Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia ? The Definitive Biography of the British Soldier, Scholar, and Strategist

“[A] beguiling biography. . . . Korda is at his best describing, after the heroics in the desert, the touching antiheroics of Lawrence’s later life.” — New York Times Book Review

A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Editor’s Choice--the definitive biography of the legendary British soldier, scholar and adventurer who became a myth even in his lifetime, T. E. Lawrence, “Lawrence of Arabia."

From Michael Korda, author of the New York Times bestselling Eisenhower biography Ike and the captivating Battle of Britain book With Wings Like Eagles, comes the critically-acclaimed definitive biography of T. E. Lawrence—the legendary British soldier, strategist, scholar, and adventurer whose exploits as “Lawrence of Arabia” created a legacy of mythic proportions in his own lifetime. Many know T.E. Lawrence from David Lean’s Oscar-winning 1962 biopic—based, itself, upon Lawrence’s autobiographical Seven Pillars of Wisdom—but in the tradition of modern biographers like John Meacham, David McCullough, and Barbara Leaming, Michael Korda’s penetrating new examination reveals new depth and character in the twentieth century’s quintessential English hero.

But who was the real man behind the myth of Lawrence of Arabia?

• Military Strategist: Discover the military genius who mastered guerrilla warfare and insurgency, leading a successful campaign against the vast Ottoman Empire with a handful of followers.
• The Man Behind the Myth: Based on previously secret documents, Korda reveals the complex, driven man behind the legend, from his heroics in the desert to the touching antiheroics of his later life.
• Creator of Nations: Explore Lawrence's crucial role as a diplomat at the Paris Peace Conference and his influence on the formation of the modern Middle East.
• Espionage and Intelligence: Delve into the shadowy world of the Arab Bureau and British intelligence as Lawrence navigates the high-stakes political landscape of World War I.

Michael Korda is the author of Ulysses S. Grant, Ike, Hero, and Charmed Lives. Educated at Le Rosey in Switzerland and at Magdalen College, Oxford, he served in the Royal Air Force. He took part in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and on its fiftieth anniversary was awarded the Order of Merit of the People's Republic of Hungary. He and his wife, Margaret, make their home in Dutchess County, New York.