T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 516

To Isham 23/11/27 LH 9/3/42 Well, "Revolt" has gone its way quite decently. My debts have melted right away. That being issue has been assured, my trustees, who own its copyright, have withdrawn the British edition from sale; my idea is that this will make things interesting from a press in England. A book not on sale will be a book well on the way to forgotten; of course its sale will continue; I did not put any closing clause in my American contract, just because I never imagined (till your letter came) my living in the States. This Lowell Thomas book seems to be a surprise to me, for I imagined he had finished with my war reputation. However he will not sell much of it. Another "life" of me is to appear this winter, by Robert Graves, a young man of my acquaintance, who had the kindness to ask my permission before he signed his contract. I suppose his book is fairly accurate; he referred several parts of it to me, in drafts. On the whole I think I prefer him to truth, as that is awkward for itself. Still, his book will not last long. At the worst it wil be a rage for a few weeks or months, like "Revolt": and then, a year or so later, I can get back. In April, 1924. About your queries from L.T's book:- I was in the Royal Tank Corps, between March'23 and August '25 and was transferred from it back to the Infantry. Exchanges from Service to Service are not difficult to arrange. Of course, as you know, Lowell Thomas was not with me on any ride or operation in Arabia. He could not know how long he was in the country for he arrived while I was long he was ... and I had gone up again before he, in all; of expect he was there some two or three weeks perhaps. The which we were together in Akaba for perhaps three. The rest of his book is gossip from here and there, or extract from "Revolt". My bag of MSS I forget on the station at Reading, when changing trains for Oxford. It was not a heavy bag, but a brown bag. ... the recruiting staff officer said I chose Shaw at random. In the War Office a fresh boy passed in the way Office said "Do you don't". He said "no" and said "What's yours?" I damned ... stepped it up - the "... Light and snapped it in his" - "I'll be the first one then destined is 'To Friday' "I'll put it down again'. The St.John destitute is a Public Shaw I do not believe L.T's figure of 4000 lectures upon me.