[LAWRENCE, T. E.]. Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a Triumph. London: Jonathan Cape, 1935.
FIRST TRADE EDITION, FOURTH IMPRESSION. Leather-bound; hardcover; thick quarto (25.5cm x 19.5cm x 5.5cm); pp. 672. English text with illustrations throughout. Stunningly bound in tree calf gilt by Riviere; spine in 6 compartments; contrasting morocco lettering-pieces; all page edges gilt; marbled endpapers, 3 facsimile examples of text or manuscript; 54 illustrations including portrait bust frontispiece; many charcoal drawn plates and in-text line drawings; 4 fold-out maps; appendices; indexes of place names and personal names. Condition: NEAR FINE. Binding tight and secure with the hinges and joints intact. Covers beautifully preserved. Some light intermittent scattered foxing. Without previous ownership marking.
Notes: An excellent example of T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, in a wonderful tree calf binding by Riviere. Following his extraordinary military and diplomatic career in Arabia, and having already become a legendary figure in the public imagination, T.E. Lawrence purchased his Dorset cottage retreat Clouds Hill in 1924 to write his book about the war. The first draft of Seven Pillars was completed by November 1919, but was soon lost, according to the author, at Reading Station. A second draft was finished during 1922, and finally appeared as a private edition, reflecting Lawrence's love of fine printing, in 1926. '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, sustained by his faith in the Arabs, successively overcoming physical and moral obstacles' (ODNB). O'Brien A042.
