Michael Asher Books

Writings by the conceptual artist Michael Asher-including notes, proposals, exhibition statements, and letters to curators and critics-most published here for the first time.

Haunted by the traumas of war and the loss of friends, Captain Tom Caine grapples with his emotions during the Victory in Europe celebrations. Instead of joining the festivities, he is consumed by anger and sorrow, reflecting on the horrors he has witnessed. This internal struggle highlights the profound impact of conflict on those who serve, contrasting the public joy of the moment with the personal battles faced by veterans.

The British campaign in the Sudan in Queen Victoria's reign is an epic tale of adventure. Sent to evacuate the country, British hero General Gordon was murdered in Khartoum by an army of dervishes led by the Mahdi. This work presents an account that sheds light on this tale of honour, courage, revenge and savagery of late Victorian times.

Written by the same author as "A Desert Dies" and "In Search of the Forty Days Road", this book describes the longest camel journey ever made by Westerners. The author and his wife made unique observations along the way of the effects of the drought and the increasing spread of the desert.

Libya, 1942 - Rommel's Africa Korps is sweeping across the desert. Ragged Allied forces are being torn apart in brutal fire-fights on the scorched sands. A desperate message to the Prime Minister is entrusted to First Officer Madeleine Rose, WRNS. Her codename: Runefish.

The true story of the most famous SAS operation in history. 'Bravo Two Zero' was the code-name of the famous SAS operation: a classic story of bravery in the face of overwhelming odds. BRAVO TWO ZERO by patrol commander 'Andy McNab' became an international bestseller, as did the book by 'Chris Ryan' (THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY). Both men became millionaires. Three members of the patrol were killed. One, veteran sergeant Vince Phillips, was blamed in both books for a succession of mistakes. As Michael Asher reveals, the stories in BRAVO TWO ZERO and THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY grew considerably in the telling. Their heroic tales of taking out tanks with their rocket launchers, mowing down hundreds of Iraqi soldiers, the silent stabbing of the occasional sentry, were never mentioned at their post-war debriefings... In an investigation literally in the footsteps of the patrol, Michael Asher tells the true story.

SAS has been playing a discreet role almost everywhere Britain had fought since World War II, and had been the prototype of all modern special forces units throughout the world. This book examines the evolution of the special forces idea and investigates the real story behind the military legend of the late twentieth century.

'The best life of Lawrence yet published' - The Express Lawrence was a brilliant propagandist, rhetorician and manipulator, who deliberately turned his life into a conundrum. But who was the real man behind the masks? Lawrence began the GreatWar as a map-clerk and ended it as one of the greatest military heroes of the 20th century. He altered the face of the Middle East, helped to lead the Arabs to freedom and formulated modern guerilla warfare. Yet he refused any honours and spent therest of his life in near obscurity. Desert explorer and Arabist, Michael Asher, set out to solve this riddle and discovers a hero whose greatness owed as much to his weaknesses as to his strengths.

Julian Cranwell, obsessed by his search for a legendary lost city, has disappeared in Cairo.His colleague, Omar Ross, a maverick archaeologist, sets out to find out what could have happened to him when he discovers a panicked voice-mail from Julian.Someone is coming for him, he says, someone after the ‘Akhnaton ushabtis’…He immediately flies to Cairo and finds the body of his friend. He starts talking to Julian’s friends and family, including his friend Kolpos and his gorgeous Greek assistant, Elena.It turns out Julian was referring to the ancient tomb of Akhnaton, almost a myth to the world.But Julian had found some long lost artefacts and taken it to expert Robert Rabjohn who confirms that they are the real thing.When Ross finds strange connections between the deaths of Julian, Tutankhamen, Howard Carter and Orde Wingate, all years apart, he becomes concerned for his own safety.Julian’s body goes missing and then a strange message is found which says ‘Let the Eye of Ra descend’, referring to the ancient God Ra who sent his Eye to slay all the human beings…Every contact and every informant he speaks to disappears.How long will it be before the culprits catch up with him too?Threatened, almost friendless, Ross turns for help to his mother’s people, the Bedouin Hawazim tribe.It is only with their help, that he can solve the mystery of The Eye of Ra…

October 1942: Egypt. The battle for North Africa rages fiercely along the length of the Egyptian coast ... Punching their way deep behind enemy lines, the newly formed SAS under the enigmatic Lt Col David Stirling carries out daring raids against the Germans