Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Adviser to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia Paperback – Illustrated, 12 July 2005

Ery enjoyable read about incredibly interesting woman, intrepid traveller, geographer, cartographer, civil servant, ahead offer Tim’s as a woman.

A well-written account of a remarkable woman's influence in the Middle-East.By its very nature, it is quite a challenge to keep up with all the Arabic names but the author copes very well through what is quite a LONG book.With clear reference to recent Iraqi history it is possible to make a little more sense of the origins of recent crises.A splendid read.

Very readable and detailed biography. Of Gertrude Bell. Illuminating the troubled history of the Middle East.

Great telling of a great story of an outstanding woman who did some quiet outstanding things and influenced the decision making process in a time where women when at best seen and not heard. She understood the Arab cause better than the politicians of her day and probably polite and of today. A great woman who is on a par with the Pankhursts in what she achieved in a completely male dominated world.

A decent book, let down only by the fact that the author continually refers to England when she means the United Kingdom. She obviously does not know that England has not been an independent country since 1707 and that the Scottish Crown took over the English Crown in 1603. Such schoolboy errors ruin an otherwise enjoyable read.

Extraordinary biography of Gertrude Bell who in the early 20th century was instrumental in the setting up of the country of Iraq after the first World War. Friend of Lawrence of Arabia and advisor to Feisal, the first King of Iraq. Her story is amazing especially considering that in those days women were not considered to be capable of performing the kind of tasks that she accomplished. A book suitable for both students of modern history and politics as well as 'women's libbers' Highly recommended

Gertrude Bell was born into an extremely wealthy & well-connected family of northern industrialists in County Durham in 1868. Not for her, though, the genteel life of a Victorian lady with pursuits such as needlework. Bell, a high-spirited child went on to Oxford where she took a first class degree in Modern History in two years. She travelled extensively throughout the middle east (not alone as if often stated, but with an entourage including a cook together with mounds of baggage including china & crystal!), pursuing her interest in archaeology, documenting and photographing her finds. These travels and the contacts she made, the knowledge she gained of local politics and rivalries, eventually gave her the wherewithal to develop a career in diplomacy during and after the First World war. She arrived in the region at a time of change with local Arab tribes chafing at their Turkish rulers who sided with Germany. Courting these Arab rulers & gaining their trust became essential and was something which Bell was well-placed to undertake. What is extraordinary is that as a woman, moving in very traditional societies, she managed to hold sway with prominent local Arabs, although she was, of course, at heart a British imperialist who felt the Arabs needed to be guided by more able nations!The book describes Bell's travels, both in the Middle East and elsewhere, her work in service of the British government and conveys some of the more personal details of her life and loves. Ultimately she would probably have preferred to settle down to wifedom and motherhood after her travels but was thwarted on several occasions. Her legacy was the Baghdad Antiquities Museum in 1926 of which she was briefly, until her death, the first Director, and to which she left £50,000 in her will. She also left the legacy of Iraq - a country whose borders she set, those borders giving rise to tribal strife more or less from the outset. In fairness, even Bell knew there were issues but for all her knowledge of the area, she saw things through the prism of British interests in the region.Whilst I was interested in reading about Gertrude Bell's life, my enjoyment was seriously married by her biographer's writing style. Far too often I found myself saying 'how does she know this? She wasn't there' as the author indulged in periodic flights of fancy and purple prose. It is pretty clear that Janet Wallach did her research but the book is written more like a novel, with novelistic fluff, and evidenced by the paucity of footnotes/index. That's a shame - Gertrude Bell deserved better.

This is a really nice copy.No tears are usage shown in the pages nor the cover, minor inscription on front page, slight smell of cigarette smoke about it, but otherwise a very good second hand copy.Packaged really well too