Is 'Seven Pillars' the greatest military adventure book of all time?

I finished reading a really good adventure book the other day, “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” by T.E. Lawrence, who was also known as “Lawrence of Arabia.”

Originally published in 1922, this book has been called the “greatest military adventure story of modern times.” The book is mainly Lawrence’s account of his experiences as a liaison officer between the British army and rebel fighters during the Arab Revolt during World War I. The book is based on extensive notes that Lawrence maintained during his service in Arabia.

I’ve wanted to read this book ever since it appeared on National Geographic’s list of “100 Best Adventure Books.” It was ranked No. 24 on that list, which was released in May 2004. Over the past eight years, I’ve read a number of the books on this list, and I’ve yet to be disappointed by any of them.

You’ll also find “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” on the United States Marine Corps Professional Reading List, and it is especially recommended to master sergeants and first sergeants in that branch of service. Given America’s ongoing involvement in conflicts in the Middle East, I can see where “Seven Pillars” would be of especial value to American service members in that part of the world. If for no other reason, Lawrence gives them a good example of a smart solider who balanced his obligations to his own country against the wants and needs of the native people he encountered.

“Seven Pillars” will also be found on “The 100 Greatest Non-fiction Books” list, which was compiled by the editors of guardian.co.uk, one of the world’s top online newspapers. That list was divided into 17 categories, and “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” was included in the “Memoir” category. “Seven Pillars” is arguably the greatest adventure book on this outstanding list as well.

Many of you will be familiar with many of the events in “Seven Pillars” because of the famous movie based on Lawrence’s adventures, 1962’s “Lawrence of Arabia.” Starring Peter O’Toole as Lawrence, this epic film was named “Best Picture” at the 35th Academy Awards and won six other Oscars. If you’ve never seen this movie, I highly recommend it. It’s not an understatement to say that it’s one of the greatest movies ever made.

I’d actually seen the movie a few times prior to having read the book, but that didn’t ruin it for me, as movies will sometimes do for a book. I do have to admit though that the edition I read – a 1962 Dell paperback edition – was somewhat hard to read. The book was printed in small type with a high word count on each page, which made for slow going. Despite the time that it took me to finish the book, I loved it, and highly recommend it to anyone out there who enjoys reading great adventure stories.

In the end, how many of you have had a chance to read this outstanding book? What did you think about it? Did you like it or not? What was your favorite part? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.