The Mint (book)

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The Mint is a book written by T. E. Lawrence.

Written by ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ it concerns the period following the First World War when he decided to disappear from public view. He anonymously enlisted in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name and became Aircraftsman Ross. The book is a closely observed autobiographical account of his experiences in the RAF. The time period covered is 1922 and 1925-6.

Lawrence stated that the book should not be published until after his death. When The Mint was finally published in 1955 there were two editions, the expurgated edition and a limited edition containing the full uncensored text. The delay in publication and sensitivity surrounding the full text concerned its barrack-room language (i.e., lots of "four letter" words) and frank references to bodily functions, which some people might still find offensive. However, social mores have changed since the 1950s with the result that the original text is now widely available, just as Lawrence originally wrote it.

[edit] External links

• The full, unexpurgated text of The Mint