Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$64.14 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Longmans, Green and Co. London and Bombay. 1898. First Colonial Library Edition. Small 8vo. No DW. Blue cloth, very faded to spine, no text visible. Frontis. with closed tear, is detached but present + 4 maps + 1 fold-out map ONLY. Title page and a few pages of text at rear have red crayon and title page also has some blue crayon. Some worming throughout and pages are browned. No ownership inscriptions. Priced due to condition
Seller: Addyman Books, Hay-on-Wye, United Kingdom
Price: US$608.31 + shipping
Description: first edition thus [Longmans' Colonial Library] 336pp [b/w frontis.w.folding maps] GOOD+ (grey cloth w.dk.blue dec.stamps to top board,rubbed and soiled w.red stain to top board,cloth wrinkled,mod.wear and chipping to extrems.,lower hinge splitting,newspaper article pasted to fep gutter,contents sl.foxed and mod.soiled/stained,spine cracked) very scarce first colonial edition - tired unattractive copy but it is complete with all maps - scans available on request
Seller: Hard to Find Books NZ (Internet) Ltd., Dunedin, OTAGO, New Zealand
Price: US$987.73 + shipping
Description: Hardback, 7.5 x 5 inches. Halfbound fine binding by ?Bayntun-Riviere,? maroon morocco leather to spine and corners and black cloth to boards. With raised banding, gilt lettering and decorations to spine. Marbled endpapers and full gilt page edges. In very good near fine condition. Later fine binding. One minor mark nr. bottom end of spine. Later endpapers with binders stamp to front. Inside pages with some overall tanning, else all very clean and tight. Maps all clean and bright, no tears. Else a very good clean and tight copy. Scarce as a 1st edition, this is the ?Colonial Library Edition? printed in the same year. xvi + 337pp + 32pp Adverts (Longmans Classified Catalogue, dated 9/98). Illustrated with a B&W frontis portrait of Major-Gen. Sir Bindon Blood. And 6 maps including 2 coloured fold-out maps.
Seller: PROCTOR / THE ANTIQUE MAP & BOOKSHOP, DORCHESTER, United Kingdom
Price: US$1450.00 + shipping
Description: This attractive, well-preserved, ex-library copy of the British first edition features compelling provenance. The front pastedown features a decorative "Ex Libris" bookplate handwritten "FROM: Col: F.W. Blood 1941". The facing front free endpaper recto is inked in five lines: "Presented by / Col. F.W. Blood / To commemorate his 60 years' / Connection with the Cheshire Regiment / Oct. 1941". We believe "F.W." to be Frederick William and know that a Col. F.W. "Fred" Blood was a relation of Sir Bindon Blood - to whom Churchill dedicated this book and whose portrait appears at the frontispiece. We found record of 1934 correspondence from Sir Bindon Blood to another family member referring to Col. F.W. Blood as working on updating the family pedigree. Both Sir Bindon and Col. F.W. Blood were then living "at Birkenhead". Chester - home of the library from whence this copy came - is proximate to Birkenhead.Although ex-library, this book is in superior overall condition. The rebinding was executed in an apple green cloth that faithfully echoes the original and the gilt spine title and author stamping are done in the same style as the original binding, including the gilt double rules that bracket the title. The page edges were trimmed and ink-speckled in red when the book was rebound. Condition is very good. The apple green cloth binding is square, clean, and tight with light wear confined to spine ends and corners and one tiny abrasion at the upper rear hinge. The sole exterior ex-library mark is a five-digit library number inked in black on the lower spine. The contents are bright and clean. The rear-catalogue has not been retained, but all maps and plans, as well as the frontispiece and errata slip, remain present and fully intact. Spotting is light, with only trivial, intermittent scattering within. Within the text ex-library marks are modest: a small sticker hand-numbered "333" above Col. Bloods bookplate on the front pastedown; a "Withdrawn for sale" stamp on the blank title page verso date stamped "21 April 1961"; a small circular "Chester Public Library" stamp at the upper right corner of page 1; a 4 x 2.5 inch sticker bearing a printed number pasted to the lower rear pastedown. What may have been a previous owner name but is no longer readable has been removed from the upper half-title. The Story of the Malakand Field Force recounts Churchills experiences while attached to Sir Bindon Blood's punitive expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897. This book was written and published while Churchill was a young cavalry officer still serving in India. He had successfully applied his pen as a war correspondent - indeed the book is based on his dispatches to the Daily Telegraph and the Pioneer Mail but this was his first book-length work. Churchill was motivated by a combination of pique and ambition. He was vexed that his Daily Telegraph columns were to be published unsigned. On 25 October 1897 Churchill wrote to his mother: ".I had written them with the design. of bringing my personality before