Winston S. Churchill - While England Slept, Putnam, 1938, U.S. 1st, finely bound

Description: While England Slept Winston S. Churchill New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1938 First U.S. edition, first printing Condition: Very Good plus This is the precursor to Churchill's great war speeches, the U.S. first edition, first printing, finely bound in half red Morocco goatskin. The spine features twin blue-gray title and author labels bracketing a compartment with a gilt lion rampant. Raised spine bands are bracketed by double gilt rules, with a gilt device in the top and bottom two compartments. The boards feature marbled paper-covered boards and red Morocco corners. The contents are bound with subtly patterned ivory endpapers and gray and white silk head and tail bands. Condition is very good plus. The binding is clean, bright, and square with excellent shelf presentation and sharp corners. We note only minor shelf wear to the edges of the marbled paper-covered boards. The contents are clean with no spotting or previous ownership marks. We note only some age-toning, most visible to the otherwise clean, untrimmed fore edges, and faded red topstain. While England Slept contains text from 41 Churchill speeches criticizing British foreign policy, spanning 25 October 1928 to 24 March 1938. This U.S. first edition was published on the final day of September 1938, eleven months before the outbreak of the Second World War. The British edition was given the politically palatable title Arms and the Covenant – referencing the failed Covenant of the post-WWI League of Nations. The U.S. title – While England Slept - is more candid. This collection has been called "…the permanent record of one man’s unceasing struggle in the face of resentment, apathy, and complacency”. The speeches were compiled by Churchill's son, Randolph, who contributed a preface and is credited with compilation. Randolph would do the same for his father's first volume of war speeches, Into Battle, published in an almost unrecognizable world less than three years later. The world remembers the resolute war leader to whom the British entrusted their fate, but it is easy to forget the years leading up to the war, which Churchill spent persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded. Churchill bibliographer Frederick Woods called this edition "probably the most crucial volume of speeches that he ever published". As testimony to the book's importance, a copy of While England Slept lay on "President Roosevelt's bedside table, with key passages, including an analysis of the president's peace initiative, underscored." (William Manchester, The Last Lion, Volume II, p.305) Reference: Cohen A107.2.a, Woods/ICS A44(b.1). Langworth p.193. Ref #: 007956 CHURCHILL BOOK COLLECTOR We are Churchill Book Collector, a professional bookseller specializing in books and other published works by and about the great twentieth century statesman and acclaimed writer, Sir Winston Churchill. We offer both a singular inventory and approachable expertise. The integrity of our inventory is backed by our membership in the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Churchill's official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, rightly called Churchill's long life "remarkable and versatile". Statesman, soldier, war correspondent, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, painter - Churchill was many things, but perhaps above all a master wordsmith. We’re here to help Churchill’s words find your shelves. Our extensive inventory features some of the rarest material offered – including fine first editions and inscribed copies – as well as reading copies and works about Churchill’s life and time. While we specialize in Churchill, our inventory also includes noteworthy first and collectible editions by other authors, ranging from Xenophon to T. E. Lawrence, spanning exploration and empire to twentieth century fiction. We are able to help with anything from finding individual books to assembling full collections, working closely with individual collectors to identify and accommodate their preferences and budget. We are also able to commission preservation cases and fine bindings. Please contact us if you have books to sell. We buy, and in some cases consign, fine and collectible individual items, as well as whole collections.

Price: 1025 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-11-03T21:50:18.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD