Lawrence of Arabia: The 30th Anniversary Pictorial History

David E. Kemp is head of the Drama Department at Queen’s University.

One of the most enduring images in modern cinema is that of Omar Sharif
riding out of a mirage toward Peter O’Toole’s Lawrence of Arabia.
The scene has been described as “the greatest debut scene in cinema
history,” and in a way it sums up the genius of David Lean’s
Lawrence of Arabia.

Now, 30 years after the film’s release, Morris and Raskin have
produced a visual and textual account of this remarkable epic’s
genesis, artistry, and influence, as well as a fascinating new look at
the life and legend of T.E. Lawrence. The saga of Lawrence of
Arabia—both the film and the man who inspired it—is told in exciting
detail and accompanied by more than 400 illustrations, 200 of them in
color and almost all never before published.

This sumptuously produced book contains frame enlargements from the
film, production stills, location photographs, studio memos, script
excerpts, costume-design sketches, and assorted memorabilia as well as
revealing first-hand accounts by the film’s creative artists
(including O’Toole, Sharif, Alec Guinness, screenwriter Robert Bolt,
and cinematographer Freddie Young). In sum, this is a definitive,
incomparably illustrated chronicle of an unparalleled cinematic
masterpiece.