Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$911.95 + shipping
Description: SCARCE FIRST EDITION 2 VOLS, ALL PLATES MAPS PRESENT, EX-LIBRARY, super octavo, blue buckram boards, gilt lettering & tooling to spines & front boards, frontispieces with tissue guards, vol 1- xxii + 462pp & x + 499pp, scruffy (heavy cracking/separation to spine of vol 1, some ex-library markings- some to boards, moderate scuffing & chafing to boards with some fraying to cloth, light to moderate foxing & tanning to page edges & prelims/terminals, light foxing to pages of both vols, light water staining to top corner of pgs to vol 1, heavy cracking to gutters of both vols, boards shaky)
Seller: Hard to Find Books NZ (Internet) Ltd., Dunedin, OTAGO, New Zealand
Price: US$2400.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: xxii, 462; x, 499 pages. Frontispieces, b/w plates, text illustrations and maps (some coloured. All present. Old name stamps on a few preliminary pages, shelf wear, one map in vol. I slightly chipped at the bottom. A sound set.
Seller: Tinakori Books, Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Price: US$2561.73 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition 1899. Two Volume Set. Folding maps, plates and text illustrations throughout. Some foxing throughout, heavy in places. Publishers gilt decorated dark blue cloth, volume one has some light marking and rubbing and volume two has some damage to the front edge of front board ( looks as though its been very slightly nibbled by a rodent). Some light damp marking to front board and with some general light rubbing and marking in places. Collated with all plates and maps present. Volume one has 462 pages and volume two has 499 pages. Still a good solid set.
Seller: James Hine, Ilminster, SOMER, United Kingdom
Price: US$3202.16 + shipping
Description: First edition, first state, of Churchill's second book, based on his own role as a war reporter in the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan. This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. "Arguably the most aesthetically beautiful of original trade editions of Churchill's books, The River War is a brilliant history of British involvement in the Sudan and the campaign for its reconquest: arresting, insightful, with tremendous narrative and descriptive power. [the] features of that now distant campaign Churchill impressively captures in precise detail and exciting narrative, including his own role in the last great cavalry charge of British history. Finely written chapters trace the history of the Sudan, the rise of the Mahdi, the martyr's death of Gordon and, apparently not much exaggerated, the author's adventures" (Langworth, p. 27). Churchill himself calls it, in the first sentence, "a tale of blood and war". The first state is distinguished by the absence of a quotation mark on p. 459 of vol. II. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the half-title of vol. I and the initial blank of vol. II. 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 A2.1.a; Woods A2(a). Richard M. Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. 2 volumes, octavo. Original dark blue cloth, titles and pictorial decoration gilt to spines and front covers, top edges rough-trimmed, black endpapers. Photogravure portrait frontispiece to each volume and 5 similar plates (further photogravure in text), 23 colour maps and battles plans of which 20 folding, other maps and illustrations to the text. Bookseller ticket of Hugh Rees of London to front pastedowns. Cloth a little soiled and rubbed, slight residue to front covers, neat repair to inner hinges with superficial splits remaining, some leaves opened a little roughly, a little toned and foxed. A good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3650.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first edition, first printing, of Churchill's second published work, the lengthiest from his time as an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the waning days of Queen Victorias reign. This first edition is not only compellingly written, but also physically beautiful. The two large, lavish volumes are decorated with gilt representations of the Mahdi's tomb on the spines and a gunboat on the front covers. Each volume is printed on heavy paper with a profusion of illustrations, maps, and plans. They are also scarce; there were 2,000 copies of this first edition, first printing. Moreover, this is one of the few Churchill books for which there was no concurrent U.S. first edition. This is an unrestored, intact set in the striking, original bindings. Condition is very good. The original bindings are often both significantly worn and broken loose from their massive text blocks. In this case, the bindings are