Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$257.65 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Thin paper cover ragged and stained. Staples rusted. Pages slightly tanned. One of two brown spots on the very top edge with a small nick top edge of pages 5 to 8.
Seller: Scarthin Books ABA, ILAB., Cromford, United Kingdom
Price: US$257.65 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: FIRST EDITION. Printed stapled wraps. 16pp. Some rusting to the staples and minor creasing to the page corners and edges. Browning and spotting to the wraps mean that overall this is just a good example of this fragile pamphlet. -------- Printing and the mind of Man. No.424. -- The Lion`s Voice."If the Gettysburg address is one of the most moving statements of democracy confronted by tragedy, Churchill`s historic exhortations are its equal in their ringing assertation of democracy confronting the seemingly irresistible forces of tyranny". First edition of Churchill`s famous rousing speech, commenting on the first months of the war and giving thanks to British airmen. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few".
Seller: Paul Foster. - ABA & PBFA Member., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$296.30 + shipping
Description: 16 page pamphlet of one of Churchill's famous speeches of WWII. Staple-bound, card covers. 24.5 x 15 cm. Foxing to covers and front and rear inside pages, staples rusted, smalled closed tears to top and tail of covers at the folds, pages and text clear, good condition.
Seller: Keoghs Books, Skipton, United Kingdom
Price: US$380.04 + shipping
Description: [Second World War] FIRST PRINTING. Slim pamphlet (25 x 16cm) pp.16. Grey card covers titled in dark red, bound with two staples. A touch of light spotting internally, with a black ink spot to lower fore-edge and back cover. Covers show moderate toning and spotting, with quite heavy oxidation to staples. Splits to spine fold; quite delicate. Very good. A Statement of War Aims; this is the historic address given by Churchill to the Commons, which summarises the second war against German aggression thus far, and touches on the relationship with, and the future role of, the United States in the war effort. The rousing speech is notable for the inclusion of praise for 'The Few', the outnumbered RAF Fighter Command personnel who repelled the might of the Luftwaffe during 'The Battle of Britain', being the first major air campaign to be fought entirely by air forces; "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"
Seller: Adrian Harrington Ltd, PBFA, ABA, ILAB, Royal Tunbridge Wells, KENT, United Kingdom
Price: US$644.13 + shipping
Description: First edition, sole impression, of one of Churchill's best-known speeches, containing the phrase, "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few". Churchill delivered his oration "in the midst of the Battle of Britain and, unknown to the Prime Minister, just before its most intense period was to begin. While it was a general appraisal of the state of war, it is best known for Churchill's famous encomium to the RAF, then stubbornly resisting the German onslaught in the south of England" (Cohen). "If the Gettysburg Address is one of the most moving statements of democracy confronted by tragedy, Churchill's historic exhortations are its equal in their ringing assertion of democracy confronting the seemingly irresistible forces of tyranny. At the time when Great Britain stood alone against the weight of Nazi and Fascist aggression, her allies either prostrate or yet to join her, the gap between destruction and survival seemed a very narrow one. In it stood nothing much but the resolution of the islanders and the indomitable figure of their Prime Minister. He himself maintained that it was the people of Britain who had the lion's heart; that he was merely privileged to make it roar" (PMM). Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes. Cohen A131.1; Printing and the Mind of Man 424; Woods A60(a). Octavo, pp. 16. Original grey wrappers, wire-stitched as issued, front cover lettered in dark red. Housed in a custom red half morocco solander box. Spine repaired with archival tape, wrappers spotted, chip to head of rear wrapper, contents a little toned with running crease at upper outer corner: a good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1024.17 + shipping
Description: [Second World War] FIRST PRINTING. Slim pamphlet (25 x 16cm), pp.16. Grey card covers titled in dark red. Contents clean, covers a little spotted, discreet archival strip to inside joint. A near fine example of this monumental speech. A Statement of War Aims; this is the historic address given by Churchill to the Commons, which summarises the second war against German aggression thus far, and touches on the relationship with, and the future role of, the United States in the war effort. The rousing speech is notable for the inclusion of praise for 'The Few', the outnumbered RAF Fighter Command personnel who repelled the might of the Luftwaffe during 'The Battle of Britain', being the first major air campaign to be fought entirely by air forces; "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" Cohen A224.
