KIRKUS REVIEW He predicted to T.E. Lawrence that in the future Lawrence of Arabia would be a household word while people would have to go to the war college to find out who Allenby was. The prophecy seems to have come true. Allenby was widely trumpeted as ""The Last Crusader."" He was the British general who took Jerusalem from the Turks in the North African campaign and both he and Lawrence got the Lowell Thomas Instant Myth treatment. Somehow, with Allenby, it failed to take, although he was administrator of Egypt for some time after the war. This biography lacks color. Perhaps the man did too. He had earned the not so affectionate nickname of ""The Bull"" from his men and his temper tantrums had been a legend even before his great days in the war. He had been a good soldier in the Beer War and had a happy marriage. His greatest rival was Haig, a fellow cavalry officer who was his competitor and contrast. Allenby was a go-ahead general and Haig has latterly been blamed for the stick-in-the-mud campaign disasters in France. This is a competent military biography of a soldier/imperialist of the old school, carefully analyzing Allenby's administrative ability. As such, it is readable but scarcely capable of rescuing Allenby's name and restoring it to household word status. Read more
J**R
amazing people and informative history
This book was very well-written, informative and insightful. For some reason, Allenby's contributions to the modern Middle East have been almost forgotten, although he accomplished amazing feats in a relatively short period of time.I had not ever heard or read any of the behind-the-scenes political maneuvering that tried to keep Egypt and the Arab world under British control before. These revelations were extremely interesting and educational.General Allenby displayed amazingly even-handed administration in a potentially volatile situation--as later history has demonstrated. He was an exceptional leader, whose story deserves to be told and remembered.I strongly recommend this book to anyone who really wants to learn about 20th century history and the events and people who have shaped our 21st century world.
J**R
allenby--a man of surprises
I found this book to be a very well written biography of one of the greatest generals of modern times: Viscount Edmund Allenby. It is not so much a military book, although it includes a lot of military discussions, as a biography. But, I was considerably enlightened on Allenby's post-war accomplishments, of which I had previously heard little. I do not want to spoil the surprises, but Allenby had a greater impact on the modern Middle East than most people know about. And, it was fascinating to see some of the behind-the-scenes political maneuvering that occurred, regarding these events. That part was especially worthwhile, I think.Gardner writes very well, and he includes a Foreward by Lowell Thomas, who made T.E. Lawrence famous, which tells a lot of other material about Allenby, the man.I recommend this book for any historian or history buff who wants to learn more about an almost-forgotten, yet important-to-today events, period of history. We should be taught more about this kind of history in school!
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