square and tight, still firmly anchored to the text blocks. Moreover, there is no appreciable color shift between the covers and spines. The bindings show modest wear to extremities, mild concavity to the spine heads owing to the weight of the text blocks. Scuffs and blemishes are light with one exception; we would grade this set as very good plus if not for mottling spanning the vertical center of the front cover of Volume I, likely caused by incidental moisture exposure. The contents of both volumes are quite respectable, bright despite light intermittent spotting. The contents are collated complete, with all illustrations, maps and plans present. Consonant with the unusually tight bindings, the black endpapers are intact, with no splits. To each lower front pastedown is affixed the tiny sticker of the same London bookseller "HUGH REES LTD". The same previous owner name surely the original owner - is inked on each half title, dated in his hand "Xmas 99" in Volume I. Laid into Volume I, on the aforementioned "Hugh Rees Ltd" stationery, is a lengthy "9th May 1929" purchase receipt, indicating that this set passed via the bookseller to "Rear Admiral C. M. Staveley". Cecil Minet Staveley (1874-1934) served in the Royal Navy during the First World War, while Churchill was First Lord of the Admiralty. Staveley retired as a vice-admiral the same month he purchased this set of The River War.Volume I of first edition, first printing sets often contains a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Churchills bibliographer, Ron Cohen, speculates that copies lacking the catalogue were likely "destined for sale in either the American or other overseas markets." This set lacks the rear catalogue. We have previously encountered first printing sets, like this one, without the rear catalogue, but nonetheless clear indication of having been sold in Britain, as well as a review set of the first printing set lacking the rear catalogue.The Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed, was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan. With Kitchener to his vexation 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, 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 write and earned his early fame. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance.Reference: Cohen A2.1.b, Woods/ICS A2(a.1), Langworth p.29
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$4400.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first edition, first printing, of Churchill's second published work, the lengthiest from his time as an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the waning days of Queen Victorias reign. This first edition is not only compellingly written, but also physically beautiful. The two large, lavish volumes are decorated with gilt representations of the Mahdi's tomb on the spines and a gunboat on the front covers. Each volume is printed on heavy paper with a profusion of illustrations, maps, and plans. They are also scarce; there were 2,000 copies of this first edition, first printing. Moreover, this is one of the few Churchill books for which there was no concurrent U.S. first edition. This first edition, first printing is an unrestored, intact set in the striking, original bindings. Condition is very good. The bindings do show overall scuffing and wear to extremities, including wrinkled spine ends and corner bumps, as well as slight dimpling to the upper spines. Nonetheless, there is no discernible color shift between the binding spines and covers, rendering shelf presentation quite respectable. Moreover, the bindings remain intact, the contents still firmly attached. The contents are quite good for the edition, bright and complete. The original black endpapers are present, as are all of the extensive maps and plans, as well as the frontispiece portraits and tissue guards. The Volume II black endpapers show partial cosmetic gutter splits, partially exposing the intact mull beneath but not affecting binding integrity. Significantly, the set shows almost no spotting. This appears to be a lifelong mated set, suggested by matching condition and appearance, as well as matching ownership marks. The armorial bookplate of "ROBERT CRICHTON-STUART" is affixed to each front pastedown. We also find the tiny bookseller sticker of the same Welsh bookseller affixed to each lower right front pastedown. Inked in the blank margin at the head of the Volume I title page is a previous owner name, date of "Christmas 1899" and what appears to be a personal library designation. There are two contemporary newspaper clippings tipped onto the Volume II half title and the facing blank verso. One is a captioned image of "OSMAN DIGNA, THE GREAT DERVISH LEADER" from the 27 January 1900 issue of The Graphic. The