Corvinus Press—Lawrence | A Letter from TEL to his Mother, 1936, [with] Hart and Storrs, Lawrence of Arabia, 1936

Corvinus Press—T.E. Lawrence

Two printed works, comprising:

i. A Letter from T.E. Lawrence to His Mother. Corvinus Press, 1936

FIRST EDITION, COPY NUMBER 17 OF 24 COPIES, one of the 12 copies printed on Barcham Green "Medway" paper, 4to, 3 photographic plates of figures at Chartres Cathedral printed from those originally taken by Lawrence, original linen-backed Japanese paper-covered boards, top edge gilt, others uncut, very slight bumping to corners and spine, a very good copy

A fine copy WITH AN ATTRACTIVE GIFT INSCRIPTION FROM SARAH LAWRENCE: "From T.E.'s Mother, Nov 24th 1937". Although the recipient is unidentified in the inscription, it is almost certainly the military historian Basil Liddell Hart, whose armorial bookplate is present in this copy. [Nash & Flavell, The Corvinus Press, 4].

ii. Sir Basil Henry Liddell Hart and Sir Ronald Storrs. Lawrence of Arabia. [London:] Corvinus Press, 1936

FIRST EDITION, COPY NUMBER 73 OF 128 NUMBERED COPIES, SIGNED BY THE AUTHORS on limitation leaf at end, 4to, original quarter linen-backed Japanese paper-covered boards, gilt device on front cover, top edge gilt, with the flaps for original glassine wrapper loosely preserved in prelims, housed in original card slipcase (labelled "73" in ink on lower cover), wrapper itself not present, an attractive copy

This publication contains the text of two speeches made at a luncheon given in memory of Lawrence about a month of his death. Lord Lloyd was the chair. This copy belonged to Lt. Col. Stewart Francis Newcombe, one of the six pall bearers at Lawrence's funeral (although it does not contain Newcombe's ownership inscription or bookplate. See Provenance note below).

PROVENANCE:

ii. Lt. Col. Stewart Francis Newcombe (1878-1956); by descent; sold Bonhams, 19 March 2014, lot 151 (designated under "Papers and Books of Colonel S.F. Newcombe, RE, DSO, sold on behalf of his descendants")