Oriental Assembly - Uncorrected Proofs (True First English Edition); together with First English Trade Edition. Cet article n’est pas disponible.Oriental Assembly - Uncorrected Proofs (True First English Edition); together with First English Trade Edition

The very scarce Uncorrected Proofs, with the ownership initials of Walter John Armytage (1913-1980) to initial bifolium, and his pencil amendment to the contents page, a correction observed in the published book suggesting involvement with the publishers. A scion of one of Ireland's noble families (their seat was Halston House in Moyvore, County Westmeath), Armytage was a passionate book collector with an extensive library. Oriental Assembly contains hitherto unpublished writings by Lawrence about the Middle East, including a diary kept on his journey through Northern Syria in 1911 collecting antiquities for the Ashmolean Museum, and the suppressed introductory chapter to 'The Seven Pillars of Wisdom'. Octavo. Twenty-one bundless of bifolia, comprising 292 pages of text and illustrations/plates including several blank pages for lists of illustrations to be added later, loose in a contemporary cloth-covered portfolio. With contents and collation as stated in O'Brien. Some edges rough-trimmed. The XIX diary plates and 111 war photographs present as called for, as well as a portrait of Lawrence by R. G. Goslett standing in the desert in full arab dress intended as the frontispiece and titled as such but not used in the published edition which instead featured an image of Lawrence's camels. Minor wear and spotting to edges of some leaves; near fine overall. Together with the First Edition, First Impression of the English Trade Edition. Same provenance as the Uncorrected Proofs, with an interesting pencil note signed, dated (1939) and initialled by Armytage on the front free endpaper: "These photogtaphs were all identified by me at the Imperial War Museum & the proofs compared with the originals and the negatives. I searched for Seal-Hunting in Mesopotamia (see p.3) through long runs of various periodicals in the British Museum without success". Octavo. Original brown, buckram-covered boards titled in gilt to spine, top edge stained black. Covers slightly bowed, foxing to fore-edge and sporadically to contents, small mark on the spine, otherwise a lovely bright copy. The dust jacket has a few minor spots and abrasions but is overall a superb example. Photographic frontispiece among more than a hundred photos taken by Lawrence. Loosely inserted is a fine copy of the prospectus for Lawrence's 'Secret Despatches from Arabia': single leaf folded, white laid paper, lower edge deckled. A lovely set in fine or near fine condition. [O Brien A220, A221, A227].…