Collector Notes for Seven Pillars of Wisdom

P. Rice

03/13/2003

Collector Notes for the Easton Press edition of

T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom

T. E. (Thomas Edward) Lawrence, known popularly as “Lawrence of Arabia,” was born in Wales in 1888. The product of a bigamous relationship between an aristocratic father and a plebian mother, Lawrence grew up in a socially alienated environment under the disparate influences of his parents. A thriving intellectual curiosity combined with unlimited physical energy led to a successful academic career at Jesus College of Oxford. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from there in 1910 following the completion of a thesis entitled “Crusader Castles,” a study of the military architecture of the Crusades. His research was impressive, including extensive study in France and a personal tour of Palestine and Syria. Following his graduation he conducted research at an archeological site at Carchemish, Syria, where he demonstrated adeptness for learning Arabic along with an ability to coordinate the local workers toward common goals. Both skills would prove invaluable in subsequent years.

With his education, dexterity with languages and geography, and refined people skills, Lawrence was a natural selection for intelligence work when World War I erupted. Initially he was employed gathering information and making maps, but in 1916 he became involved in the uprising of Beduin tribes under the leadership of the family of Sharif Hussein of Mecca against the Turks in the Hejaz sector of Arabia. Affecting the lifestyle and character of a Beduin tribal leader, Lawrence assisted the major offensive against the Turks in Palestine and Syria. Aided primarily by one of Sharif Hussein’s sons, Emil Feisal, Lawrence coordinated an eclectic band of Beduin warriors to successfully stall and harass the Turkish troops in the Eastern desert. In this position he demonstrated a remarkable ability to handle multiple tasks, each with critical intricacies upon which the lives of scores of people depended, and his performance earned for him a lasting identity as the romantic figure associated with the triumphant struggle in Arabia.

In October of 1918 Lawrence witnessed the capture of Damascus by Allied forces, a victory that signaled the end of the fighting in the Eastern theatre of the war. He remained connected to the region in the capacity of diplomat, serving as Feisal’s counsel in pleading the Arabs’ case for independence in Syria at the Versailles Peace Conference of 1919. The Syrian mandate failed, and, despite Lawrence’s best efforts, Feisal was ultimately evicted from Damascus by the French mandatory government. Following this action, Lawrence served as a member of Winston Churchill’s Colonial Office and participated in the Cairo Conference of 1921, which saw the formation of the state of Iraq with Feisal installed as the ruler. Having helped achieved this outcome, Lawrence began a relatively quiet period during which he voluntarily served a 12-year enlistment as a private in the Royal Tank Corps and later in the Royal Air Force. He also assembled his diaries and notes from the wartime campaign into a manuscript that would become revered as a classic of the period.

A limited edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom was published in 1926 with an updated edition being published for general circulation in 1935. The remarkable book provides intricate details of the author’s life and his relations with Arabs, but the author is clearly keen on the book being a significant history in addition to a memoir or autobiography. As an introduction, he presents a brief overview of Arab history beginning with the Moslem conquest in the seventh century and the successful Turkish revolt of the eleventh century. The events leading to the Arab uprising against the Turks are chronicled, as are the observations and information Lawrence ascertained to formulate the British plan for aiding the Arabs--and for enlisting the aid of the Arabs to achieve British objectives. The narrative describes the harsh extremities of heat and cold the combatants endured and recounts the guerilla-styled tactics used in raids against the Turkish-held railroads and other successful objectives leading to the liberation of Damascus and subsequent victory for the Allies.

The analysis is remarkably thorough and discusses the political and social as well as the military perspectives. Lawrence masterfully profiles the leaders involved, especially those with whom he worked closely, such as General Sir Edmund Allenby, the Commander-in-Chief of British forces in Egypt and Palestine who frequently gave Lawrence the freedom to establish and implement tactics without interference. The author also offers insightful first-hand comparisons between the professional and dutiful British soldiers and the Arab freedom fighters; Lawrence’s tone with regard to the soldiers is always respectful and compassionate, a reflection of the keen and sometimes conflicting empathy he felt for supporters of both the British Empire and Arab independence.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a military history and a poetic memoir by a genuine hero of the Great War of 1914-1918. T. E. Lawrence’s autobiographical account, resplendent with details and scholarly research complemented by elegant prose, continues to stir the imagination of historians and connoisseurs of brilliant literature alike. Dozens of magnificent illustrations plus maps and a chronological listing of the troop movements further enhance the packaging of this important volume.

This Easton Press edition of T. E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom is handsomely bound in genuine leather ornamented by accents of 22kt gold and printed on specially-milled archival quality paper to endure for generations as an indispensable addition to your Leather-Bound Library of Military History.