Rare books from Churchill Book Collector

Winnipeg: Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company, 1940. 1st Edition. Paperback. This is an exceedingly rare wartime speech pamphlet featuring Churchill's Address to the Italian People of 23rd December 1940. Broadcasting from the Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill sought to assure the Italians of Britain's historic friendship with Italy and place blame for the conflict on Mussolini. Churchill's speech is published here with two others - King George VI's Christmas Day Message of 25th December 1940 and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King's Christmas Day message to the Canadian Army. This speech pamphlet is unusual in several respects - its publication, its survival, and its superlative condition. Per Churchill Bibliographer Ronald Cohen (pages 530-532) the publisher - Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company - was in business from 1902 to 1942. In an exuberant surge of patriotism, the company published over 40 booklets in the "Universal Life for Victory Series", a few of which were speeches… Read More

Melbourne, Australia: The Henry George Foundation, 1941. Paperback. This pamphlet is a wartime reprint of extracts from two Churchill speeches delivered in the House of Commons on 4 May 1909 and at King's Theatre, Edinburgh, 17 July 1909. The publisher's introductory note states: "In now publishing these extracts it is hoped that Mr. Churchill's eloquent and emphatic criticism of the present Land System will not be lost sight of in the post-war reconstruction for a New Social Order of which so much is being heard." There were two impressions - a first of 5,000 in January 1941 followed by this second printing of 10,000 in June 1941. Both, of course, are now scarce, particularly in this condition. The pamphlet measures 7.125 inches tall x 4.75 inches wide. It is sixteen pages in length with stapled paper wraps, the front cover bearing a head and shoulders image of Churchill. This is a superior, near-fine copy, notable for the fact that the gray-green wraps maintain their original color, with only a… Read More

London: Thornton Butterworth, Ltd., 1933. Hardcover. This book is a collection of 23 engaging essays by Churchill on an incredibly wide variety of subjects. From the original front flap blurb: "Whether he is dealing with personal reminiscences, or telling us his views on any subject under the sun, Mr. Churchill stamps the page with his own vivid personality." Thornton Butterworth published the first edition in 1932. Less than a year later, Thornton Butterworth issued the "Keystone Library" edition from first edition plates. There were two Keystone Library printings (1933 and 1934) and multiple binding variants or "states". With jacketed first British editions now extravagantly rare and extraordinarily expensive, this first edition, first printing of the original publisher's Keystone Library issue is an attractive alternative. Here is a very good copy of the first Keystone Library issue, first printing, second binding state in very good original dust jacket. The scarce and striking dust jacket is… Read More

New York: The British Library of Information, 1941. First edition, only printing. Leaflet. This is the first edition, only printing, of Churchill's 18 March 1941 address to the Pilgrims Society (erroneously printed as "Pilgrim Society" on the leaflet cover). Founded in 1902, the Pilgrims Society is an Anglo-American organization whose objective is "the encouragement of Anglo-American good fellowship". Churchill addressed the Pilgrims Society on 18 March to welcome the new American Ambassador to the United Kingdom, John. G. Winant, in the wake of the passage of the Lend-Lease Act by the U.S. Congress. "We welcome you here, Mr. Winant, at a moment when the great battle in which your government and nation are deeply interested is developing its full scope and severity... Mr. Winant, you come to us at a grand turning point in the world's history." The folded, four-panel leaflet measures 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9 cm). Condition is near-fine. The paper is bright with virtually no wear. We note only a… Read More

London: National Union of Conservative and Unionist Associations, 1948. 1st Edition. Paperback. This booklet contains the first printed appearance of Churchill's speech of 9 October 1948 at the 69th Annual Conservative Party Conference. Three years earlier, Churchill's Conservatives had been soundly defeated in the General Election at the end of the war. Churchill would head opposition to the Labour Government until the General Election of 1951, which returned the Conservatives to majority and Churchill to the office of Prime Minister. At the 69th Annual Conservative Party Conference, Churchill delivered a 65-minute address to a crowd of about 2,500 in the Pier Pavilion, Llandudno, Wales. This address appears at pp.149-56 of this 160-page "Verbatim Report of the Proceedings together with the Text of Mr. Churchill's Speech". The booklet measures 9.75 inches x 6 inches and is bound in blue card wraps. Condition is very good+. The blue card binding is unfaded and square, with sharp corners and an… Read More

