This massive and visually arresting archive of 24 large exhibition posters was issued in 1949 by the editors of LIFE magazine as a promotion for the serialization of Winston S. Churchills Their Finest Hour, volume two of his six-volume memoir of The Second World War. Each illustrated and captioned poster measures 32 x 24 inches and weighs nearly two pounds, mounted on dense, rigid, heavy card with rounded corners, each corner with a neat, circular mounting hole to facilitate exhibition. All 24 posters remain housed together in their original wood shipping crate, which is printed "THEIR FINEST HOUR" on the side. The lid and bottom feature original "FRAGILE | HANDLE WITH CARE" stickers and the lid is printed "OPEN | THIS | SIDE". The aesthetic effect of the crate and contents is almost archaeological, not to mention formidable; the crate measure 36 x 26 x 5 inches and, full of posters, weighs nearly 75 pounds. Each poster features photographs or illustrations and accompanying captions. Posters 2-24 are numbered at the lower left. The first poster, prominently featuring Churchill at his desk reviewing proofs, announces the set as "a LIFE exhibition based on Volume II of The Second World War by the Rt. Hon. Winston Churchill, O.M., C.H., M.P. as published in Life Magazine". The majority of the posters are rendered in black and white, posters 2, 5, 7, 11, and 14 featuring color. The exhibition is complete, with its full complement of 24 posters. Condition of the posters is near-fine, showing only trivial surface scuffs and minor edge wear. The wood crate is very good, variously stained, toned, and chipped, but nonetheless intact and substantially complete, still performing its task of housing and protecting its contents.It likely goes without saying that we have never encountered another set thus. We do not know if more were produced and, if so, how many; it seems likely that the size, expense, and logistical inconveniences posed by this exhibition must have been significant limiting factors. Each poster is, individually, eminently worthy of framing. Together all 24 are exactly what they were billed by the publisher as being an exhibition.This exhibition was presumably prepared in advance of when LIFE began serializing Their Finest Hour in early February 1949. LIFE was known for being visually arresting. In true LIFE style, the stunning images range from humanizing scenes of Londoners crowded into tube stations to sleep through a night of bomb raids, children crouching in trenches while watching British and German fighter planes battle overhead, gritty images of soldiers, poignant images of Home Guard, British aircraft and pilots, and destruction and endurance during The Blitz. Each poster contextualizes Britains dire circumstances and resilience in the early days of the Second World War and of Churchills wartime premiership. Of course, Churchills words and image feature repeatedly, including a famous image of Churchill standing amid the bomb-damaged Houses of Parliament. Established by publishing magnate Henry Luce as a weekly picture magazine, LIFE was "a pioneer inphotojournalism and one of the major forces in that fields development. It was long one of the most popular and widely imitated of American magazines." (Britannica) LIFE was big, but not too big to recognize what a big deal Churchills war memoirs were. So it was that, on behalf of Churchill, Emery Reves and Lord Camrose secured a then-astonishing $1.4 million for the serialization rights from Luce. When the serialization rights were secured, Andrew Heiskell, LIFEs publisher, told his staff "Lets always remember that the Churchill Memoirs are the biggest literary and historical project that LIFE, or for that matter any other publication, has ever undertaken." This remarkable artifact testifies to LIFEs extraordinary efforts to publicize and promote their serialization in 1949.Please note that this exceptionally large, heavy item will be shipped at cost.
Winston S. Churchill
This is the British first edition, third printing, increasingly scarce thus with a clean, bright binding protected by its third printing dust jacket. Great Contemporaries is Churchill's much-praised collection of insightful essays about 21 leading personalities of the day - including the likes of Lawrence, Shaw, and, most famously, Hitler. This third printing was issued in October 1937, the same month as the first and second printings, and is virtually identical in appearance. The binding and contents are identical with the sole exception of notation of the first through third printings on the copyright page. The third printing dust jacket faces, spine, and rear flap are identical to those of the first printing. Only the lower front flap text differs.This copy is near fine in a very good plus dust jacket. The blue cloth binding approaches immaculate square, clean, and strikingly bright with sharp corners. We note only a trivial hint of shelf wear to extremities and a tiny, superficial blemish on the upper front cover. The contents are equally impressive crisp and bright, entirely free of spotting, the blue-stained top edges retaining strong, uniform hue, the fore and bottom edges mildly age-toned but otherwise clean. We would grade condition a "fine" if not for a circular embossed previous owner name at the lower right of the title page. The dust jacket is impressively complete, excepting only fractional loss at the flap fold extremities, and the orange hue is well-preserved, with only quite mild color shift to the spine. Light soiling, minor wear to extremities, and a vertical crease to the spine are flaws more than compensated by the color and completeness of the jacket, which is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover.Neville Chamberlain, perhaps Churchills most vexing political opponent at the time Great Contemporaries was published, wrote to Churchill on 4 October 1937: "How you can go on throwing off these sparkling sketches with such apparent ease & such sustained brilliance is a constant source of wonder to me." Naturally, in the course of sketching the character of his contemporaries Churchill necessarily reveals some of his own character and perspective.Churchill's portrait of T.E. Lawrence, published here just a few years before the Second World War, might well have been written about the author rather than by him: "The impression of the personality of Lawrence remains living and vivid upon the minds of his friends, and the sense of his loss is in no way dimmed among his countrymen. All feel the poorer that he has gone from us. In these days dangers and difficulties gather upon Britain and her Empire, and we are also conscious of a lack of outstanding figures with which to overcome them. Here was a man in whom there existed not only an immense capacity for service, but that touch of genius which everyone recognizes and no one can define." (Great Contemporaries, p.164) Churchill's piece about Hitler can be a shock to the modern ear, as it underscores his ability to write a balanced appraisal of his subject while expressing his earnest desire to avoid the war that he would fight with such ferocious resolve only a few years later. There is a reason this book has seen many subsequent editions in the intervening years. It was written with what has been called "penetrating evaluation, humor, and understanding."While some of the subjects of Churchill's sketches have receded into history, many remain well-known and all remain compellingly drawn. This is as engaging a read today as it was in 1937. Reference: Cohen A105.1.d, Woods/ICS A43(a.3), Langworth p.178.
Winston S. Churchill
This is the first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state of Winston Churchill's autobiography. Two states of the first edition, first printing are identified, with a list of either 11 or 12 Churchill titles in the boxed list of "Works by the same Author" on the half title verso. With 11 titles on the half title verso, this copy is definitively first state. There were also a number of first edition binding states, bound in either a coarse or a smooth plum colored cloth, with the title stamped on the front cover in either three or five lines. Precedence goes to the coarse cloth and three lines on the front cover which, together with 11 titles on the half title verso, denote first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state. In short, this copy is among the first printed and bound by the publisher. The first editions binding proved especially vulnerable to fading, soiling, and wear, and the contents quite susceptible to spotting. Condition of this copy is very good overall, sound and complete, despite some flaws endemic to the edition. The coarse cloth binding is square and tight, the boards bright with mild bumps to the lower corners, the spine toned and spotted, but nonetheless with bright, clearly legible gilt print. The contents are clean. Age-toning is modest and spotting is quite light for the edition, substantially confined to the endpapers and page edges. Affixed to the front pastedown is the printed bookplate of "Stuart McGregor Philpott". This seems to have been the original owner, evidenced by Philpott's name and year inked in what is ostensibly his hand at the upper left front pastedown: "Stuart Philpott 30".My Early Life covers the years from Churchills birth in 1874 to his first few years in Parliament. One can hardly ask for more adventurous content. These momentous and formative years for Churchill included his time as an itinerant war correspondent and cavalry officer in theaters ranging from Cuba, to northwest India, to sub-Saharan and southern Africa. Churchill also recounts his capture and escape during the Boer War, which made him a celebrity and helped launch his political career.Herein Churchill says:"Twenty to twenty-five! These are the years! Don't be content with things as they are. 'The earth is yours and the fulness thereof'. Enter upon your inheritance, accept your responsibilities. Don't take No for an answer. Never submit to failure. You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. She was made to be wooed and won by youth." (MEL, p.74)By the end of his own twenty-fifth year, Churchill had been one of the worlds highest paid war correspondents, published his first five books, made his first lecture tour of North America, braved and breasted both battlefields and the hustings, and been elected to Parliament, where he would take his first seat only weeks after the end of Queen Victorias reign.My Early Life remains one of the most popular and widely read of all Churchill's books. An original 1930 review likened it to a "beaker of Champagne." That effervescent charm endures; a more recent writer called it "a racy, humorous, self-deprecating classic of autobiography." To be sure, Churchill takes some liberties with facts and perhaps unduly lightens or over-simplifies certain events. Nonetheless, the factual experiences of Churchills early life compete with any fiction, and any liberties taken are pardonable, in keeping with the wit, pace, and engaging style that characterize the book.Reference: Cohen A91.1.a, Woods/ICS A37(aa), Langworth p.131. First edition, first printing, first state, first binding state.
