Sunday, September 20, 2009 LONDON: The correspondence from the First World War hero of the Arab revolt are to his financier Robin Buxton and he writes of his love of motorbikes that was eventually to kill him. Speaking about one of his machines, he wrote: "It's a heavenly bike, goes like smoke and is as smooth as milk to ride." Buxton financed T.E. Lawrence's seminal work The Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the letters include the author asking about how he can obtain more money. Scholars and historians will be keen to view the letters as they shed new light on the publication of his opus. In the correspondence Lawrecne also mentions George Bernard Shaw, whose surname he later used when attempted to "lie fallow" in the military. The letters came from the collection of the late Sir Michael Newton, but were lost and it was assumed they had been burned on a fire along with his unwanted papers. However, when an auctioneer sorted through some books belonging to Sir Michael, an envelope fell out of one that contained the missing missives. They date from 1923 - the year after the very first version of his book was published - up until 1929. Lawrence made a large loss on the book because of his refusal to release any more editions after the 1926 version. At one point in 1923 he wrote: "The overdraft is hideous-large. I'll do my best at it now. You are exceedingly good to let me have so much on no security." In another letter he wrote: "On Saturday I drew a cheque for £198 odd on the special account. This was for my new bike and other things." He also states: "Meanwhile my incomparable bike has been borrowed (in my absence) and returned a hopeless wreck". He speaks about the various editions and abridgements of his book that went through a number of revisions. Lawrence died in a motorbike crash in 1935 aged 46 near to his home in Bovington, Dorset. He rose to fame during the first world war when he led the Arab revolt and became known across the world as Lawrence or Arabia. Now the letters are to be sold and could fetch more than 10,000 pounds. Dorset historian Rodney Legg, who has written numerous books on Lawrence, said: "It's mysterious how Lawrence managed to balance his finances. "He sometimes spent lavishly and at other times wrote letters to friends proclaiming poverty. "So anything that throws light on the relationship with his banker is quite revealing." Duke's auction house in Dorchester also have numerous other Lawrence letters including some to his friend Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter. There are also letters he wrote to the caretakers of his Dorset home Clouds' Hill and they date right through to the year he died. And there is also a photograph of Lawrence with Sir Basil Liddell Hart, a famed military historian. It shows that his physical stature was much less than many assumed from his reputation. Guy Schwinge of Duke's auctioneers said: "The importance of these letters cannot be overstated. "They provide a fascinating insight into Lawrence's relationship with his banker and trustee. "Indeed, Buxton was pivotal in the publication of Lawrence's seminal work The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "The letters are expected to excite collectors from around the world, because in the correspondence Lawrence refers to one of his beloved Brough motorcycles. "It was riding on a Brough that he died in mysterious circumstances. "We also have other letters from Lawrence and the interest in this hero never wanes." The sale takes place on October 1.
Sunday, September 20, 2009 LONDON: The correspondence from the First World War hero of the Arab revolt are to his financier Robin Buxton and he writes of his love of motorbikes that was eventually to kill him. Speaking about one of his machines, he wrote: "It's a heavenly bike, goes like smoke and is as smooth as milk to ride." Buxton financed T.E. Lawrence's seminal work The Seven Pillars of Wisdom and the letters include the author asking about how he can obtain more money. Scholars and historians will be keen to view the letters as they shed new light on the publication of his opus. In the correspondence Lawrecne also mentions George Bernard Shaw, whose surname he later used when attempted to "lie fallow" in the military. The letters came from the collection of the late Sir Michael Newton, but were lost and it was assumed they had been burned on a fire along with his unwanted papers. However, when an auctioneer sorted through some books belonging to Sir Michael, an envelope fell out of one that contained the missing missives. They date from 1923 - the year after the very first version of his book was published - up until 1929. Lawrence made a large loss on the book because of his refusal to release any more editions after the 1926 version. At one point in 1923 he wrote: "The overdraft is hideous-large. I'll do my best at it now. You are exceedingly good to let me have so much on no security." In another letter he wrote: "On Saturday I drew a cheque for £198 odd on the special account. This was for my new bike and other things." He also states: "Meanwhile my incomparable bike has been borrowed (in my absence) and returned a hopeless wreck". He speaks about the various editions and abridgements of his book that went through a number of revisions. Lawrence died in a motorbike crash in 1935 aged 46 near to his home in Bovington, Dorset. He rose to fame during the first world war when he led the Arab revolt and became known across the world as Lawrence or Arabia. Now the letters are to be sold and could fetch more than 10,000 pounds. Dorset historian Rodney Legg, who has written numerous books on Lawrence, said: "It's mysterious how Lawrence managed to balance his finances. "He sometimes spent lavishly and at other times wrote letters to friends proclaiming poverty. "So anything that throws light on the relationship with his banker is quite revealing." Duke's auction house in Dorchester also have numerous other Lawrence letters including some to his friend Henry Williamson, author of Tarka the Otter. There are also letters he wrote to the caretakers of his Dorset home Clouds' Hill and they date right through to the year he died. And there is also a photograph of Lawrence with Sir Basil Liddell Hart, a famed military historian. It shows that his physical stature was much less than many assumed from his reputation. Guy Schwinge of Duke's auctioneers said: "The importance of these letters cannot be overstated. "They provide a fascinating insight into Lawrence's relationship with his banker and trustee. "Indeed, Buxton was pivotal in the publication of Lawrence's seminal work The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. "The letters are expected to excite collectors from around the world, because in the correspondence Lawrence refers to one of his beloved Brough motorcycles. "It was riding on a Brough that he died in mysterious circumstances. "We also have other letters from Lawrence and the interest in this hero never wanes." The sale takes place on October 1.
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