the electorate." Two weeks later, his resolve to write a book firming, Churchill again wrote to his mother: ".It is a great undertaking but if carried out will yield substantial results in every way, financially, politically, and even, though do I care a damn, militarily." Having invested his ambition in his first book, he clearly labored over it: "I have discovered a great power of application which I did not think I possessed. For two months I have worked not less than five hours a day." Churchill sent the finished manuscript to his mother on the last day of 1897. It was published on 14 March of 1898. Publication was arranged by Churchill's uncle while the author was still in India, resulting in numerous spelling and detail errors that incensed Churchill, who acted with haste to address them. Hence later states of the first edition bear errata slips.Reference: Cohen A1.1.b, Woods/ICS A1(aa), Langworth p.12.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Description: This is the scarce first edition, first printing of the "Colonial Library" issue of Churchill's first book, a worn but original and complete copy. The author's first book recounts his experiences when attached to Sir Bindon Blood's punitive expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897 and is the first book-length product of his early career as an itinerant cavalry officer and war correspondent. First printing copies of the Colonial issue were produced in small numbers simultaneously with the Home Issue. The harsher climate and condition of the colonies meant low survival rates and often poor condition for those few examples that survived. Complicating matters for collectors, there were no fewer than 10 different editions, printings, and binding variations for the very small number of Colonial issues ultimately produced from 1898 to 1901. This first printing of the colonial issue of Churchills first published book is noteworthy for being the only of the many books published in Churchills lifetime with the "L." for "Leonard" appearing on both the binding (spine and lower front cover) and the title page. This is an original, unrestored copy. Condition is good overall. The illustrated cloth binding is tight, and the spine gilt still bright and distinct, as is the elaborate illustrated front cover. Nonetheless, there are no few signs of age and the vicissitudes of colonial origin, the cloth variously blistered, the spine ends and corner a little frayed, a red stain at the upper rear cover corner. The contents are surprisingly clean and complete, with no spotting. However, the frontispiece is loose and consequently chipped and wrinkled at the edges. There are three inked previous owner names, two on the front pastedown, one of which is partially erased and abraded, the other dated "1941". A third name inked on the front free endpaper recto is neatly crossed out in pencil and dated "1960". The lower corner of the blank final free endpaper is missing and the remnant of what might have been a small card pocket with no identifying information is affixed to the rear pastedown. We find no other ex-library marks or indications.The Story of the Malakand Field Force recounts Churchills experiences while attached to Sir Bindon Blood's punitive expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897. This book was written and published while Churchill was a young cavalry officer still serving in India. He had successfully applied his pen as a war correspondent - indeed the book is based on his dispatches to the Daily Telegraph and the Pioneer Mail but this was his first book-length work. Churchill was motivated by a combination of pique and ambition. He was vexed that his Daily Telegraph columns were to be published unsigned. On 25 October 1897 Churchill wrote to his mother: ".I had written them with the design. of bringing my personality before the electorate." Two weeks later, his resolve to write a book firming, Churchill again wrote to his mother: ".It is a great undertaking but if carried out will yield substantial results in every way, financially, politically, and even, though do I care a damn, militarily." Having invested his ambition in his first book, he clearly labored over it: "I have discovered a great power of application which I did not think I possessed. For two months I have worked not less than five hours a day." The finished manuscript was sent to his mother on the last day of 1897 and this first printing of the first Colonial issue was published on 14 March of 1898. Dozens of books followed this first over the next six decades, helping Churchill earn his livelihood, his place in history, and, more than half a century after this first book was published, a Nobel Prize in Literature.Reference: Cohen A1.2.a, Woods/ICS A1(ab.1), Langworth p.15. First edition, Colonial Library issue, first printing.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1559.84 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 1st ed, 1 of 2000 copies. Boards have some wear, soiling marks, corners are bumped. Cracking to both hinges. Content is clean and has light toning. Toning to page ends. All maps and errata page are present. 336pp.
