A Woman in Arabia: The Writings of the Queen of the Desert (Penguin Classics)

After watching the film about Gertrude Bell (Queen of the Desert with Nicole Kidman), about this woman we’d never even heard of, I searched for more info about her to fill in the gaps of her story the film couldn’t possibly include. I landed on this book (and there are a few) and couldn’t be more pleased. The Chronology of her life’s experiences are super handy to read prior to reading her diary entries which follow. Wow, is all we could say. What a woman! What a story! Fascinating to learn something new about how the British got their sticky hands on the Middle East and how Ms. Bell influenced the boundaries that define the area to this day. After finishing it, we decided to re-watch the film, and got a whole new understanding of what was going on in this beautifully made film.

This is a very well written and informative document, of its type. I read, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom (T.E. Lawrence) before GB, I think that is the correct order, puts GB in a finer and broader perspective. I recommend both books...

I have read the diary of Gertrude Bell. I haven't found it in the U.S. But read a friend's in England. This book comments on excerpts of that diary but not in chronilogical order. Instead, the author organized Bell's life into sections and discussed the different details of each within the context of that portion of her diary. Gertrude Bell was an EXTRAORINARY woman. She lived a life that many men would be fearful of living. especially at the time of pre-World War I in the Middle Eastern desert. Her contributions, in my mind, are controversial. Yet, knowing this history will help the reader get a peep into how the British affected the current borders and problems in today's Midddle East. And, one more comment. It was Gertrude Bell who was responsible for taking on the responsibility of setting into motion the establishment of the Iraqi Museum of Antiqities which was looted after the fall of Baghdad. She was more or less the curator and worked there until her last day. I have always thought of her as a woman I would have liked to have known. She wrote several books about the region, mapped it out, spoke Arabic fluently, worked with and for the British government before, during and after World War I, held her own with very powerful men, both British and Arabic, was highly respected, and loved living among the people of the Middle East. I recommend this book and others about her and by her.

Gertrude Bell was an amazing individual who happened to be a woman, a woman of means, a woman of great intellect, passion, and energy. If you liked the movie Queen of the Desert, you’ll love this book!

MAEVELOUSLY DISCRIPTIVE....A WINDOW TO A WORLD WE Will NEVER WITNESS RECORDED BY A WOMAN UNIQUE OF HER GENERATION.

Very bent cover. Did not disclose this was a retired library book. Disappointed.

An intriguing tale of a phenomenal woman who helped shape modern middle eastern politics. What a shame she is not better known in the west. Should be on every history buff's bookshelve. Should make for a movie to rival "Lawrence of Arabia".

Very enjoyable book about an amazing woman. What a life she led! Highly recommend.

Interesting journal

A solitary woman of substance and romantic bent, Adventurer and mountaineer, Oxford trained and prolific writer, khatuan with courage to traverse the Arabian desert and be an archeologist, creator of Iraq and participant in WW-I, constructor of Musuem in Iraq, senior contemporary and collaborator of T.E Lawrence became like him Lawrence of Arabia met with tragic death. An uncanny daughter ofcoal magnet found herself struggling not only as a descoverer of Arabia but helped in shaping the British policy with her Arabian knowledge and connections. She was justly called the Queen of Arabia or female Lawrence of Arabia. This book needs to be possessed.

I never knew anything about Gertrude Margaret Lowthian Bell until I recently saw the film 'Queen of the Desert' with Nicole Kidman recently who played Gertrude. What this lady did in the early 20th centuary especially in a mans' world is truly remarkable! She was born in 1868 and passed away in 1926. She was an English writer, traveller, was made a political officer, administrator, she became a spy, was an archaeologist as well as a photographer. She explored, mapped, and became highly influential to British imperial policy-making due to her knowledge and contacts, built up through extensive travels in Greater Syria, Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, and Arabia. Along with T. E. Lawrence, Gertrude helped set in place the Hashemite dynasties in what is now Jordan as well as Iraq. This outstanding lady should be honoured and reveared in the same light as T E Lawrence; and officials and politicians alike all over the planet should make everyone aware of what Gertrude did instead of leaving it to a film and the internet to highlight just how involved Gertrude was!Gertrude, utilising her unique perspective from her travels and relations with tribal leaders throughout the Middle East played a major role in establishing and helping to administer modern Iraq. Because she was highly esteemed and trusted by British Officials she was given immense power for a woman at that particular time. To quote: She was described as "one of the few representatives of His Majesty's Government remembered by the Arabs with anything resembling affection".

C'est un excellent livre car il contient un calendrier précis des événements et des traductions de lettres authentiques écrites par Gertrude Bell .

I was really excited to get this. The introduction is adequate enough for a background, but I was disappointed to see that it's composed of short sections of her letters revolving around subjects. Some of those excerpts are only 2 or 3 sentences.I'm looking for pages, not paragraphs! Over-edited!