The T. E. Lawrence Puzzle

Book excerpt: From the early 1920s to the late 1960s, T. E. Lawrence's life and career were largely the subject of sensationalist speculation, fired mainly by the romantic image of “Lawrence of Arabia.” Then, as the result of various political, scholarly, and intellectual developments, study of Lawrence's career and influence began to take on a new aspect. This collection of fourteen essays, including Stephen E. Tabachnick's extensive introduction, provides balanced and fully documented analyses of Lawrence's multifaceted career by an international group of scholars. The T. E. Lawrence Puzzle will appeal to Lawrence experts and to general readers interested in objective, reasoned perspectives on a brilliant polymath with a fascinating personality, whose many achievements remain very relevant to our own times.