Seller: BoundlessBookstore, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Price: US$2200.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The Story of the Malakand Field Force. An Episode of Frontier War, 1st edition, 1st issue, London: Longmans, Green & Co., 1898, 1st issue without the errata slip tipped-in, portrait frontispiece, 2 folding maps, 4 plans, 32 pp. publisher's catalogue at end (dated 12/97), list of illustrations leaf detached, some light spotting and stains, endpaper versos toned, W.H. Smith & Sons library label to front pastedown, original green cloth gilt, spine a little toned and rubbed at ends, a few small marks, 8vo Provenance: From the Winston Churchill Collection of Major Alan Taylor-Smith (1928-2019). Winston Churchill's first book.
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
Price: US$2250.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first edition, only printing of Churchill's first book, based on his exploits with Sir Bindon Blood's expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897. Condition of this unrestored, original, and complete copy approaches very good. Though it is technically ex-library, there are no external indicators. The publishers green cloth binding remains remains tight and square with bright gilt and nicely rounded spine. Slight softness to the corners, moderate overall soiling, and a .25 inch (6 mm) split at the spine head do not substantially detract from exterior presentation. The only indications of ex-library status are a bookplate and an ink stamp. The plate is that of "Cardiff Public Libraries" affixed to the front pastedown indicating that this book was "Bequeathed to the Central Library" in "May, 1935" by a "William Price James, M.A." We find no other previous ownership marks. A .75 inch (19 mm) diameter round ink-stamp of "Cardiff Public Libraries" is found at the foot of the blank title page verso, with diminutive library notation beneath. The contents remain quite respectably clean for the edition. All maps are intact, including the folding maps at pages 1 and 146, as is the frontispiece and tissue guard. The original black endpapers are present, with just a .75 inch (19mm) unobtrusive cosmetic split to the paper at the front pastedown gutter that does not affect binding integrity and a tiny chip to the upper left corner of the front free endpaper. Spotting is mild for the edition, incidental within and modest to the page edges, which show light dust soiling to the top edges and a little shelf soiling to the bottom edges. Second state of the first and only printing is confirmed by an errata slip tipped in at p. 1 and a rear catalogue dated "3/98". When this book was written and published, Churchill was a young cavalry officer still serving in India. While he had successfully applied his pen as a war correspondent - indeed the book is based on his dispatches to the Daily Telegraph and the Pioneer Mail - this was his first book-length work. The young Churchill was motivated by a combination of pique and ambition. He was vexed that his Daily Telegraph columns were to be published unsigned. On 25 October 1897 Churchill wrote to his mother: ".I had written them with the design. of bringing my personality before the electorate." Two weeks later, his resolve to write a book firming, Churchill again wrote to his mother: ".It is a great undertaking but if carried out will yield substantial results in every way, financially, politically, and even, though do I care a damn, militarily." Having invested his ambition in this first book, he clearly labored over it: "I have discovered a great power of application which I did not think I possessed. For two months I have worked not less than five hours a day." The finished manuscript was sent to his mother on the last day of 1897 and published on 14 March of 1898. Publication was arranged by Churchill's uncle while the author was still in India, resulting in numerous spelling and detail errors. Churchill was incensed by the errors and acted with haste to address them. Hence later states of the first edition bear errata slips. Home Issue copies also bear a 32-page Longmans, Green catalogue bound in at the back, which is dated either "12/97" or "3/98" at the foot of page 32. With only a little more than 1,900 copies bound, this first edition of Churchill's first book is both desirable and elusive. Bibliographic reference: Cohen A1.1.b, Woods/ICS A1(aa), Langworth p.12.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This could have been an exceptionally good copy of the First State of the First English edition, with the rear publisher's catalogue dated 12/97 and the Eratta slip present. The cloth is still bright but the original owner elected to write his name: "E.D. Miller" in fountain pen across the front cover. He also prominently scrawled his name, again, with his address in ink on the verso of the frontis photo, which retains its tissue guard. There is a faint dent to the edge of the front cover. The binding is strong, though the front hinge has some separation and there is chipping to the black endpapers. The contents are otherwise fine, save for very faint scattered foxing. Attractive but flawed, and priced accordingly. First English Edition [1 of 2,000 copies] (Cohen A1.1.a) (Woods A1a). 8vo (352 pages, 6 maps, illustrations, tissue-guarded frontis portrait. With 32-page rear catalogue dated 12/97)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$2565.52 + shipping
