Winston Churchill

Finely bound set of first editions of Churchill's biography of his ancestor the 1st Duke of Marlborough.

• Sold as a set of 4.
• Winston Churchill (English).
• London: George G. Harrap, 1933-1938.
• Illustrated with four portrait frontispieces, numerous plates, facsimiles, maps and plans.
• Bound in fine full dark blue morocco, ribbed gilt decorated spine, covers ruled in gilt, gilt signature of Churchill to front cover, gilt dentelles, marbled pastedowns and endpapers, all edges gilt, by Sangorski & Sutcliffe/Zaehnsdorf.

Churchill's ancestor the 1st Duke of Marlborough led allied forces to victory against Louis XIV. Churchill worked on this biography for almost a decade, and was given exclusive access to the Blenheim archives to research the book. On publication, this work "took its place at once among the classics of historical writing. As the story of his ancestor's leadership of a grand alliance to prevent the domination of the continent by a single power, it was also a source of inspiration to Churchill in his campaign against appeasement." (ODNB)