- Death of Tony Cripps, owner of “XX” – the Brough Superior motorcycle.
- Lawrence of Arabia’ Tops ASC’s List of 100 20th Century Cinematography Milestones
- ‘A Shy Bird’ by Charles Eilers, published by The Fleece Press
Death of Tony Cripps, owner of “XX” – the Brough Superior motorcycle.
We are sorry to report the sad news that Tony Cripps has died. He was the owner of “XX” – the Brough Superior motorcycle which is 99% certain to have been Lawrence’s George IV. Only two of Lawrence’s other motorbikes still exist. Tony loved to take the bike to Clouds Hill to show it off to visitors, and was always generous about letting people sit on it. He had been a good friend of Alan Payne, another Brough enthusiast and Society member, for perhaps 50 years.
It is expected that this special bike will now be going on the market, with collectors already lining up to buy it. Our condolences go to Tony’s family and many friends
Lawrence of Arabia’ Tops ASC’s List of 100 20th Century Cinematography Milestones
The American Society of Cinematographers, in celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary, has revealed its list of 100 milestone films in the art and craft of cinematography from the 20th century.
The list culminates with a top 10, and Number One in the list is David Lean’s Oscar-winning 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia.” The camera work was done by Freddy Young.
The ASC milestones list is the first of its kind to showcase the best of cinematography as selected by professional cinematographers, and the top 10 films are:
- “Lawrence of Arabia” (1962), Freddie Young, BSC (Dir. David Lean)
- “Blade Runner” (1982), Jordan Cronenweth, ASC (Dir. Ridley Scott)
- “Apocalypse Now” (1979), Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Francis
Ford Coppola) - “Citizen Kane” (1941), Gregg Toland, ASC (Dir. Orson Wells)
- “The Godfather” (1972), Gordon Willis, ASC (Dir. Francis Ford Coppola)
- “Raging Bull” (1980), Michael Chapman, ASC (Dir. Martin Scorsese)
- “The Conformist” (1970), Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC (Dir. Bernardo
Bertolucci) - “Days of Heaven” (1978), Néstor Almendros, ASC (Dir. Terrence Malick)
- “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968), Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC; additional photography: John Alcott, BSC (Dir. Stanley Kubrick)
- “The French Connection” (1971), Owen Roizman, ASC (Dir. William Friedkin
‘A Shy Bird’ by Charles Eilers, published by The Fleece Press
This is a stunning production with the full story and details about the elusive US copyright edition of Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It is illustrated throughout with the fascinating characters involved in the production and images of the various bindings.
A book not to be missed by the bibliophile and T E collector. Some seven Fleece Press books on T.E. Lawrence have been published since 1985, here is an eighth . For bibliophiles and collectors his interest in fine printing and the story of the making of his magnum opus, Seven Pillars of Wisdom are fascinating.
In the run-up to publication of Seven Pillars in Britain in 1926, Lawrence felt the urgent need to avoid being pirated in the USA and so arranged to have the text printed there in an edition of just 22 copies, in order to register the book for copyright protection.
Two books were sent to the Library of Congress and copies nominally offered on the publisher’s list – to deter purchase- at just $20,000 each. In fact 28 were made – none of them sold – and this new book tells the complex and intriguing story of the publication, whilst also throwing light on the individuals involved and tracing the history of each surviving copy.
This is an impressive, well written and beautifully researched volume by Charles Eilers, his work complemented by 42 illustrations. 180pp. Limited to just 250 copies (225 for sale). at £150. Bound in quarter cloth and paper over boards replicating the original US binding of the American copy.
Twenty copies (only 17 for sale) were in a solander box include an original page from the 1925 Second State Prospectus for the English subscribers’ edition (this edition has now all sold out).