The Desert and the Sown
The Syrian Adventures of the Female Lawrence of Arabia
By (author) Gertrude Bell Introduction by Rosemary O'Brien
Publication date:
13 January 2002Length of book:
368 pagesPublisher
Cooper Square PressISBN-13: 9780815411352
A seeming contradiction, Gertrude Bell was both a proper Victorian and an intrepid explorer of the Arabian wilderness. She was a close friend of T. E. Lawrence, and played an important role in creating the modern map of the Middle East after World War I. The Desert and the Sown is a chronicle, illustrated by over 160 photos, of Bell's 1905 journey from Jericho to Antioch, a land of warring tribes under Turkish control.
Bell is a rare combination of the thoroughly feminine woman and the fearless, daring, and resourceful traveler.... Go and read the book for yourself. I cannot quote it all and unless all is quoted, you have lost the better part.