other is a 5 September 1900 Morning Post article and image titled "THE CAPTURE OF OSMAN DIGNA."Volume I of first edition, first printing sets often contains a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Churchills bibliographer, Ron Cohen, speculates that copies lacking the catalogue were likely "destined for sale in either the American or other overseas markets." This set lacks the rear catalogue. We have previously encountered first printing sets, like this one, without the rear catalogue, but nonetheless clear indication of having been sold in Britain.The Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed, was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan. With Kitchener to his vexation 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, 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 write and earned his early fame. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance.Reference: Cohen A2.1.b, Woods/ICS A2(a.1), Langworth p.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$4483.02 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Two volumes complete - Volume One - [7], viii-xxii, [3], 2-462pp and Volume Two - [5], vi-x, [5], 2-499pp, [1]. Original gilt decorated cloth. Usual rubbing to gilt, extremities lightly rubbed, volume one has been recased, with a repair towards the foot of the spine, with resultant small amount of loss to publisher's name, both volumes with light foxing to text block edges, and occasional light foxing to margins and text, but generally fairly clean. Volume one with four photogravure portraits, one other full page illustration, eleven folding maps, and six full page maps; Volume two with three photogravure portraits, two other full page illustrations, nine folding maps, and five full page maps (as called for). Now housed in a cloth slipcase. Woods A2 (a) Size: 8vo
Seller: Temple Rare Books, Oxford, United Kingdom
Price: US$4500.00 + shipping
Description: TWO VOLUMES UNIFORMLY BOUND.A run of 2000 copies was printed on 6 November 1899. Front cover and spine vignettes, lettering in gilt. Original black endpapers. Front hinge starting in Volume 1. Gift inscription on front preliminary in both volumes dated 1899. Covers show light wear, lettering and vignettes remain bright. Bottom corner of Volume 2 is bumped. Collated complete with twenty folding maps, all in very nice condition. Text illustrations and full-page maps throughout the text. This set has a 32-page catalogue at the end of Volume 1. 462-491pp. Woods A2(a). Size: Demi Octavo
Seller: Glenn Books, ABAA, ILAB, Prairie Village, KS, U.S.A.
Price: US$5000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This very good First English edition set has been rebacked, with new endpapers. The cloth is quite fresh, save for a miniscule circular stain on the front board of Volume I, and some mild denting to the edges of both volumes. The gilt titles and cover illustrations remain bright and the spines are only nominally worn and generally unfaded. The contents are fine and unfoxed, with all maps, plans and tissue guards present and intact. The set is housed in a handsome contemporary blue cloth slipcase imprinted with the original cover art. An excellent value, expertly restored. First English Edition Set (First Printing) [1 of 2,003 produced] (Cohen A2.1.a) (Woods A2a). 8vo (488 pages and 516 pages, profusely illustrated with drawings, 11 folding color maps, other maps & plans.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$5763.89 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, first issue, two volumes in the original publishers gilt pictorial blue cloth. Spines, gilt tooling & titles, edges lightly bumped. Internally: Vol 1, half title, frontis, [7], (viii-xxii), [2], [1], 2-462 pp, 33 illustrations, 18 maps & plans (some folding), bound without the advert catalogue. Vol 2, half title, frontis, [5], (vi-x), [3], [1], 2-499 pp, 25 illustrations, 16 maps & plans. Some pages uncut, light spotting to endpages, evidence of removed bookplates to fpds. un-restored. With coloured maps and illustrations, not present in the abridged versions issued later, and regarded by many critics as one of the finest books Churchill ever wrote. (229*153 mm). (Cohen. Woods). The River War is a detailed account of the re-conquest of the Soudan from 1896-1898 by a mixed contingent of British and Egyptian troops under the command of Major-General Sir Herbert Kitchener. In writing the River War, Churchill records that he “affected a combination of the styles of Macaulay and Gibbon” and later wrote that “nothing like the battle of Omdurman will ever be seen again. It was the last link in the long chain of those spectacular conflicts whose vivid and majestic splendour has done so much to invest war with glamour”.
