Winston Churchill | The Second World War, London, 1948-53, six vols, signed by the author, with letters of provenance

Sir Winston S. Churchill

The Second World War. London: Cassel and Co. Ltd, 1948-1953.

ALL VOLUMES SIGNED BY CHURCHILL (volumes 1 and 6 signed "Winston S. Churchill" on half-titles, with signature in volume 6 dated 1954; volumes 2 and 4 signed "WSC" on front free endpapers; volumes 3 and 5 signed "WSC" on half-titles), second (British) edition, first printing, 6 volumes, 8vo (211 x 139mm.), half-titles to each volume, maps, diagrams and tables throughout, volume 1 complete with "author's note" dated July 15 1948 on a slip tipped to ix plus errata slip and "errata and corrigenda" leaf tipped into p. 610, original black cloth, spines lettered in gilt, top edges red, endpapers patterned in white and grey with "WSJ" monogram motif, housed in custom-made oak cabinet with metal plaque presenting volumes to "perpetual custody of the Chatham Book Society in 1953 by the gift of the Chairman, Laurence Parsons", volumes 2 and 3 very slightly bumped at extremities

[with]

manuscript letter from the Chatham Book Society addressed "To the Rt Hon. Sir Winston S. Churchill, K.G., O.M., C.H., M.P. | 10, Downing Street | Whitehall | London, S.W.1.", dated 298 October 1953, inviting him "to accept humble and hearty congratulations on the well-merited award...of the Nobel Prize for Literature", informing him of the Chatham Book Society's intention to mark the institution's 70^th anniversary by placing "in perpetual custody...the six volumes of your work The Second World War", and asking if he will "consider granting the Society the honour of [his] signature to the volumes so preserved", 1p., 4to, previously folded, slight spotting

[and]

typed letter signed by Elizabeth Gilliatt, Personal Private Secretary of Winston Churchill, to "The Chairman | Chatham Book Society", dated 5 November 1953, on headed paper addressed from 10 Downing Street, Whitehall, asking that "If you will send him the set of books, Sir Winston will be glad to sign the first one for you, and he will initial the others", 1p., 4to, previously folded, light spotting

[and]

typed letter signed by final Chairman of Chatham Book Society, dated October 2022, authorising the sale of these volumes at auction, 1p., A4

Complete set of the second (English) edition, SIGNED BY CHURCHILL and housed in a handsome custom-made oak cabinet. This set of volumes was bequeathed as a gift to Chatham Book Society by Chairman Laurence Parsons, to mark the occasion of the society's 70th anniversary, with a metal plaque on custom-made oak cabinet and accompanying letters attesting to this provenance.

Much to Churchill's chagrin, publisher Desmond Flower took the liberty of opting for a smaller typeface than Churchill had originally approved for volume one of this second (English) edition. A 10-point Bembo type was chosen rather than a 12-point due to paper rationing—which had actually ended a few days before Churchill's meeting choosing the larger typeface—and in order to meet considerable subscription demands. Flower thus managed to print 15,000 additional copies. Churchill quipped that "many of his friends...had written to say that they would be happy to read it as soon as they could find a magnifying glass" (Cohen, 761). In later volumes and in later editions of volume one, the size was amended and the type reset.

LITERATURE

Cohen A240.4 (I.b (Baylis printing, with signatures in numbers rather than letters), II.a, III.a, IV.a, V.a, VI.a); Woods A123ba

PROVENANCE

Presented to the Chatham Book Society in 1953 by Chairman Laurence Parsons