1935 The Odyssey of Homer by T. E. Lawrence First UK Trade Edition
 
Publication Details
 
The Odyssey of Homer.
Translated by T. E. Shaw (the pseudonym of Colonel T. E. Lawrence, “Lawrence of Arabia”).

Published in 1935 by Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford, London. Printed in the USA.

This is the first UK trade edition in this form, following the limited 1932 edition printed on handmade paper by Emery Walker.
 
Binding and Physical Features
 
Bound in original blue cloth with a gilt circular illustration on the front cover and gilt lettering on the spine.

Top edge gilt pages. Boards are intact and robust, showing fading and discolouration to the spine, marks and stains to the boards, and bumping to the corners.

Measures approximately 23.8 × 16.4 × 3 cm and weighs 711g.
 
Interior Condition
 
Blurb from the original dust jacket has been neatly pasted to the front pastedown and free endpaper.
Ownership inscription dated 19th August 1935 on the front free endpaper.
Pencil marks and a small ink stamp on the rear endpapers.
Pages show light toning, heavier on endpapers, but remain overall clean, neat, and uncreased.
Occasional small marks and very minor edge rips (from rough cutting during production) not affecting text.
Tight binding with all 327 pages secure.
 
Literary Significance
 
This edition is one of the most fascinating English translations of Homer’s Odyssey. T. E. Lawrence, famous as “Lawrence of Arabia,” worked on this translation between 1928–1932 while serving under the assumed name Aircraftsman Shaw in the RAF.
 
Lawrence sought to strip away what he saw as over-literary translations, aiming instead for vigour, clarity, and immediacy in English prose. His experiences as an archaeologist at sites of Homeric Troy, and as a soldier, explorer, and sailor, gave him a uniquely vivid insight into the world of Odysseus.
 
The first limited edition appeared in 1932; this 1935 Oxford University Press edition was the first affordable trade edition, released posthumously after Lawrence’s death in 1935, and quickly became highly sought after.
 
Rarity and Value
 
This 1935 first UK trade edition, without dust jacket but with historical inscriptions and pasted-in blurb, remains a collectible volume of strong literary and historical importance.