Lawrence of Arabia on War

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Lawrence of Arabia on War by Rob Johnson, read by Robert Johnson.

WINNER OF THE BRITISH ARMY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021

'A riveting account of T. E. Lawrence’s battles on and off the battlefield… Using scrupulous research and succinct prose, Johnson provides a gold mine of stratagems… a must-read for military leaders to come!'- Arnel P. David, Lt Col, US Army Special Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff (UK)

'An innovative study of Lawrence that carefully and intelligently examines his campaigns and thinking on irregular warfare, and in doing so produces an accessible and intellectually stimulating work of military history.'- James Kitchen, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

'This is a major contribution to the literature on the Middle East in the Great War, and the history of military ideas – and it is highly relevant to contemporary armed force.'- Professor Gary Sheffield, University of Wolverhampton

A new study of Captain T. E. Lawrence’s ideas on warfare and the context of his military campaign, as well as the peace settlement and the legacies that followed.

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Lawrence of Arabia is one of the most iconic figures of the First World War, seen by many as a heroic and romantic guerrilla leader in a period of savage and deeply impersonal industrial warfare. While Lawrence himself has been the subject of many biographies, and an award-winning film, the context of his war in the desert, and his ideas on war itself, are less well known.

Lawrence of Arabia on War is a study of those ideas and of his campaign of irregular warfare which has informed tactical theory and decision-making down to the present day, juxtaposed alongside the operations conducted by the Ottoman Empire and those of the Allied army in Palestine. It explores the challenges he faced in a complex environment against a more numerous and better armed adversary, and the manner in which he assessed what was changing, what was distinctive, and what was unique to guerrilla warfare in the desert

Setting Lawrence in his historical context, it examines the peace settlement process he participated in during 1919–20, analyses how other military writers made use of his ideas, and describes the ways in which his legacy has informed and inspired those partnering and mentoring local forces today.

Critics Review

A riveting account of T. E. Lawrence’s battles on and off the battlefield… Using scrupulous research and succinct prose, Johnson provides a gold mine of stratagems… a must-read for military leaders to come!
Arnel P. David, Lt Col, US Army Special Advisor to the Chief of the General Staff (UK)
An innovative study of Lawrence that carefully and intelligently examines his campaigns and thinking on irregular warfare, and in doing so produces an accessible and intellectually stimulating work of military history.
James Kitchen, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
A new, pioneering study of Lawrence in Arabia, focusing on his military thought, contributions to strategic theory and, indeed, continuing relevance to today’s doctrines of insurgency, counterinsurgency and ‘hybrid’ warfare. Rob Johnson’s intimate knowledge of his subject produces a fascinating book which fuses history and theory.
Azar Gat, Ezer Weitzman Professor of National Security, Tel Aviv University
T. E. Lawrence's reputation has been a battleground for historians and biographers for decades. Setting aside the clutter of disputes about the accuracy of Lawrence's post-war writings, Rob Johnson's superb study makes a bold and compelling case that Lawrence was a significant and original military thinker. This is a major contribution to the literature on the Middle East in the Great War, and the history of military ideas - and it is highly relevant to contemporary armed force.
Professor Gary Sheffield, University of Wolverhampton
In this significant re-examination of the breadth and depth of TE Lawrence's contribution to strategic thought and guerrilla war, Rob Johnson performs the invaluable task of linking military history to contemporary thinking on counterinsurgency and hybrid war. The critical consideration of Lawrence's military engagements and the careful analysis of the myth versus the man are vividly explored and reveal how Lawrence remains relevant for those interested in the contemporary character of warfare.
Dr Matthew Ford, University of Sussex
Rob Johnson elegantly presents an account of Lawrence's writing on guerrilla warfare with his experience of it in the desert, in a captivating narrative which allows the reader to see how the theory and practice inform each other. Johnson's account is especially strong on Lawrence's analysis of the human, psychological element of war, and traces this theme up to the present day. This timely work will engage general readers and specialists alike.
Emile Simpson, author of 'War From the Ground Up', and former Gurkha officer
This volume is the key to understanding how this Oxford historian and archaeologist emerged as a major strategic tactician…This book by Rob Johnson has a strong appeal at so many levels and is thoroughly recommended.
The Historian
This book can be strongly recommended to anyone interested in Lawrence, the First World War in the Middle East, and the theory and practice of guerrilla warfare.
Military History Matters
A most valuable and interesting study.
Asian Affairs
Johnson’s account of Lawrence’s thinking on irregular warfare will remain an important and widely cited work for years to come.
International Journal of Military History and Historiography

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