategies for years to come. His daring style of guerilla warfare inspired Col. David Stirling to form the S.A.S. in W.W.2. And sadly his style of using explosives can still be seen in the Middle East today. But it is his descriptions of battle that will remain with me. In contrast to his almost poetic prose of the landscape and The Arabs his descriptions of battles are stark and brutal and leave no imagery uncompromised.I have come away from Seven Pillars of Wisdom full of admiration for this amazing man and his achievements. So forget the film (as good as it is) and curl up with this book. It will take you on a journey with an unbelievable cast of characters to a land and time in history where you will have to pinch yourself to believe it ever happened. But I guarantee it will be the star of the story that will stay in your mind. Col. T.E.Lawrence.

T.E Lawrence has wonderful powers of description and you must read this book some time in your lifetime. However, don't buy this edition. It seems to have been produced using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to scan and digitise an old print version, and is absolutely full of typos. Sometimes these are easy to recognise "lie" becomes "Me" and the city of "Homs" becomes "Horns", but in other places they completely muck up the text and make it indecipherable. The last quarter of the book is the worst. Did the proof reader give up? Who knows. Classic book, but buy a different version.

The only criticism I can level at this book is that there are rather a lot of textual errors that slipped in in the editing or the printing. Other than that I was so surprised as I had always refrained from reading this book as I expected it to be very heavy going. In fact it is quite the opposite. It is a wonderful read from a wonderful man. He 'meet[s] with Triumph and Disaster and treats them just the same' [Rudyard Kipling], he was a great man, fully aware of his his thoughts and feelings, and he knew where feelings belonged but didn't deny them. He is honest and has integrity and allows us into his human mind. This book allows a rare insight into a very special and important person. It also provides a rare and honest insight into the mentality of the nationals he deals with: Arab, Turk, Indian, German, Australian and even British, the camels too! His descriptive writing is second to none: he makes the desert come alive in all its colours, weathers, seasons, geologies etc. I have now read it twice and will read it again, soon, as it is such a pleasure to read: frequently, as I am reading, I will re-read paragraphs and sentences just for the pure joy of the English Language. I have seen a derogatory comment regarding the vocabulary: rather than decrying the author's extensive knowledge and displaying his own ignorance the commenter should take the opportunity to use a dictionary and educate himself. BTW I was surprised at just how much of the book was in the Peter O'Toole film. I admire the file even more now. I am old now, and very little brings me any joy, but reading this certainly does.

It's arguable that this book needs a thorough editing. It's incredibly dense, piling detail upon exhausting detail; it's self-contradictory; it's inconsistent; it sprawls; as a history, it's probably not the most reliable; as an autobiography, the same could be said.But really, today, who would dare? For to do so would risk editing out the most important part of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, the insight it offers into the character of the fascinating, flawed, simultaneously self-aggrandising and self-effacing, T E Lawrence.Like all the best books, it's obvious that SPoW was written to primarily please its author; but, as it soon becomes evident that Lawrence is almost impossible to please...He throws everything into the account/ history/ sometimes-near-fictional history/ confession, giving us breathtaking descriptions of the geography (and geology), the peoples, the customs, the absolute ravages, of Arabia - the country he seems eternally teetering between love and detestation for... the country he is intent on helping save from Turkish invaders in the First World War almost out of sheer masochistic perversity. He is searingly honest and unflinching, both toward his observations and toward himself, pulling no punches as he tells of dysentery-plagued Turkish 'hospitals'/ open graves or of the constant guilt he strains beneath as he lies to his Arabian followers concerning Britain's ultimate concerns in liberating their country.Heavy going, yes, but that doesn't make this anything less than a wonderfully flawed magnum opus.

I am reading this book for the third time and every time I read it I learn something new. I was originally motivated to read it by a desire to learn more about the Arab people and their multiplicity of tribes but to date, my conclusion is that neither I or the average European or American will ever understand them, which is probably the reason for the cauldron that is the Middle East today. Turning to Lawrence, whilst there is much to admire about him, I cannot reconcile myself to the betrayal of the Arabs by him and his fellow conspirators such as Sykes. This is a book that any European or American politician or militarist who is tempted to tamper with the Middle East should read - often! I also suggest that readers keep relevant maps handy.