Beschreibung:

LAWRENCE, Thomas Edward (1888-1935)]. Seven Pillars of Wisdom. A triumph, 1919-1920. [Oxford: Privately Printed for the author at The Oxford Times , 1922]. Proofing sheets (279 x 205 mm). 308 numbered leaves (rectos only: 287 letterpress, 20 typescript, and one autograph manuscript); 6 folding lithographic and photographic maps with autograph additions. CONTENTS 1 title-page (typescript), 2 acknowledgment leaf to Geoffrey Dawson and Herbert Baker (typescript), 3 dedicatory poem to S.A. [i.e. Ahmed, or "Dahoum" as he was known] (typescript), 4 Contents summary (autograph manuscript), 5-10 Contents (typescript), unnumbered blank, 11-308 letterpress text (typescript book section titles and synopses of the Introduction and Books I-X on fols. 11, 26, 47, 70, 96, 133, 165, 196, 223, 245, and 270 respectively), six maps at end (one a photographic reproduction), numbered and referenced by Lawrence in red ink on folded fore-flaps and carefully marked up by him indicating journeys and routes. Without Epilogue divisional title (present in in the Metcalf copy at the Huntington Library only, in original manuscript). TEXT The text was set in 6 pt Linotype by newspaper compositors at the The Oxford Times and worked off on a proofing press in double-column of varying length on the rectos of 287 sheets. The integrated letterpress, typed and manuscript sheets were foliated consecutively by Lawrence in red ink throughout, chapter numbers on letterpress sheets are supplied in red beside each running chapter heading (when present), shoulder notes on all letterpress leaves are rubricated in Lawrence's hand. Typescript contents leaves with Lawrence's page and map references in red. Typescript book section titles/book synopsis leaves before each book with Lawrence's map references in red. PAPER Typed preliminaries, typed book summaries, and printed text on wove proofing paper (all apparently from the same stock). BINDING Contemporary terra cotta niger gilt, sides with geometric gilt border consisting of a pair of double gilt-ruled fillets intersecting at each corner around a square tool, all within a double gilt-ruled outer border, spine in six compartments, gilt-lettered THE SEVEN PILLARS in the second compartment, a repeated geometric gilt-bordered panel in the remaining compartments, dated "1920" at foot of spine, board edges and turn-ins gilt, boa skin endleaves, five flyleaves at either end of laid paper watermarked "Michallet", upper and fore-edge gilt, bound for the author by C.& C. McLeish, stamp-signed on lower turn-in, (corners lightly bumped, some minor scuffing); full morocco pull-off case by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. T.E. LAWRENCE'S COPY OF THE EXCEEDINGLY RARE OXFORD 1922 FIRST EDITION, FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION ONLY, OF SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM --"COPY NUMBER I," THE MASTER CORRECTED COPY OF ONE OF THE LEGENDARY RARITIES OF MODERN LITERATURE Lawrence had conceived of the title "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" as a projected title for an academic book relating to his early Oxford archaeological research projects in the Near East in 1910-11. "Even before starting to write the book he had decided on a title. It was derived from Proverbs (ix.1): 'Wisdom hath builded a house: she hath hewn out her seven pillars'. But 'Seven Pillars of Wisdom' was also a deliberate echo of Ruskin's Seven Lamps of Architecture , and there was a clear analogy between the structure of Ruskin's book and the idea behind Lawrence's project. This analogy was of course lost when he later used the title for his book about the Arab Revolt" (Wilson, p. 74). The concept of writing a book based on his experiences during the Revolt evolved over the war years, and descriptive sketches of some of these experiences were kept in his journal from the time of his permanent posting to Feisal in February 1917. Yet it would be during his free time while at the Peace Conference in Paris that Lawrence began drafting his account of the Revolt. It was dedicated to his Arab friend Dahou