hazelclark Posted 2 December , 2015 Share Posted 2 December , 2015 I wondered if any Forum members have read the above book and whether they would recommend it. I have Fergus Mason's "Queen of the Desert", which is quite concise, and Gertrude Bell's "The Arab War" which consists of her Dispatches, but wonder about Wallach's book. It seems to have mixed reviews. Thanks, Hazel C Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 5 December , 2015 Share Posted 5 December , 2015 Have not seen the book, but I am a great fan of 'Dirty Gerty'', having laboured for months over registering and cataloguing her photographs when a post-grad at my old uni.... Mind you, the real Queen of the Desert is named Priscilla... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarylW Posted 5 December , 2015 Share Posted 5 December , 2015 I wondered if any Forum members have read the above book and whether they would recommend it. I have Fergus Mason's "Queen of the Desert", which is quite concise, and Gertrude Bell's "The Arab War" which consists of her Dispatches, but wonder about Wallach's book. It seems to have mixed reviews. Thanks, Hazel C I did read it a few years ago Hazel and found the book really interesting. It was given to me as a present. It brought Gertrude Bell to my attention, because prior to reading this I'd never heard of her! The author talked about the book on a Radio 4 programme a while ago now.Looking at the reviews though, it does look as if some of those who are more familiar with Gertrude Bell and have perhaps researched further, weren't too pleased with the book. As you say, mixed reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 5 December , 2015 Author Share Posted 5 December , 2015 Have not seen the book, but I am a great fan of 'Dirty Gerty'', having laboured for months over registering and cataloguing her photographs when a post-grad at my old uni.... Mind you, the real Queen of the Desert is named Priscilla... "Priscilla" just bought 26 square miles of desert in New Mexico, so your comment is quite a propos. I did read it a few years ago Hazel and found the book really interesting. It was given to me as a present. It brought Gertrude Bell to my attention, because prior to reading this I'd never heard of her! The author talked about the book on a Radio 4 programme a while ago now. Looking at the reviews though, it does look as if some of those who are more familiar with Gertrude Bell and have perhaps researched further, weren't too pleased with the book. As you say, mixed reviews. Caryl, there is apparently a movie called "Queen of the Desert", but don't know anyone who has seen it. H.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarylW Posted 5 December , 2015 Share Posted 5 December , 2015 "Priscilla" just bought 26 square miles of desert in New Mexico, so your comment is quite a propos. Caryl, there is apparently a movie called "Queen of the Desert", but don't know anyone who has seen it. H.C. I'd heard there was a movie, but I don't know anyone who has seen it either.Here's the Radio 4 programme about Gertrude Bell I was telling you about Hazel. It's part of their Great Lives series and the author of the book you asked about, Janet Wallach, is on the programme. Surprisingly, the recorded programme is still on the Radio 4 website. I hope you can access it in Canada. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00xhh2q Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trajan Posted 6 December , 2015 Share Posted 6 December , 2015 I have not see the film (sic!) either but I show a still from it in my class about Dirty Gerty and her role in helping establish archaeology in Iraq. The still has some antipodean lass who is apparently the 'star' perched on a camel which is being led by a 'native'... Well, apart from the fact that Gerty was a distinctly frumpy-ish looking lady (that's what growing up in the NE of the UK does for you!) donkeys were her preferred mode of transport and she could handle these by herself... There is a thread discussing her here: http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=224310&hl=gertrude My Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, BTW, has to be one of the best films ever made 'darn under' - see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Priscilla,_Queen_of_the_Desert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazelclark Posted 6 December , 2015 Author Share Posted 6 December , 2015 Caryl, it still works thanks! Have sent the link on to a couple of friends with an interest. Julian, I don't think that Aust. movie is my kind of thing. In fact last night I watched "The Railway Man" and didn't much like it. A friend had said it was the best movie she had ever seen! H.C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moriaty Posted 6 December , 2015 Share Posted 6 December , 2015 According to the Amazon site, it looks as if many of the books about Gertrude Bell have very similar titles: Janet Wallach's is "Desert Queen: the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer, Advisor to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia" published in 2005 Georgina Howell's book seems to have had a number of different titles, "Gertrude Bell: Queen of the Desert, Shaper of Nations" hardback published in 2007; "Daughter of the Desert, the remarkable life of Gertrude Bell" paperback published in 2007 and "Queen of the Desert: the extraordinary life of Gertrude Bell" published in 2015 possibly to tie in with Werner Herzog's film starring Nicole Kidman Fergus Mason's book is "Queen of the Desert: a biography of the female Lawrence of Arabia, Gertrude Bell", published in 2014 I've only read the Georgina Howell book which I enjoyed. Moriaty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lowthian Posted 27 January , 2016 Share Posted 27 January , 2016 Just finished Wallach's book while researching my grandfather in Mesopotamia (2nd Battalion Royal Irish Rifles.) Helps you better understand the imperial power struggle between London and British India. Nice sketches of TE Lawrence as "an imp", Churchill as jelly on a Cairo conference camel. Hugh and Gertrude Bell however remain an enigmatic power duo. (Wallach did consult a psychologist on them. A reader may suspect a full-scale Freudian analysis is required.) Coming next to a theatre near you: Werner Herzog, 73, directs Nicole Kidman, 48, in Gertrude Bell as "a rebel, lover, traveller and revolutionary." And Peter O'Toole is an imp ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 29 January , 2016 Share Posted 29 January , 2016 Dear old Gerty.... In Baghdad on the 12th July 1926 Gertrude took some sleeping pills and told her maid to wake her later on. Bell never awoke and was pronounced dead on the 12th July. There is much debate over whether this was a suicide or simply an accidental overdose but many feel it was an accident as Bell had asked her maid to wake her later on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 29 January , 2016 Share Posted 29 January , 2016 We had a nice discussion about Gerty here.... http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=224310&page=2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghazala Posted 29 January , 2016 Share Posted 29 January , 2016 I digressed a bit there Hazel. Regarding the book by Janet Wallach it has as you said varying reviews. However anyone with an interest in Gertrude Bell will find it a good read and the book is quite cheap on Amazon. TEL harshly but accurately observed of her: “She was not a good judge of men or situations and was always 'the slave' of whoever had immediate influence over her". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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