The Mint, A day-book of the R.A.F. Depot between August and December 1922 with later notes by 352087 A/c Ross, Lawrence, T. Eliot. Edited with a prefatory note by A.W. Lawrence. Published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1955. First Edition (see note below). 4to up to 12″ tall. 206 pages. Blue cloth boards with blind stamped bird front, gilt spine titles, top edge stained blue. Light fading to outside board edges; otherwise volume in pristine condition without marks, tear folds etc. Unclipped dust-jacket has tanning, ruffling to spine head and a small closed tear to seam front flap.
The Mint is divided into three parts: Part I: The Raw Material, Part II: In the Mill, Part III: Service. The book’s title reflects Lawrence’s comparison of RAF training to the operations of a mint (coin) factory. The book is an autobiographical account of T.E. Lawrence’s experiences following the First World War when he enlisted in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name, becoming 352087 Aircraftman Ross. The book covers his initial training at RAF Uxbridge in 1922 and a part of his service at RAF Cranwell, 1925–26.
Lawrence stated that the book should not be published until after his death. In a letter from T. E. Lawrence to E. M. Forster summarized in the introduction by his brother A. W. Lawrence: “he felt unable to publish the book because of ‘the horror the fellows with me in the force would feel at my giving them away… so The Mint shall not be circulated before 1950. Lawrence’s brother took the further precaution of substituting “new names” in the expurgated edition for characters in A/c Ross’s squad “in all passages which might have caused embarrassment or distress”. Due to censorship issues around its publication, objectionable words were also omitted and blank spaces left in their stead. In order to establish copyright, a limited edition of 50 copies was published by Doubleday, Doran and Company in 1936. Of this limited edition only 10 were offered for sale at the enormous price of $500,000 each. In 1955, Jonathan Cape published a limited numbered edition of 2000 books in slipcase. This volume also published by Jonathan Cape in the same year is the first English edition with dust jacket. 002714 $90
