The Mint (book)

The Mint is a book written by T. E. Lawrence and published posthumously in 1955. It describes his time in the Royal Air Force, working, despite having held senior rank in the army (colonel), as an ordinary aircraftman, under an assumed name, 352087 Ross.

The book is notable, despite flaws noted by critics, for its sharp observation, for the insight it gives into Lawrence himself, and for the censorship issues around its publication.

In 1929 the novelist E. M. Forster corresponded with Lawrence. He wrote two detailed letters to him criticising The Mint, which he liked, and advising on how it might be improved.

The Mint

The Mint concerns the period following the First World War when Lawrence decided to disappear from public view. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name, becoming 352087 Aircraftman Ross. The book is a closely observed autobiographical account of his experiences in the RAF. The book covers his initial training at RAF Uxbridge in 1922 and a part of his service at RAF Cranwell, 1925–26.

The book is divided into three parts:

Part I: 'The Raw Material', with 29 chapters (many are 2 or 3 pages);

Part II: 'In the Mill', with 22 chapters;

Part III: 'Service', with 18 chapters.

The book's title likens the RAF training to a coin factory, with the men as 'The Raw Material' (part I) and life in the training camp as being 'In the Mill' (part II) that stamps the coins out of the blank metal.