Seller: Adrian Harrington Ltd, PBFA, ABA, ILAB, Royal Tunbridge Wells, KENT, United Kingdom
Price: US$1250.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first edition, only printing of one of Churchill's most famous speeches. Churchill's speech to Parliament of August 20th, 1940 was occasioned in part by the Battle of Britain and famously honored the RAF pilots who almost single-handedly prevented Nazi invasion of England. Printed deep red on light gray paper wraps and wire stitched, this speech pamphlet measures 9.75 inches x 6 inches (24.8 x 15.2 cm) and is 16 pages in length. Given the fragility of the edition, most copies understandably suffer from significant wear, soiling, tanning, and spotting. This is an unusually well-preserved copy in very good plus condition. The gray paper wraps are complete, without evident toning, with no vertical or horizontal creasing, and firmly attached, both original binding staples still intact and showing only the slightest hint of corrosion. The wraps show only quite mild soiling and spotting and the slightest wear to extremities. The contents are exceptional - crisp, bright, and clean with no spotting, no soiling, and no previous ownership marks. The pamphlet is protected within a clear, removable, archival sleeve.In his speech, Churchill encapsulated and immortalized the struggle when he uttered the words: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The famous words came to Churchill not as he was writing the speech, but rather spontaneously four days earlier. On 16 August Churchill was visiting the Operations Room of No. 11 Group, Fighter Command "the nerve centre from which he could follow the course of the whole air battle" - when both Chatham and Kenley were hit by a German air attack. Churchills indispensable military advisor, Ismay, was with Churchill and recalled " at one moment every single squadron in the Group was engaged; there was nothing in reserve, and the map table showed new waves of attackers crossing the coast As the evening closed in, the fighting died down, and we left by car for Chequers. Churchills first words were: Dont speak to me; I have never been so moved. After about five minutes he leaned forward and said, Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few. The words burned into my brain and I repeated them to my wife when I got home." (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.736 & Ismay, The Memoirs of General Lord Ismay, pp.181-2) "During the weekend at Chequers, and throughout Monday August 19, Churchill worked on his coming Parliamentary speech." He did not finish preparing his speech until the morning of August 20. (Gilbert, Vol. VI, p.740) That afternoon, the rest of the world heard the words an emotionally overwhelmed Churchill had uttered privately to Ismay four days earlier. Though Churchill spoke for nearly fifty minutes, giving a survey of the dark, wide field, his phrase in honor of the heroism of British fighter pilots led this speech to become known as "The Few". Of Churchill, Edward R. Murrow said: "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." This speech, from the early and fraught months of Churchills wartime premiership, typifies the soaring and defiant oratory that sustained his countrymen and inspired the free world. It also demonstrates why, when Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, it was partly " for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values." The famous bibliographic reference Printing and the Mind of Man, which surveys the impact of the printed word on Western Civilization, singles out this edition of this speech. Reference: Cohen A131.1, Woods A60(a), Printing and the Mind of Man (PMM) 424.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1281.82 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: An excellent first edition (the only printing) of one of Churchill's greatest orations, delivered in the House of Commons on 20th August 1940, in which he coined the immortal phrase: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The significance of the speech was such that it was rushed into print before the end of the month as a 16pp pamphlet, printed by The Baynard Press under the auspices of H.M.S.O. Octavo, original creamy grey wrappers, lettered in crimson, double wire stitched; scarce. A very nearly Fine copy with none of the excessive wear, soiling and foxing that afflicts most surviving examples. Unusually clean wrappers, with just a hint of fading towards the extremities of the upper panel and the merest trace of faint sporadic spotting to the lower panel; soft crease to the bottom corner of the upper panel and a little gentle furling to the tips of the corners; tightly bound with no splitting, tears or chips. Internally, similarly bright and clean with minimal signs of handling; free from foxing, marks, and previous owner names or writing. The original binding staples are intact and secure, but rusty, as is common. An exceptional copy. All orders are sent very carefully wrapped in bubble wrap and sturdy cardboard.
Seller: Bradhurst Fine Editions, Framlingham, United Kingdom
Price: US$1288.26 + shipping
Description: First edition, sole impression, of one of Churchill's best-known speeches, containing the phrase, "Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few". Churchill delivered his oration "in the midst of the Battle of Britain and, unknown to the Prime Minister, just before its most intense period was to begin. While it was a general appraisal of the state of war, it is best known for Churchill's famous encomium to the RAF, then stubbornly resisting the German onslaught in the south of England" (Cohen). "If the Gettysburg Address is one of the most moving statements of democracy confronted by tragedy, Churchill's historic exhortations are its equal in their ringing assertion of democracy confronting the seemingly irresistible forces of tyranny. At the time when Great Britain stood alone against the weight of Nazi and Fascist aggression, her allies either prostrate or yet to join her, the gap between destruction and survival seemed a very narrow one. In it stood nothing much but the resolution of the islanders and the indomitable figure of their Prime Minister. He himself maintained that it was the people of Britain who had the lion's heart; that he was merely privileged to make it roar" (PMM). Cohen A131.1; Printing and the Mind of Man 424; Woods A60(a). Octavo, pp. 16. Original grey wrappers, wire-stitched as issued, front cover lettered in dark red. Light spotting to wrappers. A near-fine copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom