Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Winston S. Churchill. Marlborough His Life and Times. George Harrop and Co. Ltd., 1933.
Price: US$720.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 4 volumes, mixed state, newspaper article from 1940 pasted in on dedication page of Vol. 1., Vol 2 and 3 undated. All show some signs of wear, spines faded a bit. published 1933 to 1938, vols 2 and 3 Ryerson Press, likely 1st Canadian editions. Language: eng Language: eng 0.0 Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng Language: eng
Seller: Ian Thompson, Milton, ON, Canada
Price: US$950.00 + shipping
Description: This is a full, jacketed set of the unusual and scarce Canadian issue of the first edition. Marlborough is Winston Churchills monumental biography of his great ancestor, John Churchill, the first Duke of Marlborough. This Canadian issue, like its British counterpart, is four volumes published individually between 1933 and 1938. Also like their British first edition counterparts, these Canadian issues are physically impressive. The books measure 9.25 x 6.25 inches (23.5 x 15.9 cm) and are roughly 2 inches (5.1 cm) thick, each volume with a profusion of illustrations, facsimiles, maps, and plans. However, the Canadian first editions are far more scarce than their British counterparts with subtle differences in appearance and presentation. The Canadian editions of the first three volumes were issued by Ryerson Press instead of Harrap, bound in a dark purple cloth instead of the plum of the British edition, featuring dark purple top edge stain instead of the gilt of the British editions, without the British editions beveled-edge boards, and omitting the Churchill arms from the front covers. The dust jackets appear nearly identical, differing only in "Ryerson Press" in lieu of "Harrap" printed on the lower spine and omission of front flap pricing. The third volume is also the last issued by Ryerson; the fourth and final "Canadian" volume was issued instead by Harrap, since by 1938 arrangements between Harrap and Ryerson had ended. Hence the Canadian Volume IV issue was a strange hybrid, with the dark purple binding of the preceding three Canadian issues with the non-beveled edge boards, but with the Churchill Arms in gilt on the front cover, gilt top edges instead of dark purple topstain, and "Harrap" instead of "Ryerson" on the lower jacket spine, lower binding spine, and title page.We seldom are able to offer full Canadian sets of Marlborough, particularly in dust jackets. This full, jacketed set features volumes varying from good plus to very good plus in dust jackets ranging from poor to very good minus. All four volumes feature square and tight bindings with sharp corners. Beyond minor shelf wear to extremities, flaws include the following. Volume I: some toning, scuffing, and staining. Volume II: mild sunning to the spine head consonant with small dust jacket losses. Volume III: mild moisture exposure to the bottom edges. Volume IV: a hint of blistering to the upper front cover fore edge. The contents of all four volumes are crisp and clean. We find no spotting and no previous owner names. Mild age-toning is visible at the otherwise clean fore and bottom edges. A Montreal bookseller sticker is affixed to the lower left Volume IV front free endpaper recto. The dust jackets are noteworthy just for being present, but certainly a mixed bag in terms of condition. The Volume I jacket is soiled and worn with sizable losses to the spine ends, as well as a shallow strip loss to the upper front face, small chips to the upper rear face, and a price-clipped lower front flap. The unclipped Volume II jacket has loss at the spine head, a toned spine, a scratch to the rear face, and minor wear to extremities. The Volume III jacket is nearly complete, with only fractional loss at the spine head, but with a toned spine and moisture staining to the spine heel and lower rear flap fold corner. The Volume IV jacket is bright and unclipped with minimal spine toning, though with a stain to the spine and loss and abrasion to the spine heel. All four jackets are protected beneath clear, removable, archival covers.Marlborough took 10 years of research and writing and is the most substantial published work of Churchill's "wilderness years" in the 1930s. When Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, it was partly for "mastery of historical and biographical description" on the strength of Marlborough, which was specifically cited and quoted by the Swedish Academy.Reference: Cohen A97.3, Woods/ICS A40(ac), Langworth p.169.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
CHURCHILL, Winston S.. Marlborough. His Life and Times.. Toronto: The Ryerson Press, 1933-38, 1933.
Price: US$1283.27 + shipping
Description: First editions, Canadian issues, of Churchill's biography of the first Duke of Marlborough, his ancestor and inspiration; from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. During the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1715), Marlborough led allied forces to victory against Louis XIV. His signal successes at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet distinguish him as one of the great captains of history. Churchill worked on his biography for almost a decade and was given exclusive access to the Blenheim archives to research the book. On publication, the 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). The Canadian issues used the sheets of the first editions (published in the UK by Harrap), with Ryerson's imprint on the title pages, bindings, and jackets of vols. I-III. The Canadian issue of vol. IV still has Harrap's imprint on the title and binding, but the binding is a darker purple, does not have bevelled boards or Marlborough's gilt crest to the front cover, and has variant spine lettering compared to the UK edition. At the time of publication of Cohen's bibliography he reported "none examined" for the jacket of vol. IV, but subsequently Cohen acquired this and another set showing the jacket is identical to the UK issue. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpapers. Cohen's Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill, published in three volumes in 2006, is the authoritative source for collectors, librarians, and dealers. Cohen A97.3. 4 volumes, large octavo. Original purple cloth, spines lettered in gilt, top edges gilt. With dust jackets. Portrait frontispiece to each volume, 99 plates, 14 facsimiles of letters, and 182 maps and plans, several folding. Slight wear at jacket extremities, front panel of vol. I with black mark, spine panels sunned and a little soiled, jackets without price (save vol. IV with price in shillings) as issued. A fine set in very good jackets.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom