| C.
Leonard Woolley and T. E. Lawrence,
The
Wilderness of Zin
(Palestine Exploration Fund and Stacey
International, 2003)
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C.L. Woolley and T.E. Lawrence at
Carchemish in 1912
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| The
Wilderness of Zin
was
first published as the Annual of the Palestine Exploration Fund for
1914/15. It describes an
incredible archaeological survey carried out as cover for a British
military mapping operation in southern Palestine just before the outbreak
of World War One in 1914. In
the space of less than two months, the two men had traversed much of the
Negeb Desert and the Wadi Arabah, recording numerous monuments from
previous eras. Such was the
whirlwind of war that both men were already serving with Military
Intelligence in Cairo when their report was published in early 1915. It was to be the most comprehensive account of the region at the
time and is still vital reading for scholars in the field. However, it is also of interest to the general reader because
it gives an insight into archaeological research in the early 20th
century. Finally, it is
wonderfully written.
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| Byzantine Cistern on the
Darb el-Shur near Bir Birien. Dahoum is seen acting as scale
(Plate VIII:1).
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Ain Kadeis: Spring and
Rivulet (Plate XI:1). This was where the American Scholar
Trumbull had claimed to have found a large oasis. Woolley
referred to his account as a 'farrago of lies' in one of the
unpublished letters included in the new edition.
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| This
edition also includes much extra material, most of it from the extensive
Palestine Exploration Fund archives. There are numerous unpublished letters written by Lawrence, Woolley,
and the expedition leader Stewart Newcombe. Official War Office and PEF letters are also included and help to
set the survey against its political background. Four book reviews of the 1935 Jonathan Cape Edition and timeline
round off the supplementary material.
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Roman blockhouse below Naqb el-Safa
(Building A at Mezad Neqarot - on the Kurnub-Petra Road)(Plate XXXII:1).
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| The
whole volume is prefaced by Jonathan Tubb, Chairman of the Palestine
Exploration Fund. Sam
Moorhead, (Senior Keeper at the PEF) who has edited the volume, provides a
new introduction and an article which provides further details about the
survey, ?The Genesis, Conduct and Publication of the Survey?.
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A
selection of review comments from 1936:
"...
an excellent work of archaeological research .... It introduces the reader
to a portion of the earth that has changed little since the time of
Moses."
(
Natal
Advertiser
)
"...
a brilliant record of hazardous adventure ..."
(
New
York Sun
)
"...
admirers of T. E. Lawrence will find it a valuable addition to the ana of
that strange and impressive personage."
(
The
Montreal Gazette
)
"...
the quality of writing throughout is of a very high order, with the easy
attractive style of
The Seven
Pillars of Wisdom
."
(
The
Egyptian Gazette
)
"...
it is an astonishingly rich harvest to have been garnered in less than
seven weeks."
(
Glasgow
Herald
)
"...
a magnificent proof, if proof were needed, of the work of such
institutions as the Palestine Exploration Fund."
(
Great
Britain and the East
)
"...
exquisite style and occasional flashes of unexpected humour."
(
Jewish
Chronicle
)
"They
really give the impression of a 'god-forsaken' land .... Was it ever
so?"
(
The
Guardian
)
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264 pages, casebound; 180 x 210 mm portrait; 56
Plates, 58 line drawings, 2 maps
ISBN: 1 900988 291
Price: ?26.00
Publication Date: 15 May, 2003
This volume is available to PEF Members at the
reduced price of ?22.50 (US$45.00), with all profits donated to the Fund.
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For Orders and Payments please contact:
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or
Stacey International
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LONDON
W8 4BH
Tel: 020-7221-7166
Fax: 020-7792-9288
E-Mail:
marketing@stacey-international.co.uk
Website:
www.stacey-international.co.uk
or
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Wilderness of Zin
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