Other editions of book Seven Pillars of Wisdom

When T. E. Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom first appeared in 1922 it was immediately recognized as a literary masterpiece. In writing his extraordinary account of the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918 and his own role in it, T.E. Lawrence sealed his place in history and legend as Lawrence of Arabia. Widely regarded as the last great romantic war story and described by Winston Churchill as one of “the greatest books ever written in the English language,” it conveys a world of wonders, written in the same committed fashion that Lawrence applied to his duties in Syria, this is a towering achievement of both autobiography and military history, as well as a first-rate adventure story, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a must read. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.

International Collectors Library, Garden City, NY. 1938. 622 pgs. Leatherette over Boards. No Jacket. 5 1/2" by 8 1/2" tall. Dark green covers with 24 K gold gilt on the front cover, spine, and top page edges. The gilt front cover design by Raphael Palacios is modeled after T. J. Cobden-Sanderson's design of the cover of The Life and Death of Jason, now in the British Museum rare book collection. Silk ribbon marker.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom encompasses an account of the Arab Revolt against the Turks during the First World War alongside general Middle Eastern and military history, politics, adventure and drama. It is also a memoir of the soldier known as “Lawrence of Arabia.” Lawrence was a fascinating and controversial figure whose talent as a vivid and imaginative writer shines through on every page of this, his masterpiece. “It ranks with the greatest books ever written in the English language. As a narrative of war and adventure . . . it is unsurpassable.”–Winston Churchill

In writing his extraordinary account of the Arab Revolt of 1916–1918 and his own role in it, T.E. Lawrence sought literary advice from his good friends E.M. Forster and George Bernard Shaw. With their encouragement, Lawrence produced an epic manuscript that became the focus of a desperate public search after he lost the majority of the text in a train station. The original was never found, and the indefatigable Lawrence produced a second text from memory. Widely regarded as the last great romantic war story and described by Winston Churchill as one of “the greatest books ever written in the English language,” it conveys a world of wonders from a life less ordinary, transcribed in the same committed fashion that Lawrence applied to his duties in Syria. A towering achievement as both autobiography and military history, as well as a first-rate adventure story, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a must-listen for all.

As Angus Calder states in his introduction to this edition, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is one of the major statements about the fighting experience of the First World War'. Lawrence's younger brothers, Frank and Will, had been killed on the Western Front in 1915. Seven Pillars of Wisdom, written between 1919 and 1926, tells of the vastly different campaign against the Turks in the Middle East - one which encompasses gross acts of cruelty and revenge and ends in a welter of stink and corpses in the disgusting 'hospital' in Damascus. Seven Pillars of Wisdom is no 'Boys Own Paper' tale of Imperial triumph, but a complex work of high literary aspiration which stands in the tradition of Melville and Dostoevsky, and alongside the writings of Yeats, Eliot and Joyce.

When T. E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom first appeared in 1922 it was immediately recognized as a literary masterpiece. In writing his extraordinary account of the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918 and his own role in it, T.E. Lawrence sealed his place in history and legend as Lawrence of Arabia. Widely regarded as the last great romantic war story and described by Winston Churchill as one of "the greatest books ever written in the English language," it conveys a world of wonders, written in the same committed fashion that Lawrence applied to his duties in Syria, this is a towering achievement of both autobiography and military history, as well as a first-rate adventure story, Seven Pillars of Wisdom is a must read. Wilder Publications is a green publisher. All of our books are printed to order. This reduces waste and helps us keep prices low while greatly reducing our impact on the environment.