Winston S. Churchill - The War Speeches, US "Definitive" edition, three volumes

Description: The War Speeches of the Rt. Hon. Winston S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1953 1st US editions Condition: Very Good This is the quite scarce U.S. first "Definitive" edition, only printing of Churchill's war speeches. This edition was published during Churchill's second and final premiership. While there were 4,700 copies of the British first edition, this incredibly small U.S. edition was limited to a mere 500 sets. These 500 sets were produced from British edition sheets. Internally, only the title and copyright pages differ from the British edition, but this U.S. first edition was bound quite differently and more elaborately than its British counterpart. Each of the volumes features a black cloth spine decorated and printed in gilt, over red cloth boards. The contents are bound with yellow-stained top edge and head and foot bands. This full, three-volume set is in very good overall condition. The bindings are square, clean, and tight with sharp corners, and minimal shelf wear confined to the bottom edges. The contents show no previous ownership marks. The dark yellow topstain retains uniform color. We note modest age-toning. Spotting is primarily confined to the endpapers and Volume I & II page edges and there is a small stain to the lower Volume II fore edges. During his long public life, Winston Churchill played many roles worthy of note - Member of Parliament for more than half a century, soldier and war correspondent, author of scores of books, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, Nobel Prize winner, painter. But Churchill's preeminence as a historical figure owes most to his indispensable leadership during the Second World War, when his soaring and defiant oratory sustained his countrymen and inspired the free world. Of Churchill, Edward R. Murrow said: "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." When Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, it was partly “…for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” Between 1941 and 1946, Churchill's war speeches were published in seven individual volumes in both British and U.S. editions. In 1952, early during Churchill's second premiership, the British publisher - Cassell - reissued the War Speeches as a new, "Definitive" three-volume British edition. This U.S. edition was issued in 1953. The three-volume edition of Churchill's War Speeches is considered superior to the original seven wartime volumes. New speeches are added, as is a very helpful index. Some of the original speeches considered peripheral are eliminated while others are retitled and chronological dates are replaced with brief transitional or introductory notes. The aesthetic improvement is particularly dramatic for this U.S. edition, in which three substantial, uniform volumes replace the original seven, differentially sized volumes, which were issued by three different publishers, several volumes printed on cheap, wartime paper. Reference: Cohen A263.2, Woods A136(b), Langworth p.305 Ref #: 008078 CHURCHILL BOOK COLLECTOR We are Churchill Book Collector, a professional bookseller specializing in books and other published works by and about the great twentieth century statesman and acclaimed writer, Sir Winston Churchill. We offer both a singular inventory and approachable expertise. The integrity of our inventory is backed by our membership in the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Churchill's official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, rightly called Churchill's long life "remarkable and versatile". Statesman, soldier, war correspondent, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, painter - Churchill was many things, but perhaps above all a master wordsmith. We’re here to help Churchill’s words find your shelves. Our extensive inventory features some of the rarest material offered – including fine first editions and inscribed copies – as well as reading copies and works about Churchill’s life and time. While we specialize in Churchill, our inventory also includes noteworthy first and collectible editions by other authors, ranging from Xenophon to T. E. Lawrence, spanning exploration and empire to twentieth century fiction. We are able to help with anything from finding individual books to assembling full collections, working closely with individual collectors to identify and accommodate their preferences and budget. We are also able to commission preservation cases and fine bindings. Please contact us if you have books to sell. We buy, and in some cases consign, fine and collectible individual items, as well as whole collections.

Price: 360 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-11-27T04:39:03.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD