Winston S. Churchill - Lord Randolph Churchill, first one-volume edition, 1907

Description: Lord Randolph Churchill, in the rare dust jacket Winston S. Churchill London: Macmillan and Company Limited, 1907 First one-volume edition Condition: Very Good plus Jacket Condition: Good plus Normal 0 false false false EN-CA JA X-NONE This is the 1907 first one-volume unabridged edition of Winston Churchill’s biography of his father, in the scarce dust jacket. The British first edition was published in two volumes in 1906. In 1907, the publisher issued this one-volume edition, containing the full text of the two-volume work as originally published in 1906, but printed on thinner paper. The binding and dust jacket both resemble the first edition of just a year earlier. This copy is very good plus in a good plus dust jacket. The binding is square, clean, and tight, with bright spine gilt. We note only minor wrinkling to the spine ends, and two tiny pin holes to the lower rear joint. The binding spine is bright, with only mild color shift, consonant with the toning to the jacket spine. The contents are clean and retain a crisp, plausibly unread feel. Differential toning to the endpapers corresponding to the dust jacket flaps confirms that this copy has spent life jacketed. The sole previous ownership mark is an inked name and date of “June MCMXXXVII.” (1937) on the front free endpaper recto. The gilt top edges remain respectably bright. Modest age-toning is apparent only to the fore and bottom edges and endpapers. Sheets from the first and only printing of this 1907 one-volume edition continued to be bound and sold by the publisher into the 1920s. There was presumably a first issue jacket, but this appears lost to history, unknown to us and to Churchill’s bibliographers. Churchill’s foremost bibliographer, Ronald Cohen, speculatively dates this jacket to early 1925, based on the list of other titles printed on the rear face of the jacket (see Cohen, Vol. I, A17.4, p.141). The jacket is a rare prize even significantly worn. This jacket is substantially complete, with shallow losses to the spine ends and flap fold corners and some cracking, with attendant small holes, at the upper spine center between the title and author’s name, and the upper front joint, just below the author’s name. The spine is toned with four small whitish marks, two near the upper center, two at the lower right, just above the publisher’s price. The flaps and covers are substantially clean, with a little faint red staining to the lower rear face. The dust jacket is protected with a removable, clear, archival cover. Winston Churchill’s biography of his father focuses on Lord Randolph's career in Parliament after 1880. Lord Randolph died in January 1895 at age 45 following the spectacular collapse of both his health and political career. Winston was 20 years old. When he first contemplated writing his father's biography Winston Churchill was an itinerant soldier and war correspondent who had yet to write his first book. By the time Lord Randolph Churchill was published in 1906, the young Winston Churchill already had half a dozen books to his credit and half a decade in Parliament. By 1906 Churchill had already left his father's political party, prevailed in the same political battle that had terminated his father's career, and was just two years from his first Cabinet post. Nonetheless, that Churchill would be selected as biographer by Lord Randolph's executors was not a foregone conclusion. Churchill first entertained the idea soon after his father's death, but it was not until late in 1902 that he was appointed. Churchill then spent two and a half years researching and writing. We can assume that it was not only a major literary effort, but 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, Companion Volume II, Part 1, p.438). Churchill was criticized by some reviewers for overplaying his father's accomplishments. Nonetheless, the work was well received both as a frank portrayal of Randolph's extremes and as a showcase for the son's literary talent. Reference: Cohen A17.4, Woods/ICS A8(b), Langworth p.74 Ref #: 007976 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: 1800 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2025-01-19T03:23:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD