MRCHalifax t1_iues61v wrote on October 30, 2022 at 7:52 PM

Reply to comment by anunderdog in Revealed: TE Lawrence felt ‘bitter shame’ over UK’s false promises of Arab self rule by Aboveground_Plush

It was left at Reading Station while he was changing trains. So he rewrote it from memory, having burned all of his notes. But it was a mess. So he rewrote it again. And then he did a proof-printing, and then substantially revised it. And then he put out a limited edition version that people could actually get, but that put him deep in debt. So he cut out half of that version for the version that went out to the public.

It was not a smooth process by any means, and it means that there is no definitive version of the text, even among the works that weren't lost.

anunderdog t1_iuewifh wrote on October 30, 2022 at 8:20 PM

Wow! I read he left it in a cab but either way... That is dedication. If I found a huge manuscript like that I would definitely try to find the owner. Someone probably just binned it. It's a huge book, and dry as toast so I'm not surprised it wasn't a best seller but what an adventure. I wonder why he burned his notes? Any ideas?

MRCHalifax t1_iuexm5h wrote on October 30, 2022 at 8:27 PM

He suffered from mental health issues. I suspect it’s related to that, but I’m no expert on him or on mental health, so take that with a massive grain of salt.

Jackson3125 t1_iuhjggo wrote on October 31, 2022 at 11:47 AM

He also had a flare for the dramatic.

cynicalspacecactus t1_iuhxoib wrote on October 31, 2022 at 1:53 PM

I believe what you are referring to are the limited and trade editions of Revolt in the Desert, which although were abridged versions of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, were not published under that name, so should not be considered competing with the whole work for the definitive status.