24 Facts About Harold Lamb

Harold Albert Lamb was an American writer, novelist, historian, and screenwriter.

In both his fiction and nonfiction work, Lamb gravitated toward subjects related to Asia and the Middle East.

Harold Lamb's mother was Eliza Rollinson, and his father was Frederick Lamb, a mural painter who designed stained glass.

Harold Lamb was shy with impaired hearing, sight, and speech as a child, attending the Friend's Seminary in New York City, but declaring that he had not enjoyed the experience.

Harold Lamb preferred reading historical epics in his grandfather's library.

Harold Lamb grew to 6 feet 1 inch tall, with premature grey hair.

Harold Lamb joined the literary fraternity of Delta Psi, and was on the editorial board of Columbia Monthly, the university's literary magazine.

However, Harold Lamb almost flunked out of Columbia because he skipped many classes, spending much time instead reading for pleasure at the library.

Harold Lamb built a career with his writing from an early age.

Harold Lamb began writing for pulp magazines, writing stories about the mountains of Afghanistan and the Russian steppes.

Harold Lamb wrote articles for National Geographic and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Harold Lamb was a screenwriter on many other DeMille movies, including The Buccaneer, The Golden Horde, The Plainsman and Samson and Delilah.

The editor of Adventure, Arthur Sullivant Hoffman, praised Harold Lamb's writing ability, describing him as "always the scholar first, the good fictionist second".

Harold Lamb's stories were well-researched and rooted in their time, often featuring real historical characters, but set in places unfamiliar and exotic to most of the western audience reading his fiction.

Harold Lamb was never a formula plotter, and his stories often turned upon surprising developments arising from character conflict.

Harold Lamb chooses to wander Asia rather than face forced "Cossack retirement" in a Russian monastery and launches into an odyssey that takes him to Mongolia, China, and Afghanistan.

Harold Lamb comes to befriend and rely upon folk he has been raised to despise and briefly rises to leadership of a Tartar tribe before wandering further south.

Harold Lamb wrote a variety of stories featuring or narrated by Muslim, Mongol, or Chinese protagonists, set for the most part during the late 16th and early 17th centuries.

Harold Lamb produced several stories of naval warfare with a historical setting.

Harold Lamb wrote several novels which were almost like dramatized biographies; he did not invent much beyond known history.

Harold Lamb claimed to have traveled 59,000 miles in the Middle East.

Harold Lamb served with the Office of Strategic Services in Iran during World War II.

Harold Lamb was the director of the American Friends of the Middle East.

Harold Lamb spoke French, Latin, Persian, Arabic and a smattering of Manchu-Tartar.