This pair of bookends, made of stone from the bomb-damaged House of Commons in 1941, features medallion portraits of Big Ben cast in lead from the House of Commons roof. Such sets are known to us featuring twin medallions of Churchill, one medallion each of Churchill and Big Ben, or medallions of Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt. We have also encountered sets in either a rough-hewn or smooth stone - depending on the part of the Commons from whence the stone came. This set is smooth stone, featuring twin medallions of Big Ben, the iconic great tower clock at the north end of the Houses of Parliament. We also know from a previous set handled that they were originally issued with a small, circular, card sticker adhered to the face of one of the two bookends. The circular adhesive stain on one of the bookends in this set is consonant. The pair weigh more than 7.75 lbs (3.5 kg) and stand 6 inches (15.2 cm) high. Condition is near fine. The lead medallions are a particular treat, both remaining strikingly sharp with no appreciable scuffs or wear. The smooth stone is surprisingly clean and consistent in color, with only a few tiny chips to extremities. The green felt adhered to the bottom edges remains complete and relatively clean. The Commons Chamber was destroyed a year to the day after Churchill became wartime prime minister. A year to the day after the October 26, 1950 opening of the rebuilt Chamber, Churchill would become Prime Minister for the second and final time. In the evening of March 1917 during the First World War, Winston Churchill's first biographer, A. MacCallum Scott, had been with Churchill in the House of Commons. Of Churchill and that evening, Scott recalled: "Just before we left the building, he took me by the arm and steered me into the deserted Commons chamber. All was darkness, except from a ring of faint light from concealed lamps under the gallery. 'Look at it!' he said. 'This little place is what makes the difference between us and Germany. It is in virtue of this that we muddle through to success, and for lack of this Germany's brilliant efficiency will lead her to final disaster. This little room is the shrine of the world's liberties.'" (Daily Telegraph, 17 May 1941) It is remarkable to consider that a quarter of a century after that remark, Churchill would be Prime Minister when the House of Commons was destroyed by Germany. A year to the day after Churchill became wartime prime minister, "On May 10 the worst, and in fact final attack of the Blitz of 1941 was made on London." (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.1086). An incendiary bomb destroyed the debating Chamber of the House of Commons. One of the iconic photographs of the war is of Churchill, who had by then already spent four decades as a Member of Parliament, standing amid the wreckage. Churchill wrote to his son, Randolph: "Our old House of Commons has been blown to smithereens. You never saw such a sight. Not one scrap was left of the Chamber except a few of the outer walls. The Huns obligingly chose a time when none of us were there. Having lived so much of my forty years in this building, it seems very sad that its familiar aspect will not for a good many years be before me." (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.1105) The Commons Chamber was rebuilt after the war under the direction of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, simplifying some of the Chamber's old decorative elements, but maintaining "its crowded atmosphere so conducive to adversarial politics." For the reopening of the rebuilt Commons, a programme was produced which noted that when the Commons Chamber was destroyed: "Amid the wreckage the moulded stone archway from the Lobby to the Chamber still stood, scarred, calcined by fire, but not destroyed. At Mr. Winston Churchill's suggestion this arch, still scarred and calcined, has been preserved to form the entrance to the new Chamber." These large, heavy bookends will be shipped at cost.Reference: The Book of Churchilliana, Douglas Hall, p.24 & 187
This handsome piece of Churchilliana is a quite scarce variation on a jug originally produced by Copeland/Spode early during the Second World War, in 1941, and reissued in this unique shape in 1965 as a commemoration following Churchills death. This example one of only two we have offered is in fine condition, clean inside and out with no appreciable soiling, no chips, and only mild crazing to the glaze. The original "Galloway" style UK issue of this jug was a bit squatter, both wider and shorter. A U.S. issue was the same shape and proportion of the Galloway, just slightly shorter. This rather more elegant shape, called "Melba", is quite distinctive and elegant, with a flared foot and no decoration to the spout. Of the three shapes known, this Melba style has both the greatest height 7.75 inches and the narrowest opening diameter 3.5 inches. "Spode records disclose that the Melba shape was only issued in pattern Y446: black printed with the original British market crossed flags on the reverse The reissue was probably made to commemorate Churchill after his death in January." The front side of the pitcher features a cameo of Churchill with a warship to his left, a tank to his right, and a fighter aircraft above him. In an arc above the aircraft slightly misquoted is a line from Churchills 13 May 1940 speech: "ALL I CAN OFFER IS BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS, AND SWEAT." Below Churchills image is a ribbon bearing a quote from his speech of 20 August 1940: "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW". References: Douglas Hall, Churchilliana, pp.146-7, Max Edward Hertwigs article in Finest Hour, Issue 116, Autumn 2002, Page 36
This is a handsome piece of Churchilliana, an illustrated jug produced by Copeland/Spode in 1941. It was produced under wartime restrictions. One side of the pitcher features a cameo of Churchill with a warship to his left, a tank to his right, and a fighter aircraft above him. In an arc above the aircraft slightly misquoted is a line from Churchills 13 May 1940 speech: "ALL I CAN OFFER IS BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS, AND SWEAT." Below Churchills image is a ribbon bearing a quote from his speech of 20 August 1940: "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW". This example is in very good condition, complete with no chips or cracks, more than compensating for overall crazing and a few trivial stains. The pitcher was likely created by the companys own designers, since noparticular artist is credited with it in Spodes records. There were various iterations of the pitcher, with the side described above constant but the other side of the pitcher varying significantly in appearance. This pitcher is Pattern F448, identified by a bulldog on a Union Flag bestriding a globe with theBritish Empire shown in dark color. Over and under the design is the February 1941 exchange of quotes between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. In a ribbon below the globe, Roosevelt quotes Longfellow: "SAIL ON, O SHIP OF STATE! | SAIL ON O UNION STRONG AND GREAT | HUMANITY WITH ALL ITS FEARS | WITH ALL THE HOPES OF FUTURE YEARS | IS HANGING BREATHLESS ON THY FATE!" Churchills reply appears above and to the left of the globe: "GIVE US THE TOOLS. | AND WE WILL FINISH THE JOB!" This particular example is the one for the U.S.A. market, approximately 6.5 inches tall with a 4 inch diameter opening. The bottom bears the "COPELAND" maker's mark as well as the words "U.S.A. DESIGN | PATENT PENDING". The rear design is an interesting study in Transatlantic sensitivities. "The UK design featured crossed British and American flags. The original crossed flag design conforms to conventional flag etiquette, with the home country's on the left; but American usage would require the Stars and Stripes at left." Hence just the bulldog astride the Union Jack. "The Spode Museum believes this consideration caused the bulldog design to be substituted, though Spode might have done better to keep the original. That globe showing the Empire served nicely to remind Americans how much of the world belonged to Great Britain - not exactly the best way to influence the die-hard isolationists" among the American electorate and their elected representatives.Please anticipate that packing and shipping this item with care may incur additional shipping cost.Reference: Douglas Hall, Churchilliana, pp.146-7, Max Edward Hertwigs article in Finest Hour, Issue 116, Autumn 2002, Page 36
This pair of bookends, made of stone from the bomb-damaged House of Commons in 1941, features medallion portraits of British Prime Minister Winston S. Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt cast in lead from the House of Commons roof. Two features of this set are worthy of note. Such sets are known featuring twin medallions of Churchill or medallions of Churchill and Big Ben. This set features Churchill and Roosevelt, encapsulating perhaps the twentieth century's most significant relationship between world leaders. Second, this is the first set we have encountered to retain the ostensibly original printed sticker. This circular card sticker, originally stuck to the lower face of the bookend featuring FDR, is worn, but the still-legible portions of print, surrounding a printed image of Parliament, read " STONE | came from the | HOUSES of | PARLIAMENT | essed in England by | STONECRAFT".The pair weigh nearly 7.5 pounds (3.4 kg) and stand 6.25 inches (15.9 cm) high. Condition is very good. The rough-hewn, modestly soiled stone is in keeping with the aesthetic of its origin. The medallion portraits of Churchill and Roosevelt are only superficially scuffed. Some (presumably original) green felt remains adhered to each base.The Commons Chamber was destroyed a year to the day after Churchill became wartime prime minister. A year to the day after the October 26, 1950 opening of the rebuilt Chamber, Churchill would become Prime Minister for the second and final time. In the evening of March 1917 during the First World War, Winston Churchill's first biographer, A. MacCallum Scott, had been with Churchill in the House of Commons. Of Churchill and that evening, Scott recalled: "Just before we left the building, he took me by the arm and steered me into the deserted Commons chamber. All was darkness, except from a ring of faint light from concealed lamps under the gallery. 'Look at it!' he said. 'This little place is what makes the difference between us and Germany. It is in virtue of this that we muddle through to success, and for lack of this Germany's brilliant efficiency will lead her to final disaster. This little room is the shrine of the world's liberties.'" (Daily Telegraph, 17 May 1941) It is remarkable to consider that a quarter of a century after that remark, Churchill would be Prime Minister when the House of Commons was destroyed by Germany. A year to the day after Churchill became wartime prime minister, "On May 10 the worst, and in fact final attack of the Blitz of 1941 was made on London." (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.1086). An incendiary bomb destroyed the debating Chamber of the House of Commons. One of the iconic photographs of the war is of Churchill, who had by then already spent four decades as a Member of Parliament, standing amid the wreckage. Churchill wrote to his son, Randolph: "Our old House of Commons has been blown to smithereens. You never saw such a sight. Not one scrap was left of the Chamber except a few of the outer walls. The Huns obligingly chose a time when none of us were there. Having lived so much of my forty years in this building, it seems very sad that its familiar aspect will not for a good many years be before me." (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.1105) The Commons Chamber was rebuilt after the war under the direction of architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, simplifying some of the Chamber's old decorative elements, but maintaining "its crowded atmosphere so conducive to adversarial politics." For the reopening of the rebuilt Commons, a programme was produced which noted that when the Commons Chamber was destroyed: "Amid the wreckage the moulded stone archway from the Lobby to the Chamber still stood, scarred, calcined by fire, but not destroyed. At Mr. Winston Churchill's suggestion this arch, still scarred and calcined, has been preserved to form the entrance to the new Chamber." These large, heavy bookends will be shipped at cost.Reference: The Book of Churchilliana, Douglas Hall, p.24 & 187
T. E. Lawrence
This remarkable piece of 20th century fine press scholarship and production is the very first set issued of the finest publishers binding of the very first commercial publication of the fullest surviving text of Lawrences masterpiece, Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Incredibly, this 1922 text had to wait three quarters of a century to see publication here by Castle Hill Press, the premier publishers of material by and about T. E. Lawrence, founded by Lawrences official biographer, Jeremy Wilson (1944-2017). This particular set justifies the exceptionally long wait and suits the extraordinary content.This set, Number "1" of just 20 issued thus, is unequivocally the most comprehensive ever publication of Seven Pillars of Wisdom, showcasing both meticulous erudition and superb craftsmanship. The set comprises six volumes and a clamshell illustrations folio, all housed in two massive Solander cases. For the two volumes containing the 1922 text (the fullest extant text), the publisher commissioned award-winning book designer Glenn Bartley to work with The Fine Bindery. The result was striking bindings in full tan and blue goatskin with dark pink marbled calf onlay, all edges gilt, hand-sewn head and tail bands, leather joints, and suede doublures. Two volumes containing parallel presentation of the 1922 and 1926 texts allow readers to see at a glance exactly what was omitted and what was revised, illuminating the two texts significant style and content differences. These parallel text volumes are bound in quarter brown goatskin over brown cloth with hand-marbled endpapers and gilt top edges. A single volume containing the eight chapters of the Introductory Book of Seven Pillars in parallel 1924/1936 text is likewise bound in quarter brown goatskin. A companion volume of illustrations is bound in full black, blind-ruled goatskin with all edges gilt and illustrated endpapers. A black clamshell case nested within one of the massive cloth Solanders contains an unbound proof set of the Seven Pillars portraits. Of the 752 Sets of this 1997 first issue of the full 1922 Oxford text, 650 (sets 101-750) were bound in cloth, issued as a two-volume set with an accompanying illustrations volume, and 80 (sets 21-100) were bound in dark blue goatskin, also issued with an accompanying illustrations volume. Hence these 20 special sets are singular not only aesthetically, but in terms of content (the Introduction and two 1922/26 Parallel Text volumes and illustrations (folio proof portraits).This, set #1, is hand-numbered thus and signed by the Editor in Volume II of the main text volumes. The parallel text volumes are also numbered "1 / 37" and signed by Wilson. Each of the Seven Pillars portraits is printed "I / 250" on the verso. A typed, signed and annotated elucidation about conception and execution of the 20 special sets is laid in. Condition of the set is pristine, each volume appearing untouched, the massive Solander cases showing only a few, tiny corner bumps.Despite the superlative bindings and presentation, Jeremy Wilson himself stated "the most important thing was the text." Seven Pillars is the story of Thomas Edward Lawrence's (1888-1935) remarkable odyssey as instigator, organizer, hero, and tragic figure of the Arab revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War, which he began as an eccentric junior intelligence officer and ended as "Lawrence of Arabia." This time defined Lawrence with indelible experience and celebrity, which he spent the rest of his short life struggling to variously reconcile and reject, to recount and repress. Lawrence famously resisted broad publication of Seven Pillars during his lifetime. Following Lawrences fatal 1935 motorcycle crash, his masterwork was rushed into print in the only version readily available - the 1926 "Subscribers" abridgement. That 250,000-word text released to the world as "Complete and Unabridged" was neither. But it sold very well, so the publishers long resisted publishing the full, 334,500-word 1922 "Oxford Text", which "could only be a direct commercial threat to the highly profitable investment they had already made." Hence the 1922 "Oxford Text" a third longer was not published until this 1997 edition. Castle Hill Press took this text from the manuscript in the Bodleian Library and T. E. Lawrence's annotated copy of the 1922 Oxford Times printing. Beyond subjective literary considerations, in terms of both autobiography and history, "the 1922 text is, without question, superior to that of 1926. In the process of literary abridgement, Lawrence cut out numerous personal reflections, some of which were important." For example, the 1926 text excised Lawrences "confession that the flogging at Deraa left him with a masochistic longing and his recollection of this event a few weeks later when he was present at Allenbys official entry into Jerusalem. The historical record, likewise often fell victim to abridgement because of the cuts, [the narrative] does not always account for Lawrences time or seem to square with independent records. Worse still, the frustrations and abandoned plans of 1917-18 were largely suppressed in the 1926 text " Reference: OBrien A034a Limited, hand-numbered, signed, and specially-bound issue of the Second Edition of the Oxford Text.
