Lawrence and the Arab Revolts 1914-18

Osprey Men at Arms #208

by David Nicolle, Richard Hook (Illustrator)

The Great War of 1914-18 is often seen as one major battleground – the Western Front – with numerous 'side-shows'. The other battle zones were not side-shows to those involved, however, although the local inhabitants often fought for motives which remained a closed book to their European allies or foes. David Nicolle relates the story of the Arab Revolts (1916-18), and discusses just how important (or unimportant) was the role of T. E. Lawrence in the affair, in a fascinating text backed by a fine collection of contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.

Genres: History, Military History, Nonfiction, World War I, War

48 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 1989

About the author

David C. Nicolle is a British historian specialising in the military history of the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the Middle East.

Reviews

[Miroku Nemeth]

The first thing that I will say is that while I often would be upset if the author pulled a kind of "bait-and-switch" with "Lawrence and the Arab Revolts 1914-1918", I was happily surprised that Nicolle did what he did instead of focusing on TE Lawrence. Yes, you do get some material on Lawrence, but it covers more on the complexity of the different regions in North Africa's relations with the Ottomans and the European colonizers, in particular the British, Italians, and French. It also describes the Sanussi struggles, 'Ali Dinar of Darfur, the war in South Arabia or Yemen, Iraq, the use of Egyptian troops, etc.--it just is much more far ranging than your average story that centers Lawrence, which one can find plenty of material for elsewhere.

Pretty typical Osprey book. Great illustrations. Interesting details. The narrative is a bit hard to grasp in its entirety, but it's still useful to know a bit more and to integrate into your understanding.

[Jereme]

An excellent Osprey MAA book. Nicolle no doubt tried to draw people in by adding "Lawrence" of Lawrence of Arabia fame into the title, but he in fact has a minimal role in the book. Instead, the focus is on the diverse range of pro and anti Ottoman Arab revolts throughout the Empire in the First World War. Plenty of detail is offered, although the book is closer to a general history rather than strictly on the soldiers themselves, which is understandable considering the irregular nature of said armies. Men from virtually every corner of the British, French, Ottoman, and Italian empires dook it out with everything from matchlocks to Maxims. It makes for great reading, and leaves me wanting to read more on this dynamic era of history.

[Richard]

As expected the colour plates are excellent. The book's many photographs are very interesting too. However, the accompanying narrative is poor. The book's title is also misleading. Why call it 'Lawrence and the Arab Revolts', when Lawrence gets almost no mention at all (other than to argue he was of limited significance)! The cynic in me wonders whether the author or publishers weren't hypocritically trading off his name to sell the book?

The text for the 'Lawrence' bit of the revolts, which occupies about a quarter of the book, leaves a lot to be desired. The importance of the Hejaz railway for Ottoman supply is not establised. Similarly, the attacks on it receive no more than a fleeting mention which, given they in many ways characterised the conflict on the ground, is a suprising omission indeed. The taking of Aqaba is absent altogether, as is the vital role played by ports on the Red Sea.

[Станислав]

Как это принято в серии - кратко, очень кратко. Но интересный материал даёт увлекательное чтение. Помимо переключений Лоуренса, который здесь только ради заголовка, мне мало известно про такие периферийные фронты Первой Мировой войны. Так что затравка на более подробное изучение.