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Working draft of the title page for an abridged version of T. E. Lawrence's memoir Seven Pillars of Wisdom, one page, 7.75 x 9.75, no date but circa 1920s. An initial title has been proposed in another hand in ink, "The Freeing of Arabia, 1916–1918. by T. E. Lawrence. (Abridged from the privately printed narrative 'The Seven Pillars,' 1922)."
In pencil, Lawrence circles the title and strikes out the parenthetical, writing: "I don't like this." Above, he suggests the titles "The War in the Desert" and "The Revolt in Arabia" as possibilities, and below boxes in two other alternatives: "Arabia, 1916–1918" and "Mecca to Damascus, 1916–1918, by T. E. Lawrence." Ultimately, Lawrence would combine two of these options, arriving at Revolt in the Desert as the final title for the work. In fine condition, with light toning over the lower half of the sheet.
From Jeremy Wilson's biography of Lawrence: 'Lawrence had considered publishing an abridgement of Seven Pillars in 1920 and again in 1922. On each occasion he had spent a fair amount of time shortening the text (in the latter instance working in collaboration with Edward Garnett). Finally in 1925, when it became clear that the production cost of Seven Pillars would greatly exceed the revenue from subscribers, he was obliged to sell rights for a popular abridgement to Jonathan Cape. Even though he had already worked on two earlier abridgements, he spent several weeks making pencil deletions and additions for the Cape edition, using a proof of the subscriber's Seven Pillars…It was extremely important to him that Revolt in the Desert should succeed. The venture involved not only his reputation as a writer but also his financial security.'
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