Seller: Madoc Books (ABA-ILAB), Llandudno, CONWY, United Kingdom
Price: US$5763.89 + shipping
Description: First edition, handsomely bound, of Churchill's second book, based on his own role as a war reporter in the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan. "Arguably the most aesthetically beautiful of original trade editions of Churchill's books, The River War is a brilliant history of British involvement in the Sudan and the campaign for its reconquest: arresting, insightful, with tremendous narrative and descriptive power. [the] features of that now distant campaign Churchill impressively captures in precise detail and exciting narrative, including his own role in the last great cavalry charge of British history. Finely written chapters trace the history of the Sudan, the rise of the Mahdi, the martyr's death of Gordon and, apparently not much exaggerated, the author's adventures" (Langworth, p. 27). Churchill himself calls it, in the first sentence, "a tale of blood and war". This copy has the second state of vol. II p. 459, with an added quotation mark. Cohen A2.1.b; Woods A2(a). Richard M. Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. 2 volumes, octavo (217 x 142 mm). Recent red morocco by Bayntun-Riviere, spines lettered in gilt with rampant lion ornaments in compartments, gilt rule to covers enclosing Churchill's facsimile signature in gilt on front, gilt ruled turn-ins with rose cornerpieces, marbled endpapers, gilt edges. Photogravure portrait frontispiece to each volume, 5 similar plates, one full-page photogravure to the text, 50 wood-engravings to the text by Angus Neil, 23 colour maps and battle plans, all but 3 folding, 11 maps to the text of which 2 full-page. Faded early ownership signature to half-title of vol. I. Some foxing to contents; an excellent copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$6000.00 + shipping
Description: This is an unusually well-preserved set of the first edition, first printing, first state of Churchill's second published work, the lengthiest from his time as an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the waning days of Queen Victorias reign. This first edition is not only compellingly written, but also physically beautiful. The two large, lavish volumes are decorated with gilt representations of the Mahdi's tomb on the spines and a gunboat on the front covers. Each volume is printed on heavy paper with a profusion of illustrations, maps, and plans. They are also scarce; there were 2,000 copies of this first edition, first printing. There were two states of the first printing, distinguished by a single typographical error in the divisional half-title on p.459 of Volume II, corrected in the second state by the addition of a single quotation mark following LONDON GAZETTE. This error seems to have been quite swiftly corrected; first state copies are quite scarce.This first state set of the first edition, first printing is very good plus. The original bindings are often both significantly worn and broken loose from their massive text blocks. In this case, the bindings are not only unusually bright and clean, but also still firmly anchored to the text blocks, with sharp corners and only mild wear. The gilt is bright, including the striking illustrations of gunboats and the Mahdis tomb on the front covers and spines. Shelf presentation is compelling, with no discernible color shift between the covers and spines. Wear is modest, including a little shelf wear to extremities, mostly at the spine ends, and a few trivial blemishes to the covers. The contents are quite good for the edition. The original black endpapers are present, as are all of the extensive maps and plans, as well as the frontispiece portraits and tissue guards. The contents are not only unusually tight, but the black endpapers show no hint of even cosmetic splits at the gutters. Spotting, the only appreciable defect, is intermittent throughout, generally light within the text, significant only to the prelims. Absent the spotting, we would grade this set as near fine.The sole previous ownership mark is the tiny booksellers sticker of "W. B. CLARKE CO. BOOKSELLERS & STATIONERS" of "Park St. Church, Boston" affixed to the lower Volume II front free endpaper recto. William B. Clarke (1848-1933) bought and renamed W. H. Piper & Co. booksellers in 1874 and seems plausibly the original seller of this set. Volume I of first edition, first printing sets often contains a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Churchills bibliographer, Ron Cohen, speculates that copies lacking the catalogue were likely "destined for sale in either the American or other overseas markets." This set was originally bound without the catalogue, consistent with the vintage Boston bookseller ticket.The Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed, was a messianic Islamic leader in central and northern Sudan in the final decades of the 19th century. In 1885, General Gordon famously lost his life in a doomed defense of the capitol, Khartoum. Though the Mahdi died that same year, his theocracy continued until 1898, when General Kitchener reoccupied the Sudan. With Kitchener to his vexation 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, the young Churchill was unusually sympathetic to the Mahdist forces and critical of Imperial cynicism and cruelty. This work offers the candid perspective of the future 20th century icon from the 19th century battlefields where Churchill learned to write and earned his early fame. The text is arresting, insightful, powerfully descriptive, and of enduring relevance.Reference: Cohen A2.1.a, Woods/ICS A2(a.1), Langworth p.29 First edition, first printing, first state.