This is an account of Mr. Nevins' travels through the Arab countries in a vague search for additional information about T. E. Lawrence and in the even dimmer hope of discovering the true origin of the Bedouin people. The only arteries of fact uncovered reveal that Lawrence's exploits are remembered as less than glamorous by survivors. The value in the book lies in its glimpses of the people themselves and of the land as Mr. Nevins' hopscotches across the desert with his guide R'Faifan. He reenforces his story with known history, particularly the era of the rise of Islam, emphasizing the religious precepts which influence the insular tribesman. He notes the paradoxical elements of their temperament which blends cruelty with extreme generosity. Consistently feted (hospitality is a ""sacred obligation""), he and R'Faifan also face famine, sandstorms and at one time are lost in the worst blizzard in Bedouin memory. Hints of ""trouble in the West"" follow them to Jordan where Mr. Nevins is caught during the Six Day War. To be read for its occasional insight into this ancient yet relatively unexposed culture.