LITERARY GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18918, 5 February 1927, Page 13

LITERARY GOSSIP.

One day in the autumn of 1919 > railway passenger left his valise unguarded for a few moments on tho platform of Beading Station. When he cama back for it (says the London correspondent of the "New York Times") it had disappeared, and no trace of it has since been found. Tbo unlucky owner was I'o.'onel T. K. Lawrence, and tho bag contained tho manuscript of the romantic story of his political and military adventures in Arabia, togother with many valuable photographs and note?. Like Thomas Carlylo when tho /irst draft of bis "French* Revolution" was burned by the careless housemaid of a friend to whom he had lent it, and .Sir Henry Maine when he lost the manuscript of his work on "International Law." and Olive Schreiner when her "Woman and Labour" was destroyed in the looting of her house at Johannesburg, he set himself pluckily to tho we;irisomc task of writing tho whole thing over again, depending on a retentive memory and a few notes that had escaped the thief. The result of tho redrafting, followed by n ruthless revision, whieh had reduced tho total from -1(1(1.000 words to less than , J.") 0.O'lO. has now appeared in a privately printed and limited edition of "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom," issued by subscription at the high price of thirty guineas. Needless to say, no copies are being sent out for review. So great is the fascination of Colonel Lawrence's career that even this bonne bouvhe for millionaire bibliophiles has been over-subscribed. A bonanza for the writer, you sayt Not at all. ' Its sale has not mot tho cost qf production. In bringing it out, its author has indulged, regardless of expenses, his tusto for unusual experimenting in typography and illustration. Tho charges for original drawings and for reproductions iu colours and in blaek uud white have alone been extremely heavy. In order that ho may not be out of pocket by the enterprise, Colonel Lawrence has had to abandon his original intention of allowing no public editiou in any form. The deficit will be made good by the issue next spring of an abridgment both as a serial and as a book whose price hns not yet been announced. Wo may take itffor grantcd that it will be one of the best sellers of the season.

In "Harper's Magaxine" for January, Frank Swinnertoa, the novelilti denies that the English are egotists:

In England, of eourie, we cannot agree to the Xgo of MO»l.m!.Wo do m* know upon whit (acta It U h«l>o. Vf. havea_*J*J* power of contempt, it 1« true; but the conumpt wo feel li.for thei other fin f ith.Jt U for the Government of the d*y C« I W» incompetent), for Brltiah officials and «•» p"nk°U P e. fw {how «tWaft , '] , « W ißit % »ree with us about politic*, and for wMt »• 'filed XJtloMl hablt'bjiuddll-B throßtb. No hum.n>ing U *ro English than we are ourselves, w» »*»"• everybody that the English are atuoW, W»lm,»in»t'V «<» Inefflcent 1 lean, from riendVthat In the ™fy ? 0 .idcred something worse than M [prm tp "knock" oneVfriemfs or one's country, the Etißlisb. on the contrary, are. doing Itiltto tfmc. it ii their nature. From fie Op\ernmont to the climate, from *«•»•'«» Mh* families, they are accustomed to look upon the dark aide.

That tho English have national pride Mr Bw»nnorton admits, but ho is unable to see why that trait should \>o considered more reprehensible in an Englishman than in a Chinaman, a Spaniard, Q r a Czech. That it does, nevertheless, seem to provoke more ngW°M n £ e he believes is%e to tbo £*»«{£• tion of England wjth tho British Empire. '

on. Nat ppnest, jou Bfl»e»W»! *W „ ""J* The BngllsW»n 2oe. *9j S»fL e " iM I Ia 0 h r ' *K tor that, notion of W»jl««% *£<?? <» .umm.rt up Ja the fr«ae» }*?»£>'• lon ** t nerlailim in .Engiind * the °»" M' .«* penVenoif U belne; warned, uy a ipeetator to be »rfflj»nce.