T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 111

To Jas. A.L. Brown, The Square, Portwilliam, Galloway. 14/1. 28 Drigh Road. Dear Brown, These "Mr" and "Sirs" aren't for people who served together . . . so let it pass as that . . . and forgive the typing: my office work, which is most of what I do here daily now a little, involves me in using a typewriter; and as I can't,yet, I take an hour or so a day in practice: and to-day's hour is to be yours. Only I hope it won't take Quite an hour, for your sake. There must have been a muddle, or a missed letter about that matter of the book. I had the firm notion that you were writing to Jonathan Cape for your copy. He had instructions from me to dish them out to the ex-Arabians whom I passed on to him. But of course that is all over now:- the book is out of print and will not be replenished over, I hope. Out here I had only such copies as were necessary for people in India, people I knew. These I have sent out long ago, and there is only one of them still with me; I am sending you this by post this week, with very deep apologies, for it is the copy which the fellows here in camp were reading, and successive relays of them have made its pages somewhat to recall Castrol R. and "B.B." You know: the authorities do not supply us with hot water. In this climate, and yet cold water will not clean our hands. However it is all there; so far as reading matter is concerned, and that is the main point. A poor book, believe me . . . You say something about autographing it . . . but there is not, and never will be, an autographed "Revolt in the desert". I made up my mind on that tiry point of manners before the book was published. You see, it is only the abridgement of a much longer and complete story, which was printed,in a few copies only, as "Seven Pillars of Wisdom". The full book had to be signed by me - indeed every copy of it carried a certificate in my writing, to the effect that it was an authentic copy. "Revolt" is compared with the whole work, a bit of a fraud: something put out to-win enough money out of the great B.P. to pay for the restricted edition. Therefore I have not, for "Revolt; even the very limited regard I sometimes feel for the "Seven Pillars".