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$7000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first printing, second state with single quotation mark on p. 459. 57 illustrations, many especially drawn by Angus McNeill of the Seaforth Highlanders, 34 maps and plans many colored and folding. xxiii, 462; xiv, 499 pp. 2 vols. Thick 8vo. Cohen A2.1.b Publisher's blue cloth, stamped in gilt. Minor rubbing to boards, hinges almost imperceptibly repaired. Very good copy. Bookplate. In half-morocco slipcase with chemises for each volume 57 illustrations, many especially drawn by Angus McNeill of the Seaforth Highlanders, 34 maps and plans many colored and folding. xxiii, 462; xiv, 499 pp. 2 vols. Thick 8vo First edition, first printing, second state with single quotation mark on p. 459.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$7364.97 + shipping
Description: First edition of Churchill's second book, based on his own role as a war reporter in the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan. "Arguably the most aesthetically beautiful of original trade editions of Churchill's books, The River War is a brilliant history of British involvement in the Sudan and the campaign for its reconquest: arresting, insightful, with tremendous narrative and descriptive power. [the] features of that now distant campaign Churchill impressively captures in precise detail and exciting narrative, including his own role in the last great cavalry charge of British history. Finely written chapters trace the history of the Sudan, the rise of the Mahdi, the martyr's death of Gordon and, apparently not much exaggerated, the author's adventures" (Langworth, p. 27). Churchill himself calls it, in the first sentence, "a tale of blood and war". This copy has the second state of vol. II p. 459 as usual, with an added quotation mark. Cohen A2.1.b; Woods A2(a). Richard M. Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. 2 volumes, octavo. Original dark blue cloth, titles and pictorial decoration gilt to spines and front boards, black endpapers, top edges rough-trimmed. Photogravure portrait frontispiece to each volume and 5 similar plates (further photogravure in text), 23 colour maps and battles plans of which 20 folding, other maps and illustrations to the text. Contemporary bookplate to front pastedowns and signature to half-titles of one W. N. Black. A little rubbed, scattered light foxing, joints and hinges intact without repair: a very good copy, much squarer and tighter than often found, vol. II partly unopened.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Churchill, Winston. The River War. Longmans, Green, & Co, London, 1899.
Price: US$8000.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 2 Volumes. First edition, first printing; second state with inverted comma present on page 459 of Volume II. Bound in publisher's dark blue cloth stamped in gilt. Near Fine with slight darkening to spine cloth, light rubbing to cloth at extremities; horizontal tear to spine cloth near top of Volume II. Front and rear inner hinges exposed in both volumes. Otherwise a very bright copy of the author's second book.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Price: US$8325.61 + shipping
Description: First edition. Octavo. Two volumes. pp xxii, 462 + x, 499. Illustrated with drawings by Angus McNeill of the Seaforth Highlanders; 7 photogravure portraits; numerous maps and plans. Original black gilt pictorial cloth lettered in gilt. The author's second book. 2003 copies were printed. Rubber ownership stamp on half-title of each volume. Cover edges just a little bumped. Sporadic foxing. Very good set indeed and scarce in such bright condition.
Seller: Peter Ellis, Bookseller, ABA, ILAB, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$9800.00 + shipping
Description: First editions of Churchill's history of the conquest of the Sudan. Octavo, 2 volumes, original cloth, illustrated with 22 maps and plans, several folding. Association copy, with signatures and annotations by E.B. Lack, who helped to supply gunboats to the Admiralty during the campaign. Woods A2(a). In near fine condition. Housed in a custom half morocco clamshell slipcase. 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.
