Georgina Howell Bücher

Archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, mountaineer, and nation builder, Gertrude Bell was born in 1868 into privilege. The daughter of a wealthy industrialist, she rejected the conventional life of house parties and debutante balls to study history at Oxford, where she achieved a first in just two years. Frustrated by societal expectations, she embraced mountaineering, ultimately conquering the Matterhorn. However, her true passion lay in the desert, where she initially traveled as an archaeologist. Her fluency in Arabic and tribal connections made her invaluable to the British Cairo Intelligence Office during World War I. A contemporary of T.E. Lawrence, she was more famous at the time and later advised the Viceroy of India. She journeyed from Delhi to the front lines in Mesopotamia as an army major, advocating for an autonomous Arab nation in Iraq. Bell played a crucial role in the election of King Faisal and in defining the borders of the new state, which thrived under his dynasty for thirty-two years. This narrative draws from her own writings, both published and unpublished, portraying a woman who defied the limitations of her era and established a lasting legacy.

Archaeologist, spy, Arabist, linguist, author, poet, photographer, mountaineer and nation builder, Gertrude Bell was born in 1868 into a world of privilege and plenty, but she turned her back on all that for her passion for the Arab peoples, becoming the architect of the independent kingdom of Iraq and seeing its first king Faisal safely onto the throne in 1921. Queen of the Desert is her story, vividly told and impeccably researched, drawing on Gertrude's own writings, both published and unpublished. A compelling portrait of a woman who transcended the restrictions of her class and age and in so doing created a remarkable and enduring legacy.

The writings of one of the great woman adventurers of the twentieth century - the 'female Lawrence of Arabia' - and the subject of a new film starring Nicole Kidman. In the last century, few people lived more astounding - or influential - lives than Gertrude Bell. During World War I, she worked her way up from spy to army major to become one of the most powerful woman in the British Empire. After the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, she was instrumental in drawing the borders that define the region today, including creating an independent Iraq. This is the epic story of Bell's life, told through her letters, military dispatches, diary entries, and other writings. It offers a unique and intimate look behind the public mask of a woman who shaped nations. Georgina Howell is the author of the acclaimed biography Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations .