“Daughter of the Desert” by Georgina Howell

This book is about the remarkable life of Gertrude Bell, and what an amazing and inspiring woman she was!  It seems incredible that she has not previously been brought to wider attention.  This may have been because of her opposition to women’s suffrage, which the author explains in context.

The fact that Gertrude’s family was the sixth richest in England certainly helped her exploits, but she was clever enough to become the first woman to be awarded a First in Modern History at Oxford in 1888.  Her feats in mountaineering, desert exploration, languages, and Arabian politics are simply breathtaking.  The text is enriched with contemporary photographs, notably one of her on a camel in front of the Sphinx, flanked by Winston Churchill and T.E. Lawrence. 

The latter part of the book deals with the emergence of Iraq as an independent country, citing place names that are now all too familiar.  King Faisal said of her: “One might say that she was the greatest woman of her time . . . on a footing with women like Joan of Arc.”  The 450 densely packed pages are well worth persevering with.

“Once lost, her story now is found
Her life a tale that will astound.”