Price: US$10000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This First English edition set has been rebound spectacularly in full crimson levant by Bayntun Riviere of Bath, with Churchill's signature in gilt on each face, the spines gilt-tooled and lettered with rampant lion ornaments in six compartments, raised bands, all edges gilded and leather-edged marbled endpapers. The books have been trimmed for binding. All maps, plans and tissue guards are present. The contents are fine and unfoxed. First English Edition Set (Cohen A2.1.a) (Woods A2a). 8vo [1 of 2,003 sets produced] (488 pages and 516 pages, profusely illustrated with drawings, 11 folding color maps, other maps & plans.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
CHURCHILL Winston. River War. , 1899.
Price: US$11500.00 + shipping
Description: CHURCHILL, Winston. The River War, An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan. London: Longmans, Green, 1899. Two volumes. Thick octavo, original gilt-stamped navy cloth. Housed in a pair of custom chemise and together in a clamshell box. $11,500.First edition, first printing, of Churchill's rare second book, one of only 2000 copies printed, in original cloth.Churchill served in the 21st Lancers during Lord Kitchener's campaign on the Upper Nile in the late 1890s and was a participant there in the last great cavalry charge of the British Army. "Hopping 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 21st's 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 time" (Keegan, 46). Though only in his early 20s and a mere subaltern, Churchill had already developed an independence of thought that would serve him well in his later political career: "Far 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 Sudan" (Langworth, 27). This account includes 34 maps, 20 of which are printed in color and folding, and 58 illustrations, including tissue-guarded frontispieces, photogravure portraits, and numerous in-text illustrations. The maps and plans include various sections of the Nile, the Dervish Empire, etc. First printing, second state, with the final quotation mark after the words LONDON GAZETTE on page 459 of Volume II. Without original dust jackets, so rare as to be unobtainable. Cohen A2.1.b. Woods A2(a). Langworth, 27-30. Manuscript letter loosely inserted from publisher Adam Black (not the publisher of the present work) to General Lord Mark Kerr, dated 28 February 1894; ownership signature of Kerr in both volumes. Lord Kerr (1817-1900) was a British Army officer who served in the Crimean War and in India.Occasional faint foxing to text, a few rubs to clean cloth, gilt bright. A near-fine copy with a nice British military provenance.
Seller: Bauman Rare Books, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
Price: US$11500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Churchill, Winston S. The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1899. Edited by Col. F. Rhodes, D.S.O. Illustrated by Agnus McNeill, Seaforth Highlanders. Two Volume Set. First Edition Printing. Rebound in full navy leather with gilt tooling and facsimile gilt signature embossed to front boards, raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, and new marbled end paper. Presented with a custom navy cloth archival slipcase. This is a first edition printing of The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan by Winston S. Churchill. The two volume set was published in London in 1899 by Longmans Green, and Co. It was edited by Col. F. Rhodes, D.S.O, and illustrated by Agnus McNeill. The book is presented rebound, in stunning full navy leather boards with gilt borders and Churchill s facsimile gilt signature embossed on the front. The spines boast raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling, and the inside has new marbled end paper. The two volumes are protected with a custom navy cloth archival slipcase. The front of the slipcase is inset with the original cloth and gilt stamped front of Vol I, with a river boat scene, the book s title, and Churchill s name. The River War tells the story of Britain s campaign to reconquer Sudan at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1885, Sudanese Dervishes rebelled against foreign rule and killed Britain s envoy Charles Gordon at his palace in Khartoum. Herbert Kitchener s Anglo-Egyptian army, advancing hundreds of miles south along the Nile through the Sahara Desert, defeated the Dervish army at the battle of Omdurman on September 2, 1898. Churchill charged with the 21st Lancers in the most dangerous fighting against the Dervish host. After the battle Churchill began writing his full account of the campaign, built on a foundation of fifteen previous