LAWRENCE, T.E. | Editions of "The Mint", 8 volumes

From the Library of Alan Milne
LAWRENCE, T.E.

EDITIONS OF "THE MINT":

first English edition, Jonathan Cape, 1955, LIMITED ISSUE, NO.576 OF 2000 COPIES, quarter blue morocco, buckram boards, slipcase, slipcase slightly stained [O'Brien A172]; first trade edition, Jonathan Cape, 1955, blue cloth, dust-jacket, slight staining to jacket [A173]; third trade edition, Jonathan Cape, 1972, uncorrected proof copy, wrappers, [A176]; Military Book Society edition, 1973, dust-jacket, [A177a]; reprint of 1973 edition, in dust-jacket; together with first Argentine edition, Buenos Aires, 1955, limited to 300 copies, soft covers, glassine, glassine torn, [A179]; first German edition, Munich: Paul List Verlag, 1955, cloth; and a French paperback edition; 8vo (8)

Lawrence had written "The Mint" as an account of barrack-room life within the RAF after he joined in 1922. He made notes immediately, but the project was set aside after his dismissal in 1923, and he did not take it up again until he went to India in 1927. In the intervening period he had overseen the publication of Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the abridging of Revolt in the Desert. A clean manuscript was of The Mint was sent to Edward Garnett in March 1928, who circulated it to a small group, including Air Marshal Trenchard. There then followed a battle with Cape who wished to publish it under an existing agreement to publish Lawrence's next book after Revolt. Lawrence asked for a £1m advance to forestall publication; Lawrence then gave a guarantee to Trenchard that it would not be published until at least 1950. The author made corrections in the final few months of his life with a possible view to a privately printed edition on a handpress (see O'Brien). In the meantime the manuscript found its way to America and, in order to control publication a copyright edition was thought necessary (see lot 119).

The 1955 text differs from that of 1928 since it was amended by the author's brother A.W. Lawrence to include revisions the author had made in two typescript copies between 1928 and 1935. Both the limited issue and regular edition published by Cape in 1955 had 'objectionable' words removed from the text (mainly for fear of libel, but also swear words). The 1973 text, as also in this lot, restores the original words as present in the manuscript.

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