Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Churchill, Winston. The River War. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1933.
Price: US$38.50 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Owner's name. A few scratches on the spine.
Seller: Beach Hut Books, Lingfield, United Kingdom
Price: US$51.33 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Second Cheap Edition. Hardback. No Dust Jacket. 8vo. pp xvi, 382. 22 maps & plans, 11 of which are fold - out. History. Original mauve boards lettere black on spine. Very good i (slight rubbing at spine).
Seller: Burwood Books, Wickham Market, United Kingdom
Price: US$76.93 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First cheap edition hardback, 1933, with no jacket. In overall good used condition with minor signs of age, handling and storage - purple cloth boards rubbed and slightly faded. Binding tight and appears little read. Internally clean, no annotation or inscriptions; toning to page-ends but text, plans and maps bright and clear throughout. Photographs available. Not an old library book.
Seller: Hall of Books, Shropshire, United Kingdom
Price: US$77.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: 2nd cheap edition. Originally published 1899. DESCRIPTION: Purple cloth with black titles to spine Language: English. Book Condition: Fair: Wear to lightly turned corners, edges and spine. Rubbed cloth. Cracked front endpaper but front hinges remains strong. Lightly toned unmarked pages. DJ Condition: No DJ. Pages xi, 381. Size: 8vo 22cm by 14cm.
Seller: Jacket and Cloth, Chippenham, United Kingdom
Price: US$120.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: Third edition. The boards are quite rubbed, worn and marked, with the cloth faded and frayed along the edges. Despite this, the boards remain intact. Internally, the front hinge is cracked and there is a stamp marking on the half title page. There is light tanning throughout but there are no other markings or inscriptions and the pages within are neat and complete. The binding is secure. JK. Our orders are shipped using tracked courier delivery services.
Seller: Chapter 1, Johannesburg, GAU, South Africa
Price: US$128.33 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First Cheap Edition. 3rd EYRE SPOTTISWOODE, London. 1933A good, clean and sound copy in dull brown cloth boards with black title to upper spine, cloth boards are rubbed and worn, cloth at upperedge of spine is frayed with three small tears less than 1cm. Internally unmarked, pages all very lightly tanned throughout. Illustrated with maps and plans as listed, some are coloured and several are folding. No dust jacket.
Seller: Richard Booth's Bookshop, Hereford, United Kingdom
CHURCHILL, Winston.. The River War. An Account of the Soudan. THIRD EDITION.. , 1933.
Price: US$192.49 + shipping
Description: Eyre & Spottiswoode. London. 1933. First cheap edition [or third edition]. No DW. Original mauve boards, faded and rubbed. Illustrated with maps and plans. Bookplate, endpapers browned, edges foxed. Generally a clean and sound copy.
Seller: Addyman Books, Hay-on-Wye, United Kingdom
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Description: In protective mylar Good with rubbed and lightly bumped edges. Pages are slightly yellowed. Faintly soiled extremities
Seller: Weller Book Works, A.B.A.A., Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.