Compiled by R.A.F. Group Captain Walter J. Pickard, inscribed by Winston S. Churchill and with contributions or signatures of dozens of others
This singular and compelling Second World War album was painstakingly compiled, decorated, and annotated by Royal Air Force Group Captain Walter J. Pickard. Full of mementos, documents, and photographs, the album chronicles the staging, preparation, and flights which conveyed Winston Churchill, as well as other British and American delegates, to the Yalta Conference in 1945, earning Pickard the accolades of his commanders, the appreciation of his Prime Minister, and the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). Not least among the albums contents is the dated inscription of Winston S. Churchill and signed correspondence from Churchills private secretary confirming that Churchill personally received, examined, and inscribed this album, and conveying Churchills appreciation to Pickard.The album is 100 numbered pages, bound in leather-covered boards with a hand-labeled title "Saki" affixed diagonally on the front cover. "Saki" refers to the Crimean airbase, built by the Soviets in the 1930s, that served as the landing point for the aircraft bearing Churchill, Roosevelt, and the rest of the British and American delegations to the Conference. The boards show wear to extremities and the leather-covered spine is gone. The boards and contents nonetheless remain tenuously connected, the mull and overall binding structure quite fragile but still holding. The binding has done its job of preserving the treasure trove within; the contents are generally clean, only lightly toned with scattered stains and occasional creasing, and appear complete, as originally compiled.The contents of the album include the following:- A September 9, 1947 typed letter signed by Winston Churchills Private Secretary addressed to Pickard acknowledging that Pickard sent the album to Churchill, expressing Churchills thanks, and confirming that Churchill inscribed the album, which was returned with the letter.- Pickards title page in elaborate, multi-hued calligraphy: "The Story of 150 Staging Post and the Airlift to the Yalta Conference February 1945."- Personnel list of those under the command of Group Captain W. J. Pickard.- 10 typed pages, marked "SECRET", comprising Pickards detailed "REPORT ON OPERATION ARGONAUT", dated "26th February, 1945" and signed by Pickard.- Five letters of appreciation from senior military commanders, including letters signed by U.S. Brigadier General James S. Stowell and General Lord Hastings Lionel "Pug" Ismay.- "TOP SECRET CYPHER MESSAGE" of "24th JANUARY" from "150 STAGING POST" to "TRANSPORT COMMAND" that, according to Pickards elaborate calligraphy annotation, "nearly stopped the Conference".- 50 photographs from the conference, 13 featuring Churchill, Roosevelt, or both.- Seven currency notes, including Soviet, American, and Greek, five signed by a bevy of people, including pilots.- A "TOP SECRET MOST URGENT" typed "1st February 1945" letter signed by Air Commodore Whitney Straight to Group Captain Pickard conveying the "Flight Plan" and "Passenger Lists", as well as the fighter escort and other details, for transport of VIPs to the Yalta Conference.- The "Friday, February 16th, 1945" farewell dinner menu, signed on the blank verso by the members of Pickards command.- Pickards original Yalta Conference passes both British Delegation and Soviet.- A contemporary Observer clipping that specifically refers to this, Pickards "remarkable autograph book "- A "24th January" 1945 typed and hand-annotated "TOP SECRET CYPHER MESSAGE" from Pickard regarding critical communication and transport difficulties preceding the Conference.This album, with all of its annotations and embellishments, has the look and feel of both military precision and treasured story book the adult manifestation of a seasoned commander and pilot recording his actual experience of every lads dream to fly, to dare, and to overcome.Please note that additional images and a considerably more comprehensive description are available upon request. This is a truly singular and quite compelling Second World War album belonging to, and compiled by, R.A.F. Group Captain Walter J. Pickard, containing meticulously captioned photographs and mementos of his work flying VIPs during the 1945 Yalta Conference, a number of "Secret" documents related to transport to and from the Conference, correspondence and currency signed by dozens of senior military figures and fellow pilots, and, last but certainly not least, the dated inscription of Winston S. Churchill and signed correspondence from Churchills private secretary confirming that Churchill personally received, examined, and inscribed this album, and conveying Churchills appreciation to Pickard.The Album, Its Charm, Its ContentsThis album was painstakingly compiled, decorated, and annotated by Royal Air Force Group Captain Walter J. Pickard, "the first to arrive and the last to leave the Yalta Conference. He spent January and February commanding a base in Russia and organizing the air side of the conferences. All British and Americans had to go to him to be dispatched." The photo album documents the staging, preparation, and flights which conveyed Winston Churchill, as well as other British and American delegates, to the Yalta Conference in 1945, earning Pickard the accolades of his commanders, the appreciation of his Prime Minister, and the Order of the British Empire (O.B.E.). Winston Churchill inscribed and dated the front free-end paper in 1947, two years after the conference. The album is 100 numbered pages in length, bound in leather-covered boards with a large, hand-labeled title "Saki" affixed diagonally on the front cover. The boards show wear to extremities and the leather-covered spine is gone. The boards and contents nonetheless remain tenuously connected, the mull and overall binding structure quite fragile but still holding. The binding has done its job of preserving the treasure trove within; the contents are generally clean, only lightly toned with scattered st
Winston S. Churchill
This is the first edition, first printing, in dust jacket. Thoughts and Adventures is Churchill's collection of 23 engaging essays on an incredibly wide variety of subjects. It has been called "The broadest range of Churchill's thought between two hard covers" and reflects the two qualities that so characterize Churchill's life - a remarkable breadth of both mind and life experience. The khaki cloth unique to the first printing of this edition is notoriously prone to scuffing, wear, and soiling, the contents proved highly susceptible to spotting, and the first printing dust jacket has become quite scarce in anything approaching collector-worthy condition. This copy is good plus in a good plus dust jacket. The khaki cloth binding shows some typical scuffing with a lightly bumped lower front cover corner and a mild forward lean. There is a single, tiny, and unobtrusive bookworm hole at the upper right rear cover, with a corresponding scar to the rear pastedown. The contents retain a crisp feel with no previous ownership marks, moderate age-toning, and mild spotting primarily confined to the first and final few leaves. The dust jacket is unique to the first printing, with distinctive differences to later printings (and even some later first printings). This dust jacket is substantially complete, with minor loss confined to the flap fold and hinge extremities. The jacket shows definite overall soiling, as well as a rectangular dark patch to a blank portion of the upper spine below the author's name, perhaps caused by a long-lost label or sticker. The jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover. The virtue of this particular copy lies in the opportunity to acquire a sound and presentable jacketed first printing at a comparatively affordable price; this is the least expensive jacketed first we have offered in quite some time.An original blurb for Thoughts and Adventures encapsulates as far as is possible the wide range of the chapters within: "These true stories concern such things as the tides that make a politician change his mind; the domination of chance in human lives; the cartoonists who mocked Churchill; the chances and events that occurred while he was in the trenches; phases of the war seen from intimate participation with the high commands; flying experiences in 1912; the Irish; the future; and contemporary change." In a 31 May 1932 letter to his publisher about the book, Churchill characterized it thus: ".although there is no one single theme, it has some of the best things in it I have ever written."Reference: Cohen A95.1.a, Woods/ICS A39(aa.1), Langworth p.156.
