Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph

2011 Reprint of 1935 Edition. Facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph" is the autobiographical account of the experiences of British soldier T. E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), while serving as a liaison officer with rebel forces during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks of 1916 to 1918. Charles Hill has described this book as "a novel traveling under the cover of autobiography," capturing Lawrence's highly personal version of the historical events described in the book. The Arab Revolt (1916-1918) was initiated by the Sherif Hussein bin Ali with the aim of securing independence from the ruling Ottoman Turks and creating a single unified Arab state spanning from Aleppo in Syria to Aden in Yemen. During the Arab Revolt of 1917-18 Lawrence based his operations in Wadi Rum (now a part of Jordan), and one of the more impressive rock formations in the area was named by Lawrence "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom". In the end, Lawrence decided to use this evocative title for the memoirs he penned in the aftermath of the war.