Price: US$375.00 + shipping
Description: This is the U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book in the striking original dust jacket. Originally published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers.This copy, though sound, shows age, wear, and aesthetic flaws, its chief virtue being survival of its scarce and compelling dust jacket. Condition of the volume is good, the jacket only fair. The cloth binding is square and tight, though dulled overall and with shelf wear to extremities, including minor fraying and short closed tears to the spine ends. The contents are respectably clean, with only a few incidental instances of spotting within, but nonetheless significantly age-toned. Differential toning to the endpapers corresponding to the dust jacket flaps testifies that this copy has spent life jacketed. There is a "Merry Christmas" gift inscription dated "1940" inked on the front free endpaper recto and the illustrated bookplate of "Sterling E. Lanier" affixed to the front pastedown. Sterling Edmund Lanier (1927-2007) was an American editor, science fiction author, and sculptor perhaps best known for championing publication of Frank Herberts acclaimed novel Dune.The dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the original $2.75 front flap price. Loss is confined to uneven, shallow strips at the spine ends and fractional loss at the flap fold extremities. Nonetheless, overall appearance of the jacket is grubby, the spine considerably toned and mottled, the faces and flaps soiled with general light wear to extremities. The jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover. The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future great man of the 20th century from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$550.00 + shipping
Description: This is the U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book in the striking original dust jacket. Originally published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers.This copy is very good in a very good minus dust jacket. The cloth binding is tight and clean and has obviously spent life jacketed, despite shelf wear to the bottom edges, light wear to extremities, and a hint of spine toning. The contents retain a crisp feel despite some age-toning. The book feels unread. We find no spotting or previous ownership marks. Even the page edges are clean. Mild differential toning to the endpapers corresponds to the dust jacket flaps, confirming that this copy has spent life jacketed. All maps and plans are present. The dust jacket is complete, apart from fractional loss to the spine ends and corners and a neatly price-clipped upper front flap. The red rule spine border is toned, the jacket shows moderate overall soiling, and there is a tiny, stray ink mark in a blank margin of the lower left front face. The dust jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover. The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. Here is a chief figure of the Second World War on horseback on a colonial battlefield, participating in what has been called by some the last "genuine" cavalry charge of the British Army. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future great man of the 20th century from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$609.55 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: FIRST CHEAP EDITION HARDBACK IN THE ORIGINAL CLOTH BINDING WITH THE ORIGINAL DUST JACKET & ORIGINAL PUBLISHERS PRICE OF 7s.6d. TO SPINE, SEVERAL MAPS & PLANS WITH SOME FOLDING, HALF TITLE PRESENT. BOOK MEASURES APPROX 9 X 6 INCHES. SOME LOSS, CREASES & RUBBING TO DUST JACKET, LIGHT WEAR TO CLOTH AT TOP & BOTTOM OF SPINE, CORNERS BUMPED, ENDPAPERS LIGHTLY BROWNED, VERY ODD SPOT OF LIGHT FOXING. OVERALL A VERY GOOD COPY IN A GOOD DUST JACKET WITH BOARDS FIRMLY ATTACHED & MAJORITY OF PAGES CLEAN. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE JACKET HAS A CLEAR REMOVABLE COVERING THAT MAY SHOW SOME REFLECTIONS IN IMAGES. EXTRA POSTAGE COSTS MAY APPLY TO OVERSEAS ORDERS. ALL BOOKS POSTED IN STUDY BOOK BOX.
Seller: Elder Books, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, United Kingdom
Winston S. Churchill. The River War. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1933.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first printing of the bibliographically significant 1933 edition of Churchill's second book in the scarce dust jacket. Originally published in 1899, The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and reflections concerning British involvement in the Sudan, including Churchills participation in "the last great British cavalry charge". In 1933, a so-called "Second Cheap Edition" was made from plates of the 1902 edition with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." There were ultimately five printings of this edition with at least seven different dust jackets issued (at least two for the 1933 second printing and two for the final, 1951 printing).The distinctive illustrated dust jacket of the first printing (published in January 1933) was unique to the first printing. This copy approaches very good in a fair dust jacket. The purple cloth binding proved quite prone to fading, scuffing, and soiling. This binding is square and tight with sharp corners and strong purple hue, as would be expected of a jacketed copy, but with shelf wear to hinges and extremities and modest scuffing to the spine. The contents remain bright with a crisp, unread feel. All maps and plans are present and pristine. Very light spotting and toning is confined to the fore and top edges, the latter also showing mild dust soiling. The sole previous ownership mark is an inked name and date of "6.ii.33." on the front free endpaper recto. The dust jacket remains bright and substantially complete, but shows considerable wear and flaws, with shallow chipping and short closed tears to extremities, tape reinforcement to longer closed tears at the lower spine, lower rear hinge, upper front hinge, and the bottom edge of the front face. The spine shows a partial vertical crease and some spotting. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.When this printing was published, the author once an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the reign of Queen Victoria was beginning his 1930s "wilderness years" which he was to spend out of power and out of favor, frequently at odds with both his own political party and prevailing public sentiment. Churchill spent much of the remainder of the decade vigorously advocating rearmament and collective security - a task in which he was persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded. The end of the decade brought dark and unwelcome vindication; with the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 Churchill returned to the Cabinet and to war. By May 1940 he was Britains prime minister.Churchills wartime leadership was certainly informed by the battlefield experiences and observations of his youth. In 1883, Mahdist forces of messianic leader Mohammed Ahmed overwhelmed British-led forces, precipitating British withdrawal from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan in 1898. With him was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in "the last great British cavalry charge" during the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. Writing about the British campaign in the Sudan in The River War, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - is unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to fight and write and earned his early fame. Reference: Cohen A2.4.a, Woods/ICS A2(da.1), Langworth p.33