newspaper articles and dispatches written while in action. He even resigned from the army to be free to write the book as he pleased, without fearing how it would be received by his commanding officer. Just a year later, in November of 1899, The River War was published. It was issued in two massive volumes, my magnum opus (up to date), upon which I had lavished a whole year of my life, as Churchill recalled later in his autobiography. The book had twenty-six chapters, five appendixes, dozens of illustrations, and colored maps. A relatively small print run, there were only 2,000 copies of this first edition, first printing. The young author was noticeably even-handed in his account. He gave Kitchener credit for his victory but found much to criticize in his campaign. He showed sympathy for the founder of the rebellion, Muhammad Ahmed, and for his successor the Khalifa Abdullahi, whom Kitchener had defeated. Churchill also discusses how the war in northeast Africa affected British politics in Britain, fit into the geopolitical rivalry between Britain and France, and abruptly thrust the vast Sudan, with the largest territory in Africa, into an uncertain future in Britain s orbit. His two volume work was later shortened in 1902 to fit into one volume. Seven whole chapters, and parts of every other chapter, disappeared in this 1902 abridgment. Many maps and most illustrations were also dropped. The original two-volume book was never published again, making this scarce two first edition printing even more collectible. CONDITION: Very good condition overall. Two volume set. Handsomely rebound in full navy leather with gilt tooling and facsimile gilt signature embossed to front boards, raised bands, gilt titles, and gilt tooling to the spine, and new marbled end paper. Presented with a custom navy cloth archival slipcase, inset with front gilt-stamped cloth from Vol I s original binding. Interior pages are in generally good condition. A few pencil marks and scattered light foxing throughout, as expected with age and past use. Illustrated throughout w
Seller: The Great Republic, Colorado Springs, CO, U.S.A.
Price: US$12168.21 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Two volumes complete - Volume One - [7], viii-xxii, [3], 2-462pp and Volume Two - [5], vi-x, [5], 2-499pp, [1]. Original gilt decorated cloth. Hint of foxing to edges of text blocks, otherwise externally bright and clean, without any of the usual rubbing to the gilt associated with this book. Internally a hint of foxing, usually to margins, volume one has a small ink mark to the margin of page xxiii and a small mark to the margin of page 69; volume two has a small amount of loss (though still attached to opposite page) to the margin of page 457 where it was opened a little carelessly, and page 475 with a similar problem with small amount of loss to top corner, neither affecting text. With the armorial bookplate of Sir James Reid (personal physician to Queen Victoria, and later monarchs) to the front pastedowns. Volume one with four photogravure portraits, one other full page illustration, eleven folding maps and six full page maps; Volume two with three photogravure portraits, two other full page illustrations, nine folding maps and five full page maps (as called for). Now housed in morocco backed drop back boxes, with raised bands in six panels, with title to second panel, author and volume to third, with date to foot. The brightest copy we have seen. Woods A2 (a) Size: 8vo
Seller: Temple Rare Books, Oxford, United Kingdom
Price: US$12500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is an exemplary First English edition set with lustrous blue-black cloth, bright gilt and unfaded spines that are well-rounded and unfrayed. The binding is crisp and tight and the corners are all sharp. There are two discreet vintage bookplates, one loosely laid-into each volume from an unknown collector and one affixed to the front pastedowns of each volume from "The Winston Churchill Collection" of the late-Donald Scott Carmichael, one of the great Churchillians of our generation (and a cherished former-Chartwell customer). All maps, plans and tissue guards are present and virtually mint. The contents are quite lightly foxed throughout. A smashing example of this majestic pair, preserved in a green gilt-lettered slipcase with the Churchill crest on the front face. Each book is also wrapped in a color xerox replica of the spectacularly rare dust jackets for this set. First English Edition Set (First Printing) [1 of 2,003 produced] (Cohen A2.1.a) (Woods A2a). 8vo (488 pages and 516 pages, profusely illustrated with drawings, 11 folding color maps, other maps & plans.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$14000.00 + shipping
