T. E. Lawrence discovery in "The Times", Lawrence followed Malory scholar Eugene Vinaver from Manchester to Winchester by motorcycle. At the age of 46, two months after leaving military service, Lawrence was fatally injured in an accident on his Brough Superior SS100 motorcycle in Dorset, close to his cottage, Clouds Hill, near Wareham. A dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on their bicycles; he swerved to avoid them, lost control, and was thrown over the handlebars. He died six days later on 19 May 1935. The location is marked by a small memorial at the side of the road.
Florence of Arabia Arab Revolt of 1916-1918. Buckley finished writing the novel on May 19, 2004, the anniversary of Lawrence's death. The pun "Florence of Arabia" was first coined by Noël Coward, who told the actor Peter O'Toole (who played Lawrence in the film "Lawrence of Arabia") that "If you'd been any prettier, it would have been "Florence of Arabia"." The novel is an homage to Fern Holland, whom Buckley describes as a "real-life Florence of Arabia." Holland was a 33-year-old lawyer who went to work for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq. On March 9, 2004, Holland was murdered for her work