Seven Pillars of Wisdom » (Abridged, 3 CDs)

In writing his extraordinary account of the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918 and his own role in it, T.E. Lawrence sought literary advice from his good friends E.M. Forster and George Bernard Shaw. With their encouragement, Lawrence produced an epic manuscript that became the focus of a desperate public search after he lost the majority of the text in a train station. The original was never found, and the indefatigable Lawrence produced a second text from memory. Widely regarded as the last great romantic war story and described by Winston Churchill as one of “the greatest books ever written in the English language,” it conveys a world of wonders from a life less ordinary, transcribed in the same committed fashion that Lawrence applied to his duties in Syria. A towering achievement as both autobiography and military history, as well as a first-rate adventure story, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a must-listen for all.

J. Sara Paulk - Library Journal

Join Lawrence (1888 1935) in his 1917 18 campaigns against the forces of the Ottoman Empire. This abridgment, skillfully narrated by British actor James Wilby, derives from the 1926 print edition of a work Winston Churchill called "one of the greatest books ever written in the English language." Wilby draws the listener into Lawrence's desert adventures and personal observations, managing to avoid melodrama when reading his descriptions of torture, battle, and death. Strongly recommended for listeners of military history, autobiography, travel narrative, or Arab history. [More info at www.csaword.co.uk. Ed.] J. Sara Paulk, Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Cty. Lib., GA