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Description: This is the elusive U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book, increasingly scarce thus in the striking dust jacket. Originally published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers.This copy is very good in a good dust jacket. The lilac cloth binding is clean and tight with unfaded color and sharp corners, but nonetheless shows shelf wear to the extremities, including some fraying of the cloth at the spine heel. The contents are clean; we find neither previous ownership marks nor spotting. All of the extensive maps and plans are present, and all folding maps remain properly folded. The contents are modestly age-toned, including differential toning to the endpapers that aligns with the dust jacket flaps, affirming that this copy has spent life jacketed. The dust jacket has a neatly price-clipped upper front flap, shallow loss at the spine ends, and minor loss to the corners, but is otherwise complete. The jacket shows overall soiling, toning, and wear, most conspicuous at the hinges and flap folds. Nonetheless, this is a respectable example of a scarce and striking jacket unique to the single printing of this U.S. first edition. The jacket is newly fitted with a clear, removable, archival cover. The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. Here is a chief figure of the Second World War on horseback on a colonial battlefield, participating in what has been called by some the last "genuine" cavalry charge of the British Army. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$675.00 + shipping
Description: contemporary full cloth over board, title on spine.Dust jacket worn., The River War An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan (1899), by Winston Churchill, concerning his experiences as a British Army officer, during the Mahdist War (1881?99) in the Sudan. The River War is a history of the British imperial involvement in the Sudan, and the Mahdi War between the British forces, led by Lord Kitchener, and the Dervish forces, led by Khalifa Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, "The Mahdi?, heir to the self-proclaimed Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad who had embarked on a campaign to conquer Egypt, to drive out the Ottomans.The River War was Churchill's second published book after The Story of the Malakand Field Force, and originally filled two volumes with over 1000 pages in 1899. The River War was subsequently abridged to one volume in 1902.Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, DL, FRS, RA (1874 ? 1965) was a British politician, army officer, and writer. He was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, when he led Britain to victory in the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Churchill represented five constituencies during his career as a Member of Parliament (MP). Ideologically an economic liberal and imperialist, for most of his career he was a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955, but from 1904 to 1924 was instead a member of the Liberal Party. Widely considered one of the 20th century's most significant figures, Churchill remains popular in the UK and Western world, where he is seen as a victorious wartime leader who played an important role in defending liberal democracy from the spread of fascism. Also praised as a social reformer and writer, among his many awards was the Nobel Prize in Literature. Conversely, his imperialist views and comments on race, as well as his sanctioning of human rights abuses in the suppression of anti-imperialist movements seeking independence from the British Empire, have generated considerable controversy., Size : 8vo,
Seller: Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books, Toronto, ON, Canada
Winston S. Churchill. The River War. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1933.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first printing of the bibliographically significant 1933 edition of Churchill's second book in the scarce original dust jacket. Originally published in 1899, The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and reflections concerning British involvement in the Sudan. In 1883, Mahdist forces of messianic leader Mohammed Ahmed overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks and Britain ordered withdrawal from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan in 1898. With him was a very young Winston Churchill, who would participate in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated.Writing about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - is unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future great man of the 20th century from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance.In 1933, a so-called "Second Cheap Edition" was made from plates of the 1902 edition with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." There were ultimately five printings of this edition. Here is the first printing of 1933, a near-fine plus copy in a good example of the scarce dust jacket, which is unique to the 1933 first printing.The light purple cloth binding of this edition proved highly susceptible to wear and soiling. Here the binding is square, clean, and tight, retaining uniform color, sharp corners, nicely rounded spine, and showing none of the usual scuffing. Slight wrinkling at the spine ends and perhaps a hint of darkening at the spine head corresponding with the dust jacket loss are the only trivial exterior flaws noted. The contents are crisp and bright, the book feeling unread. Differential transfer browning to the blank endpapers corresponding to the dust jacket flaps confirms that this book has spent its life jacketed. We note no internal spotting or previous ownership marks. Very light spotting is confined to the fore and top edges and the top edge also shows dust soiling.The dust jacket is a respectable and mostly complete example. The only significant dust jacket loss is a 1.5 inch wide by maximum .375 inch strip at the spine head. The jacket spine is toned and scuffed, but both the blue and black spine print remain distinct. The jacket faces show modest wear and a few short closed tears at the edges, as well as light overall soiling, heaviest at the flap folds. The dust jacket is protected in a removable, archival quality clear cover.Reference: Cohen A2.4.a, Woods/ICS A2(da.1), Langworth p.33.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The River War. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1933.
