THE STORY OF THE MALAKAND FIELD FORCE
-First Edition of Churchill’s First Book-
1898
First English Edition [1 of 2,000 copies]
Longmans, Green, & Co. Ltd. [London ]
Biblio: (Cohen A1.1.a) (Woods A1a)
8vo (352 pages, 6 maps, illustrations, tissue-guarded frontis portrait. With 32-page rear catalogue dated 12/97)
Hardcover [Apple-green cloth]
Item Number: 206123
$2,500.00
Collector's Guide
The Story of the Malakand Field Force was Winston Churchill’s first book, a chronicle of true-life military adventures drawn from newspaper dispatches filed by the then-22-year-old correspondent while serving on India’s Afghanistan-bordering Northwest Frontier under Major-General Sir Bindon Blood. Wrenching to read how little has changed in this region since Churchill’s time. The First Edition is easily distinguished by its apple-green cloth binding but Malakand is prized by collectors in almost any edition.
Description
This could have been an exceptionally good copy of the First State of the First English edition, with the rear publisher’s catalogue dated 12/97 and the Eratta slip present.
The cloth is still bright but the original owner elected to write his name: “E.D. Miller” in fountain pen across the front cover. He also prominently scrawled his name, again, with his address in ink on the verso of the frontis photo, which retains its tissue guard.
There is a faint dent to the edge of the front cover. The binding is strong, though the front hinge has some separation and there is chipping to the black endpapers. The contents are otherwise fine, save for very faint scattered foxing.
Attractive but flawed, and priced accordingly.