London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1906. First edition, only printing. Hardcover. This is the first edition of Churchill's biography of his father, inscribed on the day before publication to Churchill's lifelong friend, confidante, and best man at his wedding, Hugh Cecil. The unusually personal inscription inked in black in four lines on the Volume I front free endpaper recto reads: "Linky / from / Winston S.C / 1 January 1906". The ink is mildly age-toned, but remains distinct with no discernable age-spreading. The inscription page remains clean and bright. The books retain square and tight original bindings with sharp corners and nicely rounded spines. There is minor wear at the spine ends, mild sunning and staining of the spines, and a few spots on the Volume II covers. The contents are clean, bright, and complete. Spotting in both volumes is moderate, primarily confined to prelims and untrimmed page edges. Each volume is housed in its own quarter dark red Morocco goatskin Solander case, hued… Read More

New York: The British Library of Information, 1940. First edition, only printing. Pamphlet. This is the first edition, only printing of Churchill's December 23, 1940 address to the Italian People. The end of 1940 found Britain having escaped the imminent threat of invasion, but nonetheless beleaguered and pinning many hopes on the United States, which was still months away from approving the Lend Lease Act and nearly a year from formally entering the war. "With his thoughts focused on the many dangers in the Aegean and Mediterranean, Churchill broadcast on the evening of December 23 to the Italian People." (Gilbert, Volume VI, p.960). The eight-page, wire-stitched pamphlet measures 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9 cm). Condition is near-fine. The paper is bright, clean, and crisp showing virtually no wear. The only flaw is a small .25 inch (.64 cm) roughly circular blemish at the upper right edge of the front cover. The pamphlet is protected within a removable, clear, archival mylar sleeve. Churchill… Read More

London: William Heinemann Ltd., 1966. 1st Edition. Paperback. The Official Biography of Winston Churchill, initiated by Randolph Churchill but completed by Martin Gilbert, is an epic piece of scholarship about a singularly epic life, comprising eight mammoth main text volumes. The British and U.S. first editions of the eight main text volumes were published between 1966 and 1988. This is a proof copy of the first volume of the official biography, spanning the years 1874 to 1900, from Churchill's birth, to his early career as a soldier and war correspondent, to his return to England from an American lecture tour in order to embark on his storied political career. This copy is in very good+ condition. It is bound in unmarked tan wraps. The half-title reads: "PROOF COPY This proof copy has been prepared for Mrs. Jackson." The name Mrs. Jackson is handwritten in ink. The card covers are in sound condition with light soiling and just a lttle wear at edges. There are no tears or losses. The contents… Read More

Melbourne, Australia: The Henry George Foundation, January 1942. Second Edition. Paperback. Second edition, first printing. Near fine condition. This is a wartime reprint of extracts from two Churchill speeches delivered in the House of Commons on 4 May 1909 and at King's Theatre, Edinburgh, 17 July 1909. This pamphlet was first published as "The Menace of Land Monopoly" by the Henry George foundation in 1941. In 1942 the pamphlet was retitled and republished as "On Human Rights". The publisher's introductory note states: "In now publishing these extracts it is hoped that Mr. Churchill's eloquent and emphatic criticism of the present Land System will not be lost sight of in the post-war reconstruction for a New Social Order of which so much is being heard." The pamphlet measures 7.125 inches tall x 4.75 inches wide. It is sixteen pages in length with stapled cream colored card wraps. The front cover bears a decidedly resolute head and shoulders image of Churchill. This copy is crisp and bright.… Read More

New York: The British Library of Information, 1941. First U.S. edition, only printing. Leaflet. This is the first edition, only printing of Churchill's January 9, 1941 speech to the Pilgrims Society (referred to as "the Pilgrims" in the title on the cover) welcoming Lord Halifax as British Ambassador to the United States. Founded in 1902, the Pilgrims Society is an Anglo-American organization whose objective is "the encouragement of Anglo-American good fellowship" – a fellowship acutely vital to Britain in January 1941. The folded, four-panel leaflet measures 6 x 9 inches (15.2 x 22.9 cm), the speech printed on the first three pages. Condition is near-fine. The leaflet is complete with virtually no wear. We note slight age-toning to the perimeter and a hint of spotting along the lower left edge of the front cover and two small spots on the rear cover. The leaflet is protected within a clear, removable, archival mylar sleeve. Edward Frederick Lindley Wood, 1st Earl of Halifax (1881-1959) became… Read More

