Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations » (Reprint)

Georgina Howell has worked in magazine journalism since the age of seventeen. She has written for Vanity Fair and American Vogue, and has worked at The Observer, British Vogue, The Tatler, and The Sunday Times. She lives in London and Brittany.

A marvelous tale of an adventurous life of great historical import

The Washington Post - Jason Goodwin

Georgina Howell recounts these stories with a wide-eyed admiration that is, for the most part, infectious, and her long book is a gripping read. Often pursuing themes in Bell's life, rather than bald chronology, she introduces her readers to the atmosphere of Oxford colleges, to the perils and excitements of the Alps, and to the dangers and decorum of desert life.

Maps     xi
Preface     xv
Gertrude and Florence     3
Education     28
The Civilized Woman     42
Becoming a Person     60
Mountaineering     74
Desert Travel     94
Dick Doughty-Wylie     127
Limit of Endurance     162
Escape     194
War Work     217
Cairo, Delhi, Basra     238
Government Through Gertrude     274
Anger     302
Faisal     335
Coronation     365
Staying and Leaving     383
Chronology     421
Note on Money Values     433
Notes     435
Bibliography     453
Acknowledgements     461
Index     465