T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 517

To Isham 22/11/27 Well, "Revolt" has done its bit quite decently. My debts have melted right away. That happy state being assured, I am jealous, who own its copyrights, have withdrawn the English edition from sale: my idea is that this will make things quieten down sooner in England. A book not on sale will be a book well on the way to forgetfulness. In U.S.A., of ... the sale will continue; I did not put a closing clause in my American contract, just because I never imagined (till your letter came) my living in the States. This Lowell Thomas book comes as a surprise to me; I'd imagined he had finished with my war reputation, and he will not sell much of it. Another "life" of me is to appear this winter - by Robert Graves, a young poet of my acquaintance, who had the kindness ... to re-capitulate before he signed his contract. I suppose his book is fairly accurate; he referred several parts of it to me, in draft. On the whole I think I prefer lies to truth, anyhow. At the worst myself". Stella's big book will not last long. At the worst it ... be a rage for a few weeks or months, like "Revolt"; and then, a year or so later, I can get home. Probably in April, 1930. 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 R.A.F.; 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. I do not know how he ... in the country, for he arrived while I was up-country, and I had gone up ten or fourteen days, in all; except he was there some ten or fourteen days, in all; The which we were together in Akaba for perhaps three. The rest of his book is gossip from Mers. and ... re-enact from"Revolt". My bag of MSS I forget on the station at Reading, when changing trains for Oxford. It was not an ebony box, but a brown bag. I shewed they at rando... The recruiting Staff Officer said I must take a fresh name. I said "... not Office said "I shan't". So I solees--. He snapped it open at the index, and said the Army List, and another ... in Shire-- "It'll be the first ...iation is T. Private ... "The St.Joan dedication is From Public ... I do not believe L.T's figure of 4000 lectures upon me.