Presentation copy of the third impression, inscribed "To Brendy, Feb. 22. 1927, from Eric H. Kennington" on the front free endpaper, with an original sketch by Kennington of a baby's face with a halo and angel wings. With a laid-in slip of Kennington's Holly Copse (Goring Heath, Oxon) notepaper inscribed by his wife Celandine "To dear Brendy with ever-growing love & gratitude from Eric & Celandine Ap[ril] 1927", and Celandine's transcription of Lawrence's dedicatory poem to the complete edition Seven Pillars of Wisdom, "To S. A.", to the title verso. Kennington was the art editor for the Cranwell edition of the Seven Pillars (1926), and contributed seven of the portraits reproduced in Revolt in the Desert, an abridged version and the first of Lawrence's accounts of the Arab Revolt to be published in trade issue: the costs for production of the 1926 Cranwell edition Seven Pillars of Wisdom had ballooned to such an extent that Lawrence was contemplating selling either his library or some of his property to clear the debt. Eventually he settled on the publication of an abridgement, undertaken in 1926 by Lawrence himself with the help of some of his fellow servicemen, an earlier attempt by Edward Garnett having been set aside. It was published in March 1927, though Kennington's inscription in this copy indicates that the third impression had already been printed before this date. All three of these apparently pre-publication impressions were soon sold out, and two more were quickly added. The profits from this publication made the fortunes of the Cape publishing house. There was also a large-paper issue of 315 numbered copies.
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