“Subscribers’ ” or “Cranwell “ edition of 1926
One of 32 “Incomplete” copies signed and dated by T.E. Lawrence (Shaw).
Laid in “Some Notes on on the Writing of Seven Pillars of Wisdom” 1927 O’Brien A039 (c.200 copies distributed to Subscribers)
This is a copy of one of the 32 “Incomplete” copies given by TE to “people mentioned in the book, or people who had been officially or personally useful to the Arab Revolt” (O’Brien A040). This makes these 32 copies of particular significance. These copies are textually complete only lacking a number of the plates bound at the rear of all the volumes. There were 170 “complete” copies for subscribers and 32 bound as here in half leather by De Coverley that were signed as incomplete.
Altogether an attractive and fine copy, housed in a custom-made half morocco solander box that echoes the binding of the volume, made by award-winning binder Stephen Conway.
Printing History
The text and publication have a complex history and have been well documented. It can be summarised here:
Seven Pillars was commenced in January of 1919, and the completed parts of the manuscript being reputedly “lost” on Reading Station in November of that year. He then re-wrote the text under some strain to his mental state, reliving the harrowing experiences of his desert campaign, “I nearly went off my head in London this spring, heaving at that beastly book of mine”. In 1922 TE had eight copies set in 6pt linotype by newspaper compositors and printed at the Oxford Times, in double column and some 287 sheets, hence the term Oxford edition. These copies of this lengthy work, some one third longer than the later published text of 1926 and 1935, were printed on a newspaper proofing press. He then distributed copies to key friends for comment.
There then followed the editing of the text and the plan to produce the sumptuous limited edition issued to subscribers. The publishing and printing of the 1926 edition in a private edition was a long drawn out and complex process. Robin Buxton formerly of the Imperial Camel Corps and now a manager of the Liverpool & Martins Bank, assisted with the financing of the project. At a meeting with Lawrence, David G. Hogarth of the Ashmolean, Lionel Curtis of All Souls, Oxford and Alan Dawnay (another wartime colleague) were present, a scheme was agreed upon whereby 120 copies could be printed, with all of the planned illustrations, for sale at 30 guineas per copy. The Eric Kennington pastels were being printed by Whittingham & Griggs at the then enormous price of around ten shillings per print.
There is interesting correspondence between Lawrence and Buxton that throws light upon the financing of the volume. It was Eric Kennington who put Lawrence in contact with an American, Manning Pike, who was a newly qualified printer, to undertake the printing, he was later joined by an experienced pressman, Herbert Hodgson. To assist in financing the scheme Lawrence offered the publication of an abridgement, Revolt in the Desert to the publisher Jonathan Cape. This was a straightforward abridgement completed in a brief period whilst Lawrence was at Cranwell, published in 1927. It was to run to five editions before being withdrawn.
The final cost of the Subscribers’ edition totalled a staggering £13,000 equating to a cost of around £76 for each complete copy, or just over £100 for each subscribed copy. In fact 211 copies were printed, 170 complete and 32 incomplete and 9 sets of proof sheets “more or less defective”.
Lawrence decided upon binding the volumes in an individual manner and sent sheets to a number of top quality binders, these included, Mcleish, De Coverley, Best & Co, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, Notary Binders as well as a number of others.
As the volume was completed in late 1926 and copies initialled and dated XII/26, with the final touches in place and just a few copies despatched, Lawrence arranged to be posted to India at the turn of the year leaving Manning Pike to send out the remainder of the large tomes.
So, here is one of the great books of the twentieth century, that really needs to be seen and handled to be fully appreciated.
Although even TE like Homer occasionally nods. In a letter to John Buchan dated 1 XII 26 sending a copy for the Prime Minster, Stanley Baldwin, he states the volume will “have no future” whilst acknowledging that it is a “rarity”!
