Lawrence in Arabia by Scott Anderson (2013) is the most readable account of T.E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt. Anderson places Lawrence alongside three other Westerners operating in the region during World War One, giving the book genuine historical sweep. Essential reading before visiting Wadi Rum or Aqaba.
Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence (1926) is Lawrence's own account of the Arab campaign — sprawling, beautiful, occasionally unreliable, and one of the great travel-war memoirs in English. The sections on Wadi Rum are unforgettable. If you find the full text daunting, the abridged Revolt in the Desert covers the essentials.
Married to a Bedouin by Marguerite van Geldermalsen (2006) is the memoir of a New Zealand woman who fell in love with a Bedouin man while passing through Petra in 1978 and moved into his cave home. It is an intimate portrait of Petra and Bedouin life before mass tourism arrived.
The Language of Baklava by Diana Abu-Jaber (2005) is part memoir, part food writing, about an Arab-American family moving between Jordan and the United States. It captures something essential about Jordanian hospitality and the role food plays in social life.
A Leap of Faith by Queen Noor (2003) is the memoir of Lisa Halaby, an American who married King Hussein and became Queen of Jordan. It is candid about life inside the Hashemite court and provides real context for Jordan's modern political history.
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie (1938) is a Hercule Poirot mystery set largely in Petra. It is not a serious guide, but it is a pleasure to read on-site and captures something of Petra's drama and strangeness.