THE GOLDEN WARRIOR - The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by James, Lawrence

New York, 1993, Paragon, US 1st edition, hard bound in dust jacket, , FINE/FINE CONDITION, 6 1/2 x 9 1/2, 406 pages. , illus, maps. -------------------------------------------------------- One of the best accounts of the life of T. E. Lawrence, ' Lawrence of Arabia ". the British officer who played a prominent part in the Arab Revolt in WW I and the campaign against the Turks in the Middle East.---------------------------------------------------------------------- T. E. Lawrence was a true scholar, a man of irresistible charm who genuinely cared for the Arabs. He was also a shocking fabricator who invented, embellished, and used his own legend. This controversial and provocative biography overturns the mythology that surrounds this enigmatic man.Using previously unavailable sources as well as published material, Lawrence James reconstructs T. E. Lawrence's wartime career, examining how it was translated into legend during the 1920s and '30s.---------------------------------------------------The Golden Warrior gives a brilliant account of Lawrence's adventures during World War I and the British Empire's intricate manipulations in the Middle East. James shows how the Arab revolt was really instigated by British intelligence, which tried to fight Turkey and to undermine Islamic unity. Using gold and rifles, Lawrence and the British persuaded conservative Arabs to abandon Turkey and fight for an Arab state.In one of the most startling revelations, James convincingly argues that Lawrence concocted the infamous episode at Dera where he was supposedly tortured and raped by the Turks. The Golden Warrior also traces Lawrence's efforts to sabotage the French and reveals his account of the capture of Damascus as pure invention.