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Departing from prior scholarship on T. E. Lawrence, this work examines the extent of Anglo-American cultural interplay and the popular culture machinery involved in the manufacture of the Lawrence of Arabia legend. Although not recognized as such, the Lawrence legend was as much an American product as a British one. American journalist Lowell Thomas first publicized the story through war travelogues given in New York City, which soon found their way to England. The legend was perpetuated by American literary interest in Lawrence and then by a Hollywood film. By the 1960s, the
Lawrence of Arabia story had become a small commercial industry.
The volume challenges conclusions about the relationship between Lawrence and Lowell Thomas, demonstrating it was much closer than Lawrence biographers have previously thought or were willing to admit. It also illustrates that American involvement in the construction and propagation of the Lawrence legend is greater than believed. The book features several unpublished or rare photographs as well as draws upon previously unpublished manuscript material, business letters, and supporting documents to recreate the origins of the popular legend of
Lawrence of Arabia.
List of contents
Illustrations
Preface
Introduction
Lowell Thomas and the Origins of the Popular Legend of Lawrence of Arabia
Backstage at the Theater
Propaganda and Propagation
Diffusion of the Legend, 1920-1940: The Cases of Colonels Lawrence and Lindbergh
Redefinition and Literary Reception, 1920-1940
Interlude, 1940-1960: Lawrence and Hemingway
Commercialization of the Legend, 1960-Present: Lawrence and Hollywood
Assaying the Legends
Appendix: Notes on Sources about Lowell Thomas
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
About the author
JOEL C. HODSON is Visiting Professor of American Studies at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. He has been editor of American Studies International and a Fulbright lecturer in Turkey. He is author of United States History Since 1945 (1993) and numerous journal articles.
