Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph.

LAWRENCE, T. E.

Item Number: 129394

London: Jonathan Cape, 1935.

First trade edition of Lawrence’s classic account of his role in the Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. First impression with the erroneous listing on page 20 of the illustration “A Forced Landing” on pages 302-303 (corrected in the second impression to 304-305). Quarto, bound in full camel morocco by Winstanley with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in seven compartments within raised gilt bands, central gilt lozenge to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins, inner dentelles and marbled endpapers. Illustrated with photographic plates, portraits from sketches and four folding maps. In near fine condition. A unique example.

Praised by Winston Churchill as one of the “the greatest books ever written in the English language”, Lawrence's Seven Pillars is not only a remarkably accurate historical account of the Arab Rebellion, but an epic heroic adventure and chronicle of a profound spiritual awakening (Wilson, 55). Lawrence kept extensive notes throughout the course of his involvement in the Revolt and began work on a narrative in the first half of 1919 while in Paris for the Peace Conference. By December 1919, he had an extensive draft which was tragically lost when he misplaced his briefcase while changing trains at Reading railway station. In early 1920, Lawrence set about the daunting task of rewriting as much as he could remember of the first version, working from memory alone as he had destroyed many of his wartime notes upon completion of the initial manuscript. The Subscribers' Edition of The Seven Pillars of Wisdom was finally published in late 1926, with the subtitle A Triumph. Lawrence was killed in a motorcycle accident in May 1935, at the age of 46, and within weeks of his death, the 1926 abridgement was published for general circulation. The book was adapted into the film Lawrence of Arabia directed by David Lean, produced by Sam Spiegel and starring Peter O'Toole. It is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential films in the history of cinema.