The Mint

T.E. Lawrence. First edition., first printing. London: Jonathan Cape, 1955. Both unclipped dust jacket, in a mylar protective wrapper, and hardcover are in Near Fine condition. No writing or markings on the book, 206 pp.

This is a wonderfully preserved first edition of T. E. Lawrence's insightful memoirs of his time as an enlisted man in the Royal Air Force. First edition. When, in 1922, T. E. Lawrence enlisted in the ranks of the R.A.F. under the name of John Hulme Ross, he was in a strange mental and physical state as a result of his experiences in war. Upon the discovery of his true identity, he was discharged. Allowed to re-enlist two years later under the name of Shaw, this is an expurgated collection of his notes during his time serving. Written by T. E. Lawrence, a British archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer who became renowned for his role in the Arab Revolt and the Sinai and Palestine Campaign against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War.

“The Mint, written in a very different style to Seven Pillars of Wisdom, is, like Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, a work of observation written by a highly intelligent man who found himself effectively imprisoned. Lawrence distilled its spare descriptions from events that he had witnessed over and over again.” - Jeremy Wilson