Another question that was debated was that of maps and illustrations. He was all against a lot of illustrations. He thought they were unnecessary for a good book and useless in a bad one. There was talk of a large map of France to go into a pocket at the end of the book. Some sort of a map was necessary to illustrate the chapter dealing with the early days in France from Mons to Ypres. “I am still in favour of the one page map wherever possible--and I hate the pocket business. Map-makers care nothing about books. A book with a pocket is not a book.... The chart-makers who are admirable want a book to help the maps. I want maps to help the book. If stuff is good to read you don’t break it off repeatedly to look up places on a map.” And the question of type for the book, “Will you settle the type?” he wrote, “I am tired of my own open-mindedness.” And then sending a specimen page from the Clarendon Press, “This is the page, I think. I like the old-fashioned uniform type--it does not depreciate quotations as the modern system of mixed types or closer spacing does. If you agree, can we fix it up?” Then came the death of General Sir David Henderson at Geneva and of Air-Commodore Maitland in the R38. Emendations were made in the proofs. “I have added a kind of summary on Henderson, rather bold I think, but true and appreciative. I call him a white man which he was. If I can find the time I will write an additional bit on Maitland to be added in Chapter V.” The following day another letter enclosed the bit on Maitland. “Here is an obituary (so to say) of Maitland. It does not half express my admiration. He was as quiet as a Quaker, and as considerate as a hospital nurse. I wonder if he ever knew fear. It sounds extravagant but I don’t think so--not even in the R38.... Will you have it added to the proofs? So things go on, by degrees.” In December he hoped that we should be able “to send proofs to all the big-wigs before Christmas.” In January, “I want to hear that the book is finally in the hands of the Press and that you are going to be married.” Sir Walter criticized his own work pretty freely. In his final letters before he went on his luckless journey to Baghdad he gives an occasional amusing summary of the book. “The whole book is like Blindman’s Buff,” he wrote just before he sailed. “You catch some one and feel his face and guess at him. No doubt you are sometimes too complimentary to an ugly fellow, and then the others who are not blinded laugh in their sleeves. Sometimes you say what every one else had thought without saying it.” Or this: “The book, especially in the parts that have given us trouble, is like a schoolboy’s cake--too rich in facts and not suited for quantitative reading. Still it’s better than soothing syrup or thin gruel.” And finally in his letter to me forwarding Chapter VI heavily corrected, “Some authors seem to expect fame. I shall be satisfied with forgiveness.” II