Price: US$850.00 + shipping
Description: This is the second printing of the bibliographically significant 1933 edition of Churchill's second book in the scarce early issue dust jacket. Originally published in 1899, The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and reflections concerning British involvement in the Sudan, including Churchills participation in "the last great British cavalry charge". In 1933, a so-called "Second Cheap Edition" was made from plates of the 1902 edition with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." There were ultimately five printings of this edition with at least seven different dust jackets issued (at least two for the 1933 second printing and two for the final, 1951 printing).The style of the illustrated first printing dust jacket was specific to the first printings (January 1933) and a limited number of second printings (March 1933), including the copy offered here. In his noteworthy Bibliography, Ronald Cohen notes that "although only 985 copies were ever sold" of this second printing, these copies "were bound only gradually, on 14 separate occasions between 31 March and 29 February 1940." Cohen notes that "this extended sale and large number of binding occasions would account for differences of cloth or dust jackets on second printing copies." (Cohen, Volume I, p.54) Copies of this second printing bound later were issued in a distinctly different, un-illustrated dust jacket. Here is what surely must be an early issue example of the second printing, since it bears the first printing-style dust jacket and first printing binding cloth. Of the second impression, Richard Langworth (Connoisseur's Guide, p.34-35) does note "This impression has been found in a jacket identical to the first impression, adding 'net' to the spine price." This copy's dust jacket does feature the word 'net' on the spine below the price and the book itself references the second 1933 printing on the copyright page. The binding cloth matches the distinctly darker purple hue of first printing copies.Condition is very good in a very good dust jacket. The purple cloth binding proved quite prone to fading, scuffing, and soiling. This binding is clean and tight with strong purple hue, as would be expected of a jacketed copy, and only modest shelf wear primarily to the corners and spine ends. The contents are clean with a crisp, unread feel and no previous ownership marks. All maps and plans are present and pristine. The contents show only mild age-toning and light soiling and spotting appears confined to the page edges. The dust jacket is bright despite soiling and almost entirely complete, with modest wear to the extremities, and only fractional chipping to the spine ends and corners. The dust jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover.In 1883, Mahdist forces of messianic leader Mohammed Ahmed overwhelmed British-led forces, precipitating British withdrawal from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan in 1898. With him was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in "the last great British cavalry charge" during the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. Writing about the British campaign in the Sudan in The River War, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - is unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to fight and write and earned his early fame. Reference: Cohen A2.4.b, Woods/ICS A2(da.2), Langworth p.33
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The River War. Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1933.
