Bedford Public Library

A woman in Arabia, the writings of the Queen of the Desert, Gertrude Bell ; edited by Georgina Howell

eng

autobiography

maps

index present

non fiction

A woman in Arabia

Gertrude Bell ; edited by Georgina Howell

Penguin Classics

the writings of the Queen of the Desert

"A portrait in her own words of the female Lawrence of Arabia. One of the great woman adventurers of the twentieth century and the chief architect of British policy in the Middle East after World War I, Gertrude Bell turned her back on Victorian society to study at Oxford and travel the world. Mountaineer, archaeologist, Arabist, writer, poet, linguist, and spy, she dedicated her life to championing the Arab cause and was instrumental in drawing the borders that define today's Middle East. As she wrote in one of her letters, "It's a bore being a woman when you are in Arabia." Forthright and spirited, opinionated and playful, and deeply instructive about the Arab world, this volume brings together Bell's letters, military dispatches, diary entries, and travel writings to offer an intimate look at a woman who shaped nations."--Back cover

Introduction by Georgina Howell -- Note on the text and acknowledgments -- Chronology -- A Woman in Arabia. The linguist -- The poet -- The "Person" -- The mountaineer -- The archaeologist -- The desert traveler -- The lover -- The prisoner -- The war worker -- The intrusives -- The nation builder -- The kingmaker -- The courtier -- Epilogue