Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A Triumph.

LAWRENCE, T. E.

Edité par London: Jonathan Cape, 1935

First trade edition, limited issue, number 23 of 750 copies bound in quarter pigskin. "Lawrence had taken part in the preliminary planning of the Arab uprising and, in October 1916, was ordered to Jiddah to assess the military situation. What followed is recorded in Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a personal, emotional narrative of the Arab revolt in which Lawrence reveals how by sheer willpower he made history. It was a testimony to his vision and persistence and a fulfilment of his desire to write an epic which might stand comparison in scale and linguistic elegance with his beloved Morte d'Arthur and C. M. Doughty's Arabia Deserta. Subtitled 'A triumph', its climax is the Arab liberation of Damascus, a victory which successfully concludes a gruelling campaign and vindicates Lawrence's faith in the Arabs. In a way Seven Pillars is a sort of Pilgrim's Progress, with Lawrence as Christian, a figure sustained by his faith in the Arabs, successively overcoming physical and moral obstacles" (ODNB). This trade edition was preceded only by the unprocurable Oxford Times edition of 1922 (of which there were just 8 copies printed) and the 1926 Cranwell edition (limited to 211 copies). O'Brien A041. Quarto. Photogravure portrait frontispiece, 47 plates (4 colour with tissue guards), 3 facsimiles (1 folding), 4 folding maps in red and black, illustrations in text. Original quarter pigskin, spine gilt-lettered direct, brown buckram sides, front cover with gilt vertical rule, motif of crossed scimitars in gilt, rear cover with blind vertical rule, marbled endpapers, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Pigskin flaked in places as usual, couple of marks to cloth, tips bumped: a near-fine copy. N° de réf. du vendeur 179943

Détails bibliographiques

Titre : Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A Triumph.
Éditeur : London: Jonathan Cape, 1935
Edition : Edition originale