He was born out of wedlock in August 1888 to Sarah Junner (1861–1959), a governess, and Sir Thomas Chapman, 7th Baronet (1846–1919), an Anglo-Irish aristocrat. Lawrence lived in a period of strong official opposition to homosexuality, but his writing on the subject was tolerant. The situation came to a crisis in October 1915, as Sharif Hussein demanded an immediate commitment from Britain, with the threat that he would otherwise throw his weight behind the Ottomans. First UK edition, first impression, trade issue, of Lawrence's insider account of his time in the RAF, publication of which was delayed in Britain for almost three decades. Lawrence travelled regularly between British headquarters and Faisal, co-ordinating military action.

The festive holidays are the perfect time to escape the cold, cosy up with a hot drink and lose yourself in a new book.Scott Anderson, Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East.

Even now he is loathed by Turkish patriots because in 1916 he instigated a revolt that cost them their Arab possessions and boxed them into Asia Minor.After Aqaba, General Sir Edmund Allenby, the new commander-in-chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, agreed to Lawrence's strategy for the revolt. Lawrence's letter, in part a meditation on the glories of Chartres cathedral, is a beautiful production, privately printed for Lawrence's mother. Also, he was right in many things, recognising before the Gallipoli debacle what subsequent military historians have tended to confirm: that the port of Alexandretta, on Turkey's exposed underside, would have been a preferable launch pad for an assault.

The Ottoman attackers were mainly Arab peasants conscripted from the villages of Syria, and they faced Punjabi, Rajput and Gurkha regulars from Northern India.

However, he allowed both American editions and translations, which resulted in a substantial flow of income. Review: August 8, 2013, Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East. The Arab Revolt was a false hope and it was Turkey that managed to create a lasting national movement. Review: February 29, 2008, Setting the Desert on Fire, “James Barr’s ‘Desert’ probes Lawrence of Arabia’s claims,” John Hartl, Seattle Times.