Secret Despatches From Arabia. Published by Permission of the Foreign Office

London: The Golden Cockerel Press, [1939]. Hardcover. Very good. Limited edition of 1,000 numbered copies of which this is no. 459. "With the exception of the article 'Syrian cross-currents' which has not hitherto been printed, the contents of this volume were included in the confidential paper called 'The Arab bulletin' which was issued at Cairo from 6th June, 1916, to 6th December, 1918"--Foreword. 173 p. 26 cm. Frontispiece portrait. Quarter black leather with cream cloth. Binder's signature S&S (Sangorski & Sutcliffe) at bottom of front pastedown. Cloth darkened. Small white mark on spine tail. Occasional foxing.

A compilation of T. E. Lawrence's wartime reports collected under an eye-catching title, "Secret Despatches." The documents are Crown Copyright and were therefore censored under the then pertaining fifty-year rule, so special dispensation to print was obtained from the Foreign Office. Topics include military notes, nationalism among the desert tribesmen, and commentary on Arab families and armies. Perhaps despatch XXVII, entitled Twenty-Seven Articles (p. 126-133) will be of the most interest to modern readers, for it provides 27 hints or "commandments" for those wishing to get along with the Sherifs in wartime, such as "Go easy just for the first few weeks," "Your ideal position is when you are present and not noticed," "Cling tight to your sense of humour," and "Never lay hands on an Arab; you degrade yourself." Glossary at rear. Foreword by A. W. Lawrence, the author's brother.