The Desert and the Sown

Current events in the Middle East have revived interest in the extraordinary life and accomplishments of Gertrude Bell, "the female Lawrence of Arabia." A skilled archeologist, historian, and linguist, Bell wrote captivating, perceptive accounts of her Eastern travels. This intriguing narrative - accompanied by 160 photos - traces her 1905 sojourn in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine.

Gertrude Bell was a British writer, archaeologist, and political analyst who left a privileged life in Victorian England to become a citizen of the world. One of the first women to graduate from Oxford, she traveled to Persia, where she was passionately drawn to the Arab people, their language, and their architecture. Bell's achievements there were stunning: she established an archaeology musem and was one of the people responsible for creating the Iraq that exists today.