Artist: Winston S. Churchill
This limited and numbered lithograph of an original painting by Winston S. Churchill beautifully combines two of the inspirational refuges of his relentlessly eventful life painting and his country home, Chartwell.The painting is a view "of Chartwell and its lakes showing the view in the background of the Kentish Weald that so attracted Churchill to purchase the house." The original, painted circa 1938 on the eve of the Second World War, measures 36 x 24 inches and is held in The Studio at Chartwell by The National Trust. (see Coombs, Fig 103, C 286)This lovely reproduction, one of 750 copies, is a "lithograph on cotton paper with serigraphy". This copy is hand-numbered on the lower left blank margin "322/750" and hand-titled on the lower center blank margin "View from Chartwell". At the lower right is a facsimile signature "Winston S. Churchill" and an embossed circular device reading "SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL TRUST AUTHENTIC LITHOGRAPH and dated "2005". The image measures 24 x 16 inches (60.96 x 40.64 cm), preserving the aspect ratio of the original. The thick cotton paper stock on which the lithograph is rendered measures 26.75 x 19.75 inches (67.95 x 50.17 cm).Condition is near fine, the image clean with no wear, soiling or fading. We note only a tiny stray mark just below the limitation number. An accompanying "Certificate of Authenticity" attests that the plate, stone, and screen used to produce the limited edition were destroyed thereafter.On 9 September 1922, Winstons wife, Clementine, "gave birth to their fifth child, a daughter whom they christened Mary. Also that day he bought a country house in Kent, Chartwell manor." (Gilbert, A Life, p.450) Perhaps no physical place - not Blenheim Palace where Churchill was born, the Houses of Parliament where he served for six decades, 10 Downing Street where he twice resided as Prime Minister, or St. Paul's Cathedral where his Queen and leaders from around the world mourned his death - would more deeply affect Churchill's life and legacy.At Chartwell, Churchill was by turns father, husband, painter, landscaper, and bricklayer and work on improving the house and gardens continued for much of Churchills life. Chartwell proved Churchills vital sanctuary during the "wilderness years" of the 1930s. And, of course, Chartwell served Churchill as "my factory" as he turned out an incredible volume of writing. Even during the darkest days of the Second World War, Chartwell was a place of refuge and renewal. After the Second World War, Churchill's friend, Lord Camrose, assembled a consortium of benefactors to buy Chartwell, allowing Churchill to reside there for the rest of his life for a nominal rent. On Churchills death the property was given to the National Trust as a permanent memorial. Churchill did not leave Chartwell for the final time until mid-October 1964. Chartwell, with its more than 80 acres of woodland and farmland, remains a National Trust property, full of Churchills paintings and belongings, inhabited by his memory and spirit.Churchill first took up painting during the First World War. May 1915 saw Churchill scapegoated for failure in the Dardanelles and slaughter at Gallipoli and forced from his Cabinet position at the Admiralty. By November 1915 Churchill was serving at the Front, leading a battalion in the trenches. But during the summer of 1915, as he battled depression, he rented Hoe Farm in Surrey, where he discovered an affinity and talent for painting. During the remaining half of his long life, he created more than 500 paintings. In so doing, he created for himself something restorative in the great and turbulent sweep of his otherwise tremendously public life. He wrote, "Painting is a friend who makes no undue demands, excites to no exhausting pursuits, keeps faithful pace even with feeble steps, and holds her canvas as a screen between us and the envious eyes of Time or the surly advance of Decrepitude" (Painting as a Pastime, p.13)
Winston S. Churchill
This is the first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state of Winston Churchill's autobiography. Two states of the first edition, first printing are identified, with a list of either 11 or 12 Churchill titles in the boxed list of "Works by the same Author" on the half title verso. With 11 titles on the half title verso, this copy is definitively first state. There were also a number of first edition binding states, bound in either a coarse or a smooth plum colored cloth, with the title stamped on the front cover in either three or five lines. Precedence goes to the coarse cloth and three lines on the front cover which, together with 11 titles on the half title verso, denote first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state. In short, this copy is among the first printed and bound by the publisher. The first editions binding proved especially vulnerable to fading, soiling, and wear, and the contents quite susceptible to spotting. Condition of this copy is very good overall, unusually clean within and without despite some flaws endemic to the edition. The coarse cloth binding is square, clean, and tight. Three corners remain sharp, the upper rear cover corner slightly bruised. The covers retain bright color, the spine uniformly toned but clean and far brighter than usual, still retaining much of its distinctive plum hue, as well as bright spine gilt. The upper rear cover shows a little soiling, as do the right and lower portions of the front cover. Light shelf wear is confined to extremities, the lower corners slightly frayed, the spine ends a little wrinkled. The contents are quite clean for the edition. We find no internal spotting just a few scattered spots confined to the fore edges. We note mild age-toning, most readily apparent to the page edges, a blacked out previous owner name on the front pastedown, and transfer browning to a small, triangular portion of p.109 at the gutter corresponding to a fragment of an old newspaper clipping laid therein. My Early Life covers the years from Churchills birth in 1874 to his first few years in Parliament. One can hardly ask for more adventurous content. These momentous and formative years for Churchill included his time as an itinerant war correspondent and cavalry officer in theaters ranging from Cuba, to northwest India, to sub-Saharan and southern Africa. Churchill also recounts his capture and escape during the Boer War, which made him a celebrity and helped launch his political career.Herein Churchill says:"Twenty to twenty-five! These are the years! Don't be content with things as they are. 'The earth is yours and the fulness thereof'. Enter upon your inheritance, accept your responsibilities. Don't take No for an answer. Never submit to failure. You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. She was made to be wooed and won by youth." (MEL, p.74)By the end of his own twenty-fifth year, Churchill had been one of the worlds highest paid war correspondents, published his first five books, made his first lecture tour of North America, braved and breasted both battlefields and the hustings, and been elected to Parliament, where he would take his first seat only weeks after the end of Queen Victorias reign.My Early Life remains one of the most popular and widely read of all Churchill's books. An original 1930 review likened it to a "beaker of Champagne." That effervescent charm endures; a more recent writer called it "a racy, humorous, self-deprecating classic of autobiography." To be sure, Churchill takes some liberties with facts and perhaps unduly lightens or over-simplifies certain events. Nonetheless, the factual experiences of Churchills early life compete with any fiction, and any liberties taken are pardonable, in keeping with the wit, pace, and engaging style that characterize the book.Reference: Cohen A91.1.a, Woods/ICS A37(aa), L
Winston S. Churchill
