THE WAR SPEECHES
-First Canadian Edition Set in Dust Jackets-
First American Edition Set
McClelland and Stewart [NY]
Biblio: (Cohen A142.3.a, A172.2.a, A183.2.a, A194.2.a, A214.2.a, A223.2.a, A227.2.a) (Woods A66- A114)
8vo
Hardcover in Dust Jackets [Red cloth]
Item Number: 212814
$2,500.00
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 complete set of the extremely rare First Canadian editions in their handsome dust jackets, which are all in virtually mint condition, unclipped, and exhibiting only nominal degrees of wear.
BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS has only a faint dot of red stain on the upper spine and a short closed tear on the upper edge of the rear face. The book would be mint but is lightly dampstained along the lower page edges. Else fine.
The UNRELENTING STRUGGLE and THE END OF THE BEGINNING both exhibit a hint of jacket edgewear, else fine.
ONWARDS TO VICTORY and THE DAWN OF LIBERATION both have inconsequential rubs to the dust jacket faces, else fine.
VICTORY jacket flaps have very faint tape shadows, front and rear, else fine. SECRET SESSION SPEECHES is utterly mint.
A singularly beautiful set.