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1953. 1st Edition. Hardcover. This is the second volume of the U.S. first "Definitive" edition, only printing of Churchill's war speeches. During his long public life, Winston Churchill played many roles worthy of historical note - member of Parliament for more than half a century, distinguished soldier and war correspondent, author of scores of books, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, Nobel Prize winner. But more than anything else, it was Winston Churchill's leadership during the Second World War that made him a preeminent historical figure. Of Churchill, Edward R. Murrow said: "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." Between 1941 and 1946, Churchill's war speeches were published in seven individual volumes in both British and U.S. editions. In 1952, 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… Read More

Melbourne, Australia: The Henry George Foundation, January 1942. Second Edition. Paperback. Second edition, first printing. Very good+ condition and quite rare thus. This is a wartime reprint of extracts from two Churchill speeches delivered in the House of Commons on 4 May 1909 and at King's Theatre, Edinburgh, 17 July 1909. This pamphlet was first published as "The Menace of Land Monopoly" by the Henry George foundation in 1941. In 1942 the pamphlet was retitled and republished as "On Human Rights". The publisher's introductory note states: "In now publishing these extracts it is hoped that Mr. Churchill's eloquent and emphatic criticism of the present Land System will not be lost sight of in the post-war reconstruction for a New Social Order of which so much is being heard." The pamphlet measures 7.125 inches tall x 4.75 inches wide. It is sixteen pages in length with stapled cream colored card wraps. The front cover bears a decidedly resolute head and shoulders image of Churchill. This is a… Read More

London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1927. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. This is a jacketed British first edition, first printing of the fourth volume of Churchill's monumental history of the First World War. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the “War to end all wars”. The events of these 1916-1918 volumes, of which this is Part II, include Churchill's time at the Front following his political exile and his subsequent return to the Cabinet. hough the U.S. first edition of The World Crisis preceded the British, many consider the British edition aesthetically superior, with its larger volumes and shoulder notes summarizing the subject of each page. Unfortunately, the original dust jackets are quite scarce and the smooth navy cloth of the British first editions proved quite susceptible to wear, the contents prone to spotting and toning. Particularly scarce… Read More

London: The Associated Press Ltd., 8 April 1949. Photograph. This original press photograph captures then-Leader of the Opposition Winston S. Churchill on 7 April 1949 upon his return to England from his trip to America, where he addressed the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The gelatin silver print on matte photo paper measures 10 x 8 inches (25.4 x 20.3 cm). Condition is very good. The paper is clean and the image clear with only some light wear to the edges. This photograph features hand-applied retouching to Churchills face and clothes and painted crop markings. The verso features the copyright stamp of The Associated Press Ltd. beneath a typed caption titled WINSTON HOME and reading, MR. WINSTON CHURCHILL, HIS WIFE AND FAMILY PARTY ARRIVED AT SOUTHAMPTON ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY TODAY APRIL 7 AFTER THEIR VISIT TO AMERICA, WHERE MR. CHURCHILL ADDRESSED THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY. THE QUEEN MARY WAS 24 HOURS LATE, HAVING BEEN DELAYED BY BAD WEATHER OFF CHERBOURG. PHOTO SHOWS:… Read More

Salisbury, England: Castle Hill Press, 1997. Hardcover. This the Castle Hill Press limited edition of the full 1922 "Oxford" text, one of 752 sets total and only 75 “extra-illustrated sets” issued thus, with an additional illustrations portfolio and specially-sized slipcase. This edition marked the first time that Lawrence's full text, originally circulated to a select few in 1922, was made available to the public. This set’s limitation page is hand-numbered "113". The volumes are pristine. The dust jackets are crisp and immaculate apart from faint transfer browning from the leather spine labels and a small mark on the blank rear face of the Illustrations volume jacket. The jackets are protected beneath removable, clear, archival covers. The additional illustrations folio is complete. Only the publisher’s slipcase shows some scuffing, but is nonetheless bright and intact. Seven Pillars of Wisdom is the story of the remarkable odyssey of T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) as instigator, organizer, hero,… Read More