This is the first book publication, the finely bound limited first edition, copy Number 176 of 500 hand-numbered copies. The Dream is Churchill's revealing essay about a ghostly reunion with his father, Lord Randolph Churchill, in which Winston recounts the world events that have transpired since his father's death - without revealing his own role in them. This editions binding proved prone to fragility at the joints. This copy is no exception. The binding is structurally sound, the covers still firmly attached, but the leather cover is splitting along both the lower and upper front cover joint. The binding is otherwise bright with sharp corners and only mild shelf wear to extremities. Apart from some mild staining to the lower front free endpaper verso, the contents are quite clean, crisp, and bright, with no previous ownership marks and bright gilt edges, the original ribbon marker intact.Winston Churchill's father, Lord Randolph, died in January 1895 at age 45 following the spectacular collapse of both his health and political career. His son Winston was 20 years old. A few years later, Churchill would seek permission to write his father's biography and then spend two and a half years researching and writing - a major literary effort, but apparently an emotional one as well. Of the work, Churchill wrote to Lord Rosebery on 11 September 1902 "It is all most interesting to me - and melancholy too" (R. Churchill, WSC, Companion Volume II, Part 1, p.438). Of course history and longevity would dramatically favor the son, but when Randolph died, Winston dwelt very much in his father's shadow, both emotionally and in terms of the political career to which he already aspired. It is in this small, intimate piece of writing that we catch Churchill with that shadow on the eve of his 73rd birthday. According to Churchill, a "foggy afternoon in November 1947" found him in his "studio at the cottage down the hill at Chartwell" attempting to paint a copy of a damaged portrait of Lord Randolph when he turned around to find his father sitting in a red leather armchair, looking just as Churchill "had seen him in his prime." What ensued was a conversation about what had - and had not - changed since Randolph's time, ranging from trivialities and individual personalities to politics and the broad sweep of world affairs. Churchill, of course, never reveals his role in much of this history. Churchill's summary observations and appraisals to his father make a worthwhile study in themselves. But these are perhaps overshadowed by the emotional overtones, which psychologists and sentimentalists will doubtless continue to parse for years to come. His family called it "The Dream." Churchill titled it simply "Private Article." Though he was seldom stinting with his words or their publication, Churchill locked the essay in a box where it remained, willed to his wife. Churchill died on 24 January 1965 - the same day his father died seventy years before. The Dream was first published a year after Churchill's death, on 30 January 1966, in the Sunday Telegraph and was subsequently included in The Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill (1976). However, The Dream was not published in book form until September 1987, four decades after it was written and more than 22 years after Churchill's death. Fortunately, the edition rose to the occasion of the long wait. Richard Langworth of the International Churchill Society presided over a lovely limited edition of 500 hand-numbered copies. This was an elaborate production, printed on acid-free archival paper and bound in padded red leather with gilt decoration and the Churchill arms blind-stamped on the front cover. All page edges are gilt, with head and foot bands, as well as a satin page marker and silk endpapers. Langworth contributed a worthy Foreword and Sal Asaro a color illustration from an oil painting commissioned by the publishers. Reference: Cohen A288.1, Woods/ICS A147, Langworth p.357
The Earl Marshal of England, the Duke of Norfolk
These lovely booklet is The Ceremonial To Be Observed printed for Churchills full state funeral at St. Paul's Cathedral on 30 January 1965. On Sunday, 24 January 1965, Winston Churchill died at the age of 90. By the time of his death, he had become "a living national memorial" of the time he had lived and the Nation, Empire, and free world he had served. His death completed his transformation into a national icon. This booklet was specifically produced for those invited to attend the elaborate ceremony at St. Pauls Cathedral on 30th January 1965. The Ceremonial to be Observed at the Funeral was beautifully printed on heavy paper stock by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The booklet is bound in cardstock wraps printed and bordered in deep purple with the Churchill arms on the front cover. The booklet measures 10.5 x 7.25 inches (26.7 x 18.4 cm) and is 12 pages in length. This copy is in good very good minus condition, complete and sound with some minor cosmetic blemishes. The card wraps are complete and firmly attached, both original binding staples intact with no corrosion. The front cover remains bright with only light wear and soiling to extremities. The blank rear cover is modestly soiled with a few stains to the upper portion and a diagonal crease to the lower portion. The contents are bright with no spotting or previous ownership marks. The upper fore edge corners are lightly bruised. The day after Churchill died, on25 January, the Queen sent a message to Parliament announcing: "Confident in the support of Parliament for the due acknowledgement of our debt of gratitude and in thanksgiving for the life and example of a national hero" and concluded "I have directed that Sir Winston's body shall lie in State in Westminster Hall and that thereafter the funeral service shall be held in the Cathedral Church of St. Paul." This was in accord with longstanding plans; twelve years before, in 1953, at the direction of Queen Elizabeth II, planning for Churchills eventual state funeral had begun. The elaborate plans running to hundreds of pages, were overseen by the Duke of Norfolk, hereditary Earl Marshal of England, and came to be called Operation Hope Not.Churchill's full state funeral at the Cathedral of St. Paul in London was attended by the Queen herself, other members of the royal family, the Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, and representatives of 112 countries.Churchill was interred in St. Martins churchyard, Bladon, Oxfordshire. It was the first time in a century that a British monarch attended a commoners funeral. The outpouring of national and international sorrow and regard - from friends and foes, sympathizers and opponents alike - was both remarkable and effusive. Before the service in St. Pauls Cathedral, Churchills coffin had passed through the countryside on a train. The Oxford don, Dr. A. L. Rowse, recorded "The Western sky filled with the lurid glow of winter sunset; the sun setting on the British Empire."
Winston S. Churchill
This book is the precursor to Churchills great war speeches, the first edition, only printing. This particular copy is increasingly scarce thus, in the first issue dust jacket. This copy is very good in a very good minus dust jacket. The blue cloth binding is beautifully square, clean, bright, and tight with sharp corners and vivid spine gilt. We note only a hint of sunning at the spine tips. The contents retain a crisp, unread feel. Trivial spotting appears confined to the endpapers, half-title, and the blank frontispiece recto. The sole previous ownership markings are initials and a surname, neatly and diminutively inked on the upper right half-title recto. The fore and bottom edges are clean apart from modest age-toning. The blue-stained top edges are uniformly dulled. This copy would merit "very good plus" or better if not for a missing front free endpaper. This has been neatly but fully removed, so that the contents begin at the half-title, which shows customary transfer browning corresponding to the dust jacket flaps.The dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the original lower front flap price, and substantially complete, with tiny losses confined to the flap fold and joint extremities. The spine is moderately toned and soiled and the faces and flap folds show some spotting. The dust jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover.Arms and the Covenant has been called " the permanent record of one mans unceasing struggle in the face of resentment, apathy, and complacency" and "probably the most crucial volume of speeches that he ever published." (Frederick Woods) The book contains text from 41 Churchill speeches spanning 25 October 1928 to 24 March 1938. These criticize British foreign policy and warn prophetically of the coming danger. The world remembers the resolute war leader to whom the British turned, but it is easy to forget the years leading up to the war, which Churchill spent persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded, often at odds with both his own political party and prevailing public sentiment.The speeches were compiled by Churchill's son, Randolph, who contributed a preface and is credited with compilation. Randolph would do the same for his father's first volume of war speeches, Into Battle, published in an almost unrecognizable world less than three years later. The "Covenant" in the title of Arms and the Covenant refers to the League of Nations Covenant, the instrument that was to maintain peace in the wake of the First World War. As testimony to the book's importance, a copy of the U.S. edition lay on "President Roosevelt's bedside table, with key passages, including an analysis of the president's peace initiative, underscored" (William Manchester's The Last Lion, Volume II, p.305). The British first edition saw only a single printing of 5,000 copies published on 24 June 1938 and of these, perhaps as few as 3,381 were issued in the distinctive pale blue dust jacket.Reference: Cohen A107.1. Woods/ICS A44(a), Langworth p.191.
