Books

First edition, limited issue of 203 copies of which only 150 were for sale. This copy is number 35, marking it one of 40 printed on handmade Medway paper and bound in vellum. Illustrated with reproductions of photographs by T. E. Lawrence. Publisher's full vellum, lettered in gilt to front board and spine, stamped in gilt with publisher's device to rear board, two white silk ties, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed; housed in the original white protective slipcase. About fine with just a few scuffs to the spine and foxing to tissue guards, silk ties with a few loose threads; slipcase significantly worn and split to top edge. Overall, an exquisite copy of this rare, beautifully produced book. While on a short break from an archaeological dig in Syria, Lawrence embarked upon a lone walking tour of the area. This limited edition publication takes its text directly his travel diary. Lawrence was an archaeologist, diplomat, army officer, and writer, and earned international fame for his well-written accounts of his travels and various roles in Middle Eastern conflicts during World War I. In 1962, his life was the subject of the Oscar-winning historical drama film Lawrence of Arabia. His accounts of the Ottoman region are undoubtedly informative and beautifully written, and contributed greatly to his later writing on the history and architecture of the area. The note from the publisher reads: "This diary was kept while the author was journeying through Northern Syria during 1911. It consists of notes jotted down whenever he had a moment to rest. As he travelled to most places on foot and was extremely ill the greater part of the time, the consistency of writing and spelling cannot be relied upon, especially as the original manuscript was kept in pencil in a small canvas-backed note-book and was never revised." The Corvinus Press was founded by typographer and book collector Viscount Carlow. The Diary is widely considered to be the most impressive and striking work ever published by Corvinus.