Price: US$850.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first printing of the bibliographically significant 1933 edition of Churchill's second book in the scarce dust jacket. Originally published in 1899, The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and reflections concerning British involvement in the Sudan, including Churchills participation in "the last great British cavalry charge". In 1933, a so-called "Second Cheap Edition" was made from plates of the 1902 edition with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." There were ultimately five printings of this edition with at least seven different dust jackets issued (at least two for the 1933 second printing and two for the final, 1951 printing).The distinctive illustrated dust jacket of the first printing (published in January 1933) was unique to the first printing. This copy is very good in a fair dust jacket. The purple cloth binding proved quite prone to fading, scuffing, and soiling. This binding is square and tight with sharp corners and strong purple hue, as would be expected of a jacketed copy, but with shelf wear to joints and extremities. The contents remain clean with a crisp, unread feel. All maps and plans are present and pristine. Age-toning is apparent only to the page edges. We find no spotting. There is a tiny, vintage bookseller's sticker affixed to the lower front pastedown and the date "April 7/33" inked to the lower front free endpaper verso. The dust jacket remains bright and substantially complete, though with some flaws. There is residue at the center spine, almost certainly from a previous bookseller sticker, now removed, that once obscured the publisher's printed price. Loss is fractional, confined to the spine ends and flap fold extremities, and the jacket is as bright on the spine as on the faces, despite mild overall soiling, a bit heavier to the upper rear panel, light wear to extremities, and a closed tear at the upper rear joint. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.When this printing was published, the author once an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the reign of Queen Victoria was beginning his 1930s "wilderness years" which he was to spend out of power and out of favor, frequently at odds with both his own political party and prevailing public sentiment. Churchill spent much of the remainder of the decade vigorously advocating rearmament and collective security - a task in which he was persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded. The end of the decade brought awful vindication; with the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939 Churchill returned to the Cabinet and to war. By May 1940 he was Britains prime minister.Churchills wartime leadership was certainly informed by the battlefield experiences and observations of his youth. In 1883, Mahdist forces of messianic leader Mohammed Ahmed overwhelmed British-led forces, precipitating British withdrawal from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan in 1898. With him was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in "the last great British cavalry charge" during the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. Writing about the British campaign in the Sudan in The River War, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - is unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to fight and write and earned his early fame. Reference: Cohen A2.4.a, Woods/ICS A2(da.1), Langworth p.33
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1200.00 + shipping
Description: This is the elusive U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book, increasingly scarce thus in the striking dust jacket. Originally published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers. This copy is very good plus in a very good dust jacket. The lilac cloth binding is clean and tight with sharp corners and only mild shelf wear to extremities and a very slight forward lean. The contents are clean, retaining a crisp feel, plausibly unread. While there is mild age-toning, we find no spotting and no previous ownership marks. The top edges show only mild shelf dust, the fore and bottom edges clean. The dust jacket is nearly complete, the only losses being fractional chipping to the spine head and a neatly price-clipped upper front flap. The red rules on the spine are inevitably toned and there is light overall soiling, but shelf presentation is nonetheless quite respectable and overall condition of the jacket is compelling for the edition. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover. The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. Here is a chief figure of the Second World War on horseback on a colonial battlefield, participating in what has been called by some the last "genuine" cavalry charge of the British Army. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1400.00 + shipping
Description: This is a superior copy of the U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book in the striking original dust jacket. Originally published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers.This copy approaches near fine in a near fine dust jacket. The jacket is remarkable for being entirely complete, not only retaining the original "$2.75" front flap price, but with no loss or tears. We do note a hint of wrinkling to the rear panel, trivial wear to extremities, customary fading of the red spine print, and some light soiling, inevitable given the white dust jacket. Nonetheless, this dust jacket certainly ranks among the most complete and clean examples of which we are aware. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover. The book beneath is equally impressive. The lilac cloth binding is square, clean, and tight, the color suffering no toning or soiling. Shelf wear is negligible, confined to extremities. The contents are immaculately clean with a crisp, unread feel. Testifying that the book is unread, we find uncut signatures throughout. We do not find any previous ownership marks or spotting. Even the page edges are notably clean. The sole defect we find is a horizontal tear to the lower part of the p.79-80 leaf, clearly a result of the uncut signature conjoining the bottom edge of the p.77-78 and 79-80 leaves.The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. Here is a chief figure of the Second World War on horseback on a colonial battlefield, participating in what has been called by some the last "genuine" cavalry charge of the British Army. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future great man of the 20th century from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1600.00 + shipping