Winston S. Churchill
This is the first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state of Winston Churchill's autobiography. Two states of the first edition, first printing are identified, with a list of either 11 or 12 Churchill titles in the boxed list of "Works by the same Author" on the half title verso. With 11 titles on the half title verso, this copy is definitively first state. There were also a number of first edition binding states, bound in either a coarse or a smooth plum colored cloth, with the title stamped on the front cover in either three or five lines. Precedence goes to the coarse cloth and three lines on the front cover which, together with 11 titles on the half title verso, denote first edition, first printing, first state, first binding state. In short, this copy is among the first printed and bound by the publisher. The first editions binding proved especially vulnerable to fading, soiling, and wear, and the contents quite susceptible to spotting. Condition of this copy is very good overall. Unusually for the edition, the spine retains strong plum hue, far less faded than typical. Nonetheless, the binding does show some typical flaws. The boards are bright, but with mild soiling and some shelf wear to extremities. The binding remains tight, but with a slight forward lean. And although the spine color is well-preserved, there is a dark stain at the lower third of the spine, above the publisher's name. The contents are quite respectably bright for the edition and minimal spotting is primarily confined to the page edges. The title page remains uncut, still connected to the succeeding dedication page. The sole previous owner name, inked on the front free endpaper recto, includes a "Toronto" address, leading us to speculate that this copy may have been one of the quite scarce Canadian issues of the British first edition (denoted only by a different dust jacket). Corroborating this speculation is "$4.50" written on the upper final free endpaper verso - the original price of the Canadian issue. Also on that page is a date of "10/30" written in the same pencil and hand as the price, as well as a succession of six date stamps spanning December through January (no year specified). A cosmetic split to the rear endpaper gutter partially exposes the intact mull beneath, but does not affect binding integrity.My Early Life covers the years from Churchills birth in 1874 to his first few years in Parliament. One can hardly ask for more adventurous content. These momentous and formative years for Churchill included his time as an itinerant war correspondent and cavalry officer in theaters ranging from Cuba, to northwest India, to sub-Saharan and southern Africa. Churchill also recounts his capture and escape during the Boer War, which made him a celebrity and helped launch his political career.Herein Churchill says:"Twenty to twenty-five! These are the years! Don't be content with things as they are. 'The earth is yours and the fulness thereof'. Enter upon your inheritance, accept your responsibilities. Don't take No for an answer. Never submit to failure. You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. She was made to be wooed and won by youth." (MEL, p.74)By the end of his own twenty-fifth year, Churchill had been one of the worlds highest paid war correspondents, published his first five books, made his first lecture tour of North America, braved and breasted both battlefields and the hustings, and been elected to Parliament, where he would take his first seat only weeks after the end of Queen Victorias reign.My Early Life remains one of the most popular and widely read of all Churchill's books. An original 1930 review likened it to a "beaker of Champagne." That effervescent charm endures; a more recent writer called it "a racy, humorous, self-deprecating classic of autobiography." To be sure, Churchill takes some liberti
Winston S. Churchill
This is the precursor to Churchill's great war speeches, the U.S. first edition, fourth and final printing in dust jacket, published in September 1941, sixteen months after the author became wartime Prime Minister of Great Britain.This fourth printing was issued in 1941 (despite the 1938 date on the title and copyright pages). Even though this final printing was only 1,000 copies, two different variants of both the dust jacket and the binding are known. The fourth printing bindings were issued in both a smooth blue cloth identical to the first, second, and third printings and a strikingly different coarse orange cloth unique to the fourth and final printing. Fourth printings came in two dust jackets - one identical to that of the third printing and another with changes to the rear face and rear flap. This fourth printing is bound in the publisher's blue cloth and wrapped in the dust jacket identical to that of the third printing - the variant closest in appearance to that of the first printing.This is a handsome book, a substantial 9.5 x 6.375 inches (25.13 x 16.19 cm) bound in blue cloth with red banners on the front cover and spine lettered in silver and red topstain. This is an attractive, very good plus copy in a good plus dust jacket. The blue cloth binding remains beautifully square, clean, bright, and tight, flawed only by lightly softened front cover corners and a little wrinkling to the spine ends. The contents are equally impressive, immaculately clean with no spotting or previous ownership marks. The fore and bottom edges are perfectly clean and the red-stained top edge retains uniformly bright color. The distinctive red, white, and black dust jacket is neatly price-clipped at the upper front flap, but otherwise complete, though with wrinkling and short closed tears to extremities, the red spine panels sunned, and mild soiling to the white rear face. The dust jacket is newly fitted with a clear, removable, archival cover.While England Slept contains text from 41 Churchill speeches criticizing British foreign policy, spanning 25 October 1928 to 24 March 1938. This collection has been called " the permanent record of one mans unceasing struggle in the face of resentment, apathy, and complacency". The speeches were compiled by Churchill's son, Randolph, who contributed a preface and is credited with compilation. Randolph would do the same for his father's first volume of war speeches, Into Battle, published in an almost unrecognizable world less than three years later. At the time, on the eve of the Second World War, the British edition was given the politically palatable title Arms and the Covenant referencing the failed Covenant of the post-WWI League of Nations. The U.S. title While England Slept - is more candid. The world remembers the resolute war leader to whom the British entrusted their fate, but it is easy to forget the years leading up to the war, which Churchill spent persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded. Churchill bibliographer Frederick Woods called this edition "probably the most crucial volume of speeches that he ever published". As testimony to the book's importance, a copy of While England Slept lay on "President Roosevelt's bedside table, with key passages, including an analysis of the president's peace initiative, underscored." (William Manchester, The Last Lion, Volume II, p.305)Bibliographic reference: Cohen A107.2.d, Woods/ICS A44(b.4). Langworth p.193. U.S. first edition, fourth and final printing.