Description: This extraordinary first edition, first printing set of Churchill's second published work, the lengthiest from his time as an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent during the waning days of Queen Victorias reign, may be unique; this is not only the best-preserved set of which we are aware, but also perhaps the only surviving publishers review set.The publisher presented this "advance copy" on a beautifully printed and hand-written on 8 x 5.125 inch (20.3 x 13 cm) slip of laid paper, hand-dated "Nov 1st" 1899 five days prior to publication. The title, number of volumes, price, publication day and date, "Westminster Gazette" and embargo date are all written in the same hand. Printed at the center of the slip is the exhortation "This copy is sent to you on the distinct understanding that no notice of the book, reference to it, or extracts from it, will appear until the day of publication."The publisher, Longmans, apparently achieved their purpose with this advance copy; publishers advertisements bound in following the text in the first editions of Churchills next three published books Savrola (1900), London to Ladysmith via Pretoria (1900), and Ian Hamiltons March (1900) all included a Westminster Gazette review blurb about The River War.The first edition was not only compellingly written, but also physically beautiful. The two large, lavish volumes are decorated with gilt representations of the Mahdi's tomb on the spines and a gunboat on the front covers. Each volume is printed on heavy paper with a profusion of illustrations, maps, and plans. All this magnificence came with vulnerabilities. The bindings are often both significantly worn and their massive text blocks either broken or loose. In addition to suffering gutter breaks and split endpapers, the contents are commonly spotted, often heavily, the untrimmed page edges grubby. In addition to being the only surviving pre-publication publishers advance copy known to us, this set is also, unequivocally, the best set we have ever seen, in improbably fine condition. This set suffers none of the endemic defects. Not few none. The bindings are not only square and tight, but immaculately clean and unfaded, with sharp corners, vividly bright gilt, deep, perfectly preserved navy hue. Shelf presentation is stunning. There is only the most trivial shelf wear and minor wrinkling to the spine ends. The contents are even better than the bindings. Both volumes are not only stunningly bright, but entirely free of spotting. We find no previous ownership marks. The original black endpapers are present, as are all of the extensive maps and plans, as well as the frontispiece portraits and tissue guards. The untrimmed page edges are nearly as bright and clean as the contents. With no intention of impugning the Westminster Gazette reviewer, we observe that the books are so clean as to feel unread. If the signatures were not cut, we might presume that the books had never been opened.Volume I of first edition, first printing sets often contains a publisher's catalogue bound in at the rear. Churchills bibliographer, Ron Cohen, speculates that copies lacking the catalogue were likely "destined for sale in either the American or other overseas markets." We may reasonably infer that the publisher also omitted the catalogue from review sets; Volume I of this set lacks the catalogue.Further provenance for the set is supplied by a 17 July 1979 letter on the stationery of Henry Sotheran Ltd. offering a customer this very set of The River War, remarking on its double magnificence as both a review copy and on its being in "pristine condition, both the binding and contents being as new " Founded in York in 1761 and established in London in 1815, Sotherans is one of the worlds oldest bookshops.The set is housed in a single, full blue Morocco Goatskin Solander case with separate internal compartments for each volume.Reference: Cohen A2.1.b, Woods/ICS A2(a.1), Langworth p.299
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. The River War. Longmans, Green & Co., London, New York, 1899.
Price: US$15000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: First Edition, First Printing of both books in this two volume set. A beautiful copy SIGNED by Winston Churchill on a laid in signature in volume 1. Both books are bound in the ORIGINAL publisher's blue cloth. The bindings are tight with NO cocking or leaning and the boards are crisp with minor wear to the edges. The pages are clean with NO writing, marks or bookplates in the books. A superb set SIGNED by the author. We buy SIGNED Churchill First Editions.
Seller: Magnum Opus Rare Books, Missoula, MT, U.S.A.