Description: This is a superior copy of the U.S. first edition of Churchill's second book in the striking original dust jacket. First published in England in 1899, this was one of the few Churchill books that did not see a U.S. first edition concurrent with the British. In 1933 a new edition was issued in both England and, for the first time, in the U.S. with a bibliographically significant new introduction by the author explaining that "A generation has grown up which knows little of why we are in Egypt and the Sudan." This is one of just 1,040 U.S. first edition copies issued. Per Richard Langworth (p.35), binding was probably done in England, using English sheets and a Scribner's title page cancel, since copies are bound in the identical lilac cloth as the Eyre & Spottiswoode edition of the same year. However, the striking dust jacket is unique to this U.S. first edition, printed in red and black, bearing R. C. Woodville's dramatic illustration of the Charge of the 21st Lancers.This copy approaches truly fine in a near fine dust jacket. Two aspects of condition distinguish this jacket. First is completeness. The jacket is unclipped, retaining the original $2.75 front flap price, with only fractional loss confined to the flap fold corners. Second, the red spine print retains vivid color quite a rarity among surviving copies of this jacket. These two factors more than compensate for modest overall soiling (virtually inevitable for the white dust jacket) and minor wear to extremities. The jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover. The book beneath is more impressive still the best example we have encountered. The lilac cloth binding is square, clean, and tight, the color suffering no toning or soiling, the corners sharp. Negligible shelf wear is confined to the bottom edges. The contents are immaculately clean with a crisp, unread feel. Some signatures remain uncut. We find no spotting, no soiling, no previous ownership marks, and precious little age-toning. Even the page edges are notably clean. Faint differential toning to the endpapers corresponds to the dust jacket flaps, affirming what the binding already testifies that this extraordinary copy has spent life jacketed.The River War recounts Churchill's experiences and perspective on British involvement in the Sudan. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance. Mohammed Ahmed was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1883 the Mahdists overwhelmed the Egyptian army of British commander William Hicks, and Great Britain ordered the withdrawal of all Egyptian troops and officials from the Sudan. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum, where he had been sent to lead evacuation of Egyptian forces. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan.With Kitchener was a very young Winston Churchill, who participated in the battle of Omdurman in September 1898, where the Mahdist forces were decisively defeated. In his book about the British campaign in the Sudan, Churchill - a young officer in a colonial British army - was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This is manifestly evident in the highly critical comment about Kitchener prominently quoted and bordered in red on the front face of the dust jacket something else unique to this first U.S. edition. Here is a chief figure of the Second World War on horseback on a colonial battlefield, participating in what has been called by some the last "genuine" cavalry charge of the British Army. This work offers us the candid perspective of the future great man of the 20th century from the distinctly 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame.Reference: Cohen A2.5, Woods/ICS A2(db), Langworth p.35.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is a very good copy in the very rare dust jacket of the First Printing of the "Cheap Edition" (as designated by the publisher), printed in 1933 from the original plates for the first abridged edition published in 1902. This edition remains especially important for the new Introduction that Churchill wrote for it. The dust jacket here is in brilliant condition, virtually mint, as is the book itself, inside and out. Rare thus; seemingly unopened. First English Abridged One-Volume ?Cheap Edition? (First Printing) (Cohen A2.4.a) (Woods A2d). 8vo (381 pages, 22 maps, many folding, some two-color.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$9800.00 + shipping
Description: Later edition of Churchill's history of the conquest of the Sudan. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, illustrated with 22 maps and plans, several folding. Presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the half-title page, "To Charles Peake from Winston S. Churchill Sept 1936." Near fine in a very good dust jacket. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell box. Churchill served in the 21st Lancers during Lord Kitchenerâs campaign on the Upper Nile in the late 1890s and was a participant there in the last great cavalry charge of the British Army. âHopping on a ferry, and not bothering to trouble his commanding officer in distant South India for leave, Winston turned up in the Abbasya barracks in Cairo on August 2, 1898, and joined the 21stâs A Squadron. He was fully outfitted, had bought a horse, and was, most important of all, equipped with a commission from the Morning Post to send dispatches at £15 a timeâ (Keegan, 46). âFar from accepting uncritically the superiority of British civilization, Churchill shows his appreciation for the longing for liberty among the indigenous inhabitants of the Sudan; but he finds their native regime defective in its inadequate legal and customary protection for the liberty of subjects. On the other hand, he criticizes the British army, and in particular its commander Lord Kitchener, for departing in its campaign from the kind of civilized respect for the liberty and humanity of adversaries that alone could justify British civilization and imperial rule over the Sudanâ (Langworth, 27).
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.