This is a handsome piece of Churchilliana, an illustrated jug produced by Copeland/Spode in 1941. It was produced under wartime restrictions. One side of the pitcher features a cameo of Churchill with a warship to his left, a tank to his right, and a fighter aircraft above him. In an arc above the aircraft slightly misquoted is a line from Churchills 13 May 1940 speech: "ALL I CAN OFFER IS BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS, AND SWEAT." Below Churchills image is a ribbon bearing a quote from his speech of 20 August 1940: "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW". This is a superior example, in fine condition, clean inside and out with no appreciable soiling, no chips, and only modest crazing, visible under raking light. The pitcher was likely created by the companys own designers, since noparticular artist is credited with it in Spodes records. There were various iterations of the pitcher, with the side described above constant but the other side of the pitcher varying significantly in appearance. This pitcher is Pattern F448, identified by a bulldog on a Union Flag bestriding a globe with theBritish Empire shown in dark color. Over and under the design is the February 1941 exchange of quotes between President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill. In a ribbon below the globe, Roosevelt quotes Longfellow: "SAIL ON, O SHIP OF STATE! | SAIL ON O UNION STRONG AND GREAT | HUMANITY WITH ALL ITS FEARS | WITH ALL THE HOPES OF FUTURE YEARS | IS HANGING BREATHLESS ON THY FATE!" Churchills reply appears above and to the left of the globe: "GIVE US THE TOOLS. | AND WE WILL FINISH THE JOB!" This particular example is the one for the U.S.A. market, approximately 6.5 inches tall with a 4 inch diameter opening. The bottom bears the "COPELAND" maker's mark as well as the words "U.S.A. DESIGN | PATENT PENDING". The rear design is an interesting study in Transatlantic sensitivities. "The UK design featured crossed British and American flags. The original crossed flag design conforms to conventional flag etiquette, with the home country's on the left; but American usage would require the Stars and Stripes at left." Hence just the bulldog astride the Union Jack. "The Spode Museum believes this consideration caused the bulldog design to be substituted, though Spode might have done better to keep the original. That globe showing the Empire served nicely to remind Americans how much of the world belonged to Great Britain - not exactly the best way to influence the die-hard isolationists" among the American electorate and their elected representatives.Please anticipate that packing and shipping this item with care may incur additional shipping cost.Reference: Douglas Hall, Churchilliana, pp.146-7, Max Edward Hertwigs article in Finest Hour, Issue 116, Autumn 2002, Page 36
This handsome piece of Churchilliana is a quite scarce variation on a jug originally produced by Copeland/Spode early during the Second World War, in 1941, and reissued in this unique shape in 1965 as a commemoration following Churchills death. This example one of only two we have offered is in fine condition with no chips or cracks, no visible crazing to the glaze, and only a few trivial instances of soiling, mostly to the interior. The original "Galloway" style UK issue of this jug was a bit squatter, both wider and shorter. A U.S. issue was the same shape and proportion of the Galloway, just slightly shorter. This rather more elegant shape, called "Melba", is quite distinctive and elegant, with a flared foot and no decoration to the spout. Of the three shapes known, this Melba style has both the greatest height 7.75 inches and the narrowest opening diameter 3.5 inches. "Spode records disclose that the Melba shape was only issued in pattern Y446: black printed with the original British market crossed flags on the reverse The reissue was probably made to commemorate Churchill after his death in January." The front side of the pitcher features a cameo of Churchill with a warship to his left, a tank to his right, and a fighter aircraft above him. In an arc above the aircraft slightly misquoted is a line from Churchills 13 May 1940 speech: "ALL I CAN OFFER IS BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS, AND SWEAT." Below Churchills image is a ribbon bearing a quote from his speech of 20 August 1940: "NEVER IN THE FIELD OF HUMAN CONFLICT WAS SO MUCH OWED BY SO MANY TO SO FEW". References: Douglas Hall, Churchilliana, pp.146-7, Max Edward Hertwigs article in Finest Hour, Issue 116, Autumn 2002, Page 36
Winston S. Churchill
This is a finely bound, full six-volume set of British first editions of The Second World War, Winston Churchill's history of the epic 20th century struggle that was so indelibly stamped by his leadership. The bindings are quarter red Morocco over marbled paper-covered boards. The spines feature raised bands and gilt author, title, and volume numbers. The British first edition, first printing contents are bound with red, laid paper end sheets, gilt top edges, deckled fore edges, and silk head and tail bands. Condition of the set is very good. All six bindings are clean and tight. The leather spines show no fading and only a few trivial scuffs and blemishes. The marbled paper-covered boards retain sharp corners, showing a little shelf wear to extremities and a few minor scuffs. The contents are bright with no previous ownership marks. Spotting appears substantially confined to prelims and the deckled fore edges.Seldom, if ever, has history endowed a statesman with both singular ability to make history, and singular ability to write it. As with so much of what Churchill wrote, The Second World War is not "history" in the strictly academic, objectivist sense, but rather Churchill's perspective on history. In his March 1948 introduction to the first volume, Churchill himself made the disclaimer, "I do not describe it as history. it is a contribution to history." Nonetheless the compelling fact remains, as stated by Churchill himself, "I am perhaps the only man who has passed through both the two supreme cataclysms of recorded history in high Cabinet office. I was for more than five years in this second struggle with Germany the Head of His Majesty's government. I write, therefore, from a different standpoint and with more authority than was possible in my earlier books." Certainly The Second World War may be regarded as an intensely personal and inherently biased history. Nonetheless, Churchill's work remains essential, iconic, and a vital part of the historical record. Richard Langworth calls the six-volume epic "indispensable reading for anyone who seeks a true understanding of the war that made us what we are today." Given the fragility of the first editions - which were not only printed on post-war "Economy Standards" paper, but also bound in coarse, black cloth bindings that easily wear and mildew - this fine binding is a durable and aesthetically appealing alternative. Please note that we will ship this substantial, six-volume set at cost.Reference: Cohen A240.4(I-VI).a, Woods/ICS A123(ba), Langworth p.264.
Winston S. Churchill
This book is the precursor to Churchills great war speeches, the first edition, only printing. This particular copy is increasingly scarce thus, in the first issue dust jacket. The dust jacket has done its job protecting the book beneath, which is near fine - noteworthy for being uncommonly clean inside and out. The binding is not only square, tight, and entirely unfaded, but immaculately clean with sharp corners and virtually no wear. The contents are mildly age-toned, but retain a crisp, unread feel and show no spotting not even on the fore and bottom edges. The blue topstain retains uniform, dark hue. We note customary browning to the half-title from the pastedown glue and the illustrated bookplate of "B. D. Farquharson" affixed to the front pastedown. Overall, this is among the cleanest copies we have encountered.The first issue dust jacket shows more age and wear than the lovely book it has sheltered. The jacket spine is toned, with minor losses to the upper and center spine, and a larger, roughly .75 x .75 inch (1.9 x 1.9 cm) loss at the lower left of the spine. There are also fractional losses at the flap fold extremities, short closed tears and wrinkling to the upper rear face, and the lower front flap is neatly price-clipped. The dust jacket is protected with a clear, removable, archival cover. Arms and the Covenant has been called " the permanent record of one mans unceasing struggle in the face of resentment, apathy, and complacency" and "probably the most crucial volume of speeches that he ever published." (Frederick Woods) The book contains text from 41 Churchill speeches spanning 25 October 1928 to 24 March 1938. These criticize British foreign policy and warn prophetically of the coming danger. The world remembers the resolute war leader to whom the British turned, but it is easy to forget the years leading up to the war, which Churchill spent persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded, often at odds with both his own political party and prevailing public sentiment.The speeches were compiled by Churchill's son, Randolph, who contributed a preface and is credited with compilation. Randolph would do the same for his father's first volume of war speeches, Into Battle, published in an almost unrecognizable world less than three years later. The "Covenant" in the title of Arms and the Covenant refers to the League of Nations Covenant, the instrument that was to maintain peace in the wake of the First World War. As testimony to the book's importance, a copy of the U.S. edition lay on "President Roosevelt's bedside table, with key passages, including an analysis of the president's peace initiative, underscored" (William Manchester's The Last Lion, Volume II, p.305). The British first edition saw only a single printing of 5,000 copies published on 24 June 1938 and of these, perhaps as few as 3,381 were issued in the distinctive pale blue dust jacket.Reference: Cohen A107.1. Woods/ICS A44(a), Langworth p.191.
Quotes from Winston Churchill, Compiler unknown
This is a rare and fascinating wartime propaganda piece ridiculing British Prime Minister Winton Churchill's Second World War alliance of convenience with Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin. The unsigned, undated leaflet reproduces excerpts from five unidentified pieces of Churchills writing. The leaflet measures 8.125 x 5.875 inches (20.6 x 14.9 cm) and is printed only on the recto. Churchills bibliographer Ronald Cohen gives no publisher or location for this item. The poor English of the introduction and the use of a z with a horizontal stroke through it leads us to speculate that this leaflet is continental, possibly German, propaganda.The leaflet ends by turning Churchills words into a derisive attack on the alleged hypocrisy of Britains wartime alliance: "We cannot treat with Bolshevism but you can make the supreme sacrifice so that it can overturn existing civilization by stealth, by propaganda, and by bloody force." The effect is a stinging contrast between Churchill's wartime alliances of necessity and his long history of ardent anti-communist sentiment. A scarce item; we know of only two other copies - one which we offered half a decade ago and one in the collection of the Imperial War Museum.Condition of this fragile, ephemeral item approaches near fine. Incredibly, the wood pulp paper has survived with no loss or tears. Though there is some wrinkling to the bottom third of the sheet, this is likely an artifact of the printing process, as the only other copy we have handled had similar wrinkling. The leaflet does not appear to have been folded at any time and has apparently been stored flat.Reference: Cohen A138
