Churchill, Winston Spencer, The Rt. Hon.

The World Crisis 1911-1914 [--1915, --1916-1918 Part I[--2], --The Aftermath, --The Eastern Front]

CHURCHILL’S MAGNUM OPUS 
A RARE UNIFORM SET OF FIRST PRINTINGS 

 

Five parts in six volumes. London: Butler & Taylor for Thornton Butterworth Limited; April 1923–October 1923–1927–1927–1929–1931. First British editions, first printings.

Octavo (8 5/8” x 5 7/8”, 220mm x 149mm).
Vol. I: binder’s blank, π⁴(–π1 blank) A-KK⁸ LL⁴, binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 271 leaves, pp. [6] (half-title, blank, title, imprint, dedication, blank) 1-536. With an errata slip at p. 1; 2 facsimiles: 1 chromolithographed, 1 half-tone; and 6 maps: 4 chromolithographed, of which 3 are folding; and 2 folding lithographed.
Vol. II: binder’s blank, A⁸(–A1 blank) B-LL⁸ MM⁸(–MM8 blank), binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 278 leaves, pp. 3-8 (half-title, works by author, title, imprint, dedication, verses) 9-557 [1] (blank). With an advert for Boots Book-Lovers’ Library tipped in at p. 17, a lithographed facsimile and 7 chromolithographed maps, of which 5 are folding.
Vol. III.1: binder’s blank, A⁸(–A1 blank) B-R⁸ S² (S1+S*⁸), binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 145 leaves, pp. 3-8 (half-title, works by author, title, imprint, dedication, blank) 9-291 [1] (table of German losses). With an advert for Boots Book-Lovers’ Library tipped in at p. 17, an erratum slip tipped in at p. 52, 2 folding letterpress tables, 6 chromolithographed facsimiles and 4 folding maps, of which 3 are lithographed and 1 chromolithographed; as well as many in-text illustrations.
Vol. IV (i.e., III.2): binder’s blank, A⁸(–A1 blank) B-S⁸ T² (T1+T*⁸), binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 153 leaves, pp. iii-vi (half-title, works by author, title, imprint) vii-ix [1] (blank) 293-589 [1] (blank). With an errata slip tipped in before the half-title (A2), 2 half-tone facsimiles, 4 folding charts of which 1 is lithographed and 3 chromolithographed and 3 folding maps of which 1 is lithographed and 2 chromolithographed; as well as many in-text illustrations.
Vol. V (i.e., IV): binder’s blank, A⁸(–A1 blank) B-FF⁸ GG⁶(–GG6 blank), binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 236 leaves, pp. 3-8 (half-title, works by author, title, imprint, dedication, blank) 9-474. With an errata slip tipped in at p. 9, with 4 folding maps of which 3 are chromolithographed and 1 lithographed; as well as four in-text illustrations.
Vol. VI (i.e., V): binder’s blank, A⁸(–A1 blank) B-Z⁸, binder’s blank [$1 signed]. 183 leaves, pp. 3-8 (half-title, works by author, title, imprint, dedication, blank) 9-368. With 6 half-tone portraits and 10 folding maps, of which 9 are lithographed and 1 chromolithographed; as well as many in-text illustrations.
With 55 hors-texte plates, charts or maps in toto.

Bound in modern half red morocco over red cloth (in emulation of the original de luxe binding). On the spine, five raised bands. Title gilt to black morocco in the second panel, subtitle gilt to the third, author gilt to black calf in the fourth, number gilt to the fifth (except for vol. I), date gilt to the tail.

Tanning and foxing to the preliminaries. Generally quite a clean set, with the odd spot of soiling or creasing or oxidation to the edges of the folding maps. Collated complete against Woods (including errata slips) save for the initial blank in each volume and the terminal blank in voll. II and V (i.e., IV: “The Aftermath”). Ownership signature of “WG Hobson/ Greenfield/ 17 Nov. 1932” to the recto of the portrait frontispiece of vol. VI, as well as a laid-in halftone of Rasputin (with Charles V verso) at p. 33 of the same volume.


Perhaps no figure in the modern era needs introduction less than Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965), who in 2002 was voted “Great Britain’s Greatest Briton.” Lionized for his leadership of the UK through World War II as Prime Minister, Churchill cut his teeth in the years directly preceding and during World War I in a dazzling array of ministries: President of the Board of Trade, Home Secretary and First Lord of the Admiralty. In the years covered by the present work, he additionally served as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War (and Air), Secretary of State for the Colonies and Chancellor of the Exchequer. No other person could have written about the Great War and its aftermath with as much autoptic authority and kaleidoscopic vantage.

The World Crisis, Churchill’s first multi-volume military work, was a tremendous financial success for the perpetually cash-strapped young officer-journalist; he has written that his advances for the book paid for Chartwell, his home with his wife Clementine and at times the center of Britain’s political universe. Churchill demurred from the label of “history,” but The World Crisis is considered by many to be his masterpiece. The whole work, except for the final volume, was serialized in The Times before being printed in book form; the American editions of the work came out a few days in advance of the British (for reasons of copyright), but the present run of first issues of the first (British) edition is nevertheless a rarity.

William Gilbert Hobson (1888–1962) was secretary of the Greenfield Co-operative Society in Lancashire. These societies were both bulk-purchasing consortiums for grocers as well as a sort of proto-union, providing compensation for members injured or ill, or pensions for their survivors.

Woods A31(a).

Item #JLR0827

Price: $7,000