A.W. Lawrence, editor. First edition thus, new abridged edition. London: Jonathan Cape, 1954. Both price-clipped dust jacket (in a mylar wrapper) and hardcover are in Very Good+ condition. No writing or markings found in this well-preserved reprint edition, 319 pp. Includes a beautiful ex-libris pasted on inside cover.
The New Abridged Edition of this important collection of reminiscences about T. E. Lawrence, edited by his younger brother, A. W. Lawrence. Originally published in 1937, the 1954 edition was substantially abridged while retaining many of the principal contributions that illuminate Lawrence’s extraordinary personality and career.
The volume includes recollections from prominent contemporaries and friends of Lawrence, offering a fascinating portrait of the soldier, scholar, writer and adventurer better known as Lawrence of Arabia.
This is a particularly attractive copy, featuring a beautiful ex-libris bookplate pasted to the inside cover, adding an element of provenance and visual interest for collectors of books, bookplates and private-library history.
Collector’s note: This is not the 1937 first edition of the work; it is the first edition of the 1954 New Abridged Edition. The distinction is important to collectors. The 1937 first edition is considerably scarcer and more valuable.
Provenance: The book bears an illustrated ex-libris bearing the name “Robert Killheffer.” The name is consistent with Robert K. J. Killheffer, the American editor and critic associated with OMNI Magazine and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. While the bookplate’s ownership cannot be independently confirmed, the provenance is potentially significant.
