INTRODUCTION


Colonel Stewart Francis Newcombe was already a legend in the deserts of Arabia before he was joined in Cairo during the early months of the First World War by a group of extraordinary specialists in Middle Eastern affairs. One member of this group was T.E. Lawrence who went on to achieve worldwide fame. Colonel Newcombe's story, like those of other unsung figures in the Anglo-Arabian panoply, has been eclipsed by the legend of ´Lawrence of Arabia´, and has languished in the dusty recesses of regimental records, government files or in the elliptical words of Lawrence’s book Seven Pillars of Wisdom. However, S.F. Newcombe´s untold story is there to be told. IN THE SHADOW OF THE CRESCENT is a story of extraordinary exploits and courage, coupled with Newcombe's own legendary and inexhaustible supply of energy and of remarkable adventures under the very noses of the Ottoman authorities – full of danger, intrigue and perhaps more surprisingly, of romance during Newcombe's captivity in Turkey.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

T. E. Lawrence Blog

I wish to thank the blogger Groggy Dundee for linking this site to his own blog which gives "Reviews, commentaries and analysis of biographies of T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935) by an amateur Lawrence enthusiast." The reviews are surprisingly lucid and coherent given the image conjured up by his nom de blog! (Sorry Groggy, couldn't resist that). I particularly enjoyed his interview with Professor Stephen E. Tabachnick, who has written, co-written or edited several books on Lawrence: The T.E. Lawrence Puzzle (Athens, Ga.: University of Georgia Press, 1984), T.E. Lawrence (New York: Twayne, 1997) and Lawrence of Arabia: An Encyclopedia (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2004). He co-authored (with Christopher Matheson) Images of Lawrence (London: Jonathan Cape, 1998), whose overview of Lawrence biographies largely inspired Groggy's own blog. 

Despite planning a break from further postings due to other priorities, Groggy's blogsite is well worth visiting at www.telawrence.blogspot.com