Thoughts and Adventures

London: Thornton Butterworth Ltd., 1932. First edition, second printing. Hardcover. This is the first edition, second printing, an excellent copy, quite scarce thus in the dust jacket. This copy previously belonged to the personal library of Churchill’s bibliographer, Ronald Cohen. This second printing was issued in November 1932, the same month as the November 1932 first printing. 

The spine, rear cover, and rear flap of this second printing dust jacket are identical to those of the first printing. The front face differs only slightly in that the author’s name has been moved up and the honorific “The Rt. Hon.” has been deleted to make room for four lines printed in red thus: “The opinion of the Press | is summarized in the words | of the ‘MORNING POST’ | ‘A TONIC FOR THE TIMES’”. The front flap of this second printing dust jacket substitutes nine review excerpts for the blurb found on the first printing dust jacket. 

This copy is very good in a very good dust jacket. The jacket is substantially complete, with only minor chipping to the spine ends and slight loss at the flap fold corners. The jacket spine is moderately soiled, scuffed, and toned, the faces and flaps substantially clean with only light soiling. The jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover. The volume beneath is likewise very good, the green cloth unfaded, the spine and front cover gilt vividly bright. We note light shelf wear to extremities, minor wrinkling to the spine cloth, and a slightly shaken front hinge. The contents retain a crisp feel with no spotting, mild age-toning, light soiling to the text block edges, and a single previous owner name in pencil on the front free endpaper recto. This jacketed second printing is compelling in its own right, but offers the additional benefit of identical shelf appearance to the first printing at a price far less than an equivalent condition jacketed first printing copy would command. 

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.

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.c, Woods/ICS A39(aa.2), Langworth p.156.