The authoritative and illuminating biography of T. E. Lawrence - the man who inspired the iconic film Lawrence of Arabia - from "The World's Greatest Living Explorer" Ranulph Fiennes.Thomas Edward Lawrence first set foot on the hot sands of Arabia in 1909.By 1918 there was a GBP20,000 price on his head.His journey to this point has long been legend. From his first postings as archaeologist, liaison and map officer, to fighting alongside guerrilla forces during the Arab Revolt. Journeying more than 300 miles through blistering heat to capture Aqaba, to his involvement in peace conferences that decided the future of the Middle East. Lawrence gave over his life the Middle East and its people.A legend in his own lifetime, Lawrence's epic story has always been ripe for the retelling - but Ranulph Fiennes is no ordinary biographer . . . Having led Arab troops into battle on the Arabian peninsula in a war fought only fifty years later. Fiennes too discovered the wonders of these far-flung lands and the people who live there, and is one of very few who can claim a true insight into the kind of life that Lawrence lived - bold and adventurous to the end.With detailed access to records and an in-depth knowledge, Lawrence of Arabia is at long last a true and full account of this mysterious adventurer who captivated the world.'Corking, rip-roaring, crisply written, full of extraordinary characters. We follow Lawrence's band of camel-borne warriors as they gallop through 600 miles of blistering heat to capture Aqaba on the Red Sea, along the way blowing up railway lines and enemy troop trains. An immaculate retelling of this cracking story' Daily Mail