1938 | Seven Pillars of Wisdom | T. E. Lawrence | De Luxe Edition | Vintage Hardcover with Original Dust Jacket

Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph is T. E. Lawrence’s autobiographical account of his experiences during the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Better known as Lawrence of Arabia, Lawrence writes about his travels across the desert, his relationships with Arab leaders and fighters, guerrilla warfare, military strategy, and the complicated political realities surrounding the revolt. It is part memoir, part military history, and part travel narrative, and became the work most closely associated with Lawrence’s extraordinary life.

This is the 1938 Garden City Publishing Co. De Luxe Edition, published only a few years after the first edition for general circulation. It features tan cloth boards, an embossed crossed-swords design on the front, ornate gilt detailing on the spine, a photographic portrait frontispiece, illustrations and maps throughout, and more than 600 pages.

Condition: Good vintage condition for its age. The binding remains intact and the decorative cloth boards and gilt spine still display beautifully. Pages have expected age toning. There is a previous owner’s stamp as well as a handwritten inscription dated February 23, 1938, referencing the University of Pennsylvania. A substantial portion of the original illustrated dust jacket is still present, although it is heavily worn with tears, chipping and significant loss. Please see all photos for exact condition.

A note on pricing: Prices for this particular 1938 De Luxe Edition vary considerably depending on condition and whether the original dust jacket survives. Current bookseller listings include copies around $20–$35 for more ordinary or jacketless examples, while nicer copies are currently listed around $70–$125, and a particularly well-preserved copy with its dust jacket is listed by a rare-book dealer for $200.  This copy is priced well below the higher-end examples because of the significant wear to its original jacket and the previous-owner markings, while still accounting for the age, attractive De Luxe binding, and surviving original jacket.