THE WAR SPEECHES
-First English Edition Set
1941-1946
First English Edition Set
Cassell and Co. [London]
Biblio: (Cohen A142-A227) (Woods A66- A114)
8vo
Hardcover (with Dust Jackets) [Blue cloth]
Item Number: 211064
$2,750.00
Collector's Guide
The War Speeches of Winston Churchill were first preserved in seven individual speech compilation volumes, collected and published yearly in the U.K. and in the U.S., beginning in 1941, under the following titles: Into Battle (1938-1940 speeches; published in the U.S. as Blood, Sweat and Tears), The Unrelenting Struggle (1940-1941), The End of the Beginning (1942), Onwards to Victory (1943), The Dawn of Liberation (1944), Victory (1945), and Secret Session Speeches (Various Dates). Unlike the English editions, which were all published by one publisher (Cassell), the American series was initiated by G.P. Putnam with Blood, Sweat and Tears, then carried on by Little, Brown, up till the final volume, Secret Session Speeches, which was published by Simon and Schuster.
Description
This is a very good First English edition set, in correct, unclipped dust jackets with very moderate wear and excellent shelf appearance.
INTO BATTLE is the rare First State of the First Printing, per Cohen, with the printed numerals missing on Page 78. The dust jacket has fractional loss at the spine head and some scattered edge-chipping but is essentially fine. The book is virtually mint, save for a lovely bookplate from The Book Society on the front pastedown.
THE UNRELENTING STRUGGLE is the First State of the First Printing, per Cohen, with the misprinted numerals on Page 281. The dust jacket has closed tears on the lower edges of the front face and very minor chipping to the spine tail. The contents are otherwise fine, with foxing to the prelims and fore-edges.
ONWARDS TO VICTORY has a former-owner name inked discreetly on the front free endpaper, else fine.
THE DAWN OF LIBERATION has very light, scattered fore-edge foxing, else fine.
VICTORY is the First State of the First English Edition with the misprinted page numeral on on Page 177 missing the 1, as per Cohen.
SECRET SESSION SPEECHES dust jacket is lightly edge-chipped at the spine head, else fine.
Increasingly rare thus.