Descripción
This is Volume I of the first two-volume edition of Winston Churchill s history of the First World War. This copy of the "deluxe binding" is noteworthy for the presence of the exceptionally scarce and visually striking wartime dust jacket. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Then, being Churchill, he wrote about it. The World Crisis was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931, the first four volumes spanning the war years 1911-1918 and the final two volumes covering the postwar years 1918-1928 (The Aftermath) and the Eastern theatre (The Eastern Front). This first two-volume set was published in 1939, the year the Second World War began. The two volumes contain not only the complete unabridged text of the original first four volumes, but also the revisions and new material from the 1931 abridgement.There were three bindings of this two-volume edition, of which this is the "deluxe" version, featuring red leatherette with an embossed medallion portrait of Churchill and a gilt facsimile signature on the front cover, as well as extensive blind and gilt rules on the spine, red-stained top edge, red and yellow headbands, and decorative yellow-tan marbled-style endpapers. Regarding the dust jackets, Langworth (p.122) and Cohen (Volume I, p.285, footnote 627) speculate that the first issues of this edition were not jacketed, since the image on the dust jacket appears to be the iconic Yousuf Karsh "Roaring Lion" portrait captured in late December 1941. Moreover, the price of 8s.6d. on the dust jacket is clearly a later price, since the books were originally issued at 7s.6d. Nonetheless, the jackets are quite scarce. In fact, we have seen fewer of these than original, first edition World Crisis dust jackets. Perhaps this owes to the fact that few sets were issued in the dust jackets, and the jackets are printed on very thin paper in an extremely fade-prone orange color. Condition of this jacketed Volume I is very good plus in a good dust jacket. The red cloth binding is strikingly bright and clean, owing to having been protected by its dust jacket. We note only minor softening of the corners and wrinkling at the spine ends. The contents are bright, tight, and clean. The sole evidence of previous ownership is a stray ink mark at the upper front free endpaper recto. Mild spotting appears confined to the top and bottom edges. The red topstain retains bright, unfaded hue with only minor soiling. The "VOL. I" dust jacket is printed black, white, and orange, with Karsh s image of Churchill featured identically on both the front and rear panels. This jacket is unclipped, retaining the original "8/6" price on the lower front flap. The jacket is edge worn, with various closed tears and wrinkling and loss to extremities and flap folds, as well as some fading of the orange volume number panel and title print on the spine. Nonetheless, it is a quite scarce survivor, one of only a small number we have encountered. The jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover.In October 1911, aged 36, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. In that role, even his detractors acknowledged that, due to Churchill s efforts, "The fleet was ready." (The World Crisis: 1915, p.391) Nonetheless, when Churchill advocated successfully for a naval campaign in the Dardanelles that ultimately proved disastrous, he was scapegoated and forced to resign in May 1915. Churchill ultimately went from the Cabinet to the Front, spending part of his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated and rejoined the Government, but the stigma of the Dardanelles lingered. Hence Churchill had more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.11.a, Woods/ICS A31(fa), Langworth p.121. N° de ref. del artículo 007627
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