T. E. Lawrence | The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, New York, 1926

T.E. Lawrence

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. New York: George H. Doran, 1926

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, ONE OF 22 COPIES, this copy un-numbered, large 8vo, 11 in-text illustrations, initials after Edward Wadsworth and Blair Hughes-Stanton, footnote on p. 257 printed in red, contemporary red buckram, spine lettered in gilt, leaves uncut

After the publication of the second, subscribers' edition of Seven Pillars in December 1925-January 1926, an American edition was published by Doran in April 1926 (under the title The Seven Pillars of Wisdom). The present edition, produced in order to secure American copyright, was reprinted from a proof of the Subscribers' Edition (albeit omitting the plates and some of the illustrations, and with variants of both the text and illustration), and was limited to just 22 numbered copies: 6 for Lawrence, 2 for the Library of Congress (including the present copy), 4 for Doran, and 10 for sale "at a price high enough [the first at $20,000 and further copies at double that price] to prevent them ever being sold" (Some Notes, p. 4).

Curiously, not all copies were numbered and signed on the colophon. Clements records an unnumbered Library of Congress copy, and the present copy is neither numbered nor signed. Bailey seems to have quizzed Pike, printer of the Subscribers' Edition, on this point, the latter replying (with more confidence than accuracy) that "None of the copies of the American or English editions of Seven Pillars are numbered". In addition to the 22 copies contractually agreed, Doran appears to have assembled two (or possibly three) additional copies from the specimen sheets, probably without Lawrence's knowledge.

PROVENANCE:

One of two copies sent to the Library of Congress, with the Library of Congress booklabel (overstamped "surplus duplicate"), annotation "Copy 2 Office", and additional annotation "Copy 2" at foot of title-page