Description: First edition, colonial issue, first state, of Churchill's first book. This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was a correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier of India, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. Copies were bound for colonial export in both cloth and in paper wrappers. However the fact the copy was rebound at an early date implies it was the latter. Cohen reported to us he knew of only three copies which retained the original wrappers. Export copies are found in two states, thit first state without an errata slip, the second state with one. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. 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 A1.2.a or b (issued in cloth or wrappers, here indistinguishable as rebound) - this copy has the "1" of p. 231 slightly raised, a variant state sometimes found for colonial issue copies without priority. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo (180 x 121 mm). Contemporary green limp pebbled cloth, front cover lettered in gilt. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Book label to front pastedown of the Faulkner scholar James B. Meriwether (1928-2007). Cloth a little soiled with slight rubbing at extremities, contents a little toned. A very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3206.90 + shipping
Description: First edition of Churchill's first book, a rare survival of the colonial issue in wrappers, blind-stamped "presented by the publisher" on the title and following leaf - the publisher's records show 122 copies were designated as "presentation copies". This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. Copies were also bound for export in cloth and in wrappers, both designated "Longmans' Colonial Library" on the front cover. Copies in wrappers are found in two states, this the first, without an errata slip. 1,675 copies were issued in wrappers, but their survival rate was very low and copies are rarely encountered. Langworth noted he knew of only a few copies (Langworth, p. 17), and Cohen reported to us he knew of only three: one at McGill University, one in the collection of F. Bartlett Watt, and this, which he acquired in Australia. The domestic and colonial issues were produced simultaneously, although naturally it would have taken longer for copies to arrive in the various colonial markets. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. 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 A1.2.b. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original green wrappers printed in blue, in contemporary casing of brown card. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Contemporary ownership signature of "G. Hirst" to title page, newspaper notice of death of Bindon Blood mounted to verso of dedication page. A little worn and slightly stained throughout, still a very good copy of the fragile book.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3206.90 + shipping
Description: First edition, colonial issue in cloth, of Churchill's first book, inscribed on the front free endpaper: "Harry S. Garratt, 3rd Bo[mbay] L[ight] Inf[antr]y, Malakand May 1898"; an apt provenance, as in July 1891, Harry Sumner Garratt (1868-1939) was seconded to the Staff Corps of the Malakand Field Force from the Bedfordshire Regiment. From the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. Copies were bound for colonial export in both cloth and in wrappers. The domestic and colonial issues were produced simultaneously, although naturally it would have taken longer for copies to arrive in the various colonial markets. Copies are found without (first state) or with (second state) an errata slip, here the latter. When the errata slip is present, it can be the same as the domestic issue or an Indian variant, here also the latter. "At least as desirable as the home issue, the clothbound colonial is a Victorian period piece, with its Longmans' trademark Colonial Library pictorial binding. the wrapper version, while much rarer today, is not as aesthetically delectable" (Langworth, p. 18). Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. 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 A1.2.c. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original grey cloth, spine lettered in gilt, front cover with lettering and design in blue. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Pencilled ownership signature of one J. G. Brett dated 15 September 1924 to front free endpaper. Cloth a little soiled and cockled, contents a little toned. A very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3206.90 + shipping
Description: First edition, colonial issue in cloth, of Churchill's first book, with the bookplate of Edward Priaulx Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner (1859-1920), Churchill's fellow Liberal Party MP from 1906 to 1910. Tipped in preceding the title page is an autograph note "with the author's compliments", not in Churchill's hand and probably a later addition. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. Copies were bound for colonial export in both cloth and in wrappers. Copies are found without (first state) or with (second state) an errata slip, here the latter. When the errata slip is present, it can be the same as the domestic issue or an Indian variant, again here the latter. "At least as desirable as the home issue, the clothbound colonial is a Victorian period piece, with its Longmans' trademark Colonial Library pictorial binding. the wrapper version, while much rarer today, is not as aesthetically delectable" (Langworth, p. 18). Tennant toured the Far East in 1902 and was present at the Delhi Durbar - he may have acquired this copy of the colonial issue there. This followed visits to India in 1886, 1889, 1892, and 1894, where he took a keen interest in Indian administration and the problems of the subcontinent. Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes. Cohen A1.2.c. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original grey cloth, spine lettered in gilt, front cover with lettering and design in blue. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Early list of page references on front free endpaper. A little rubbed and soiled, inner hinge slightly split preceding frontispiece. A very good copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
CHURCHILL, Winston. The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Longmans, London, 1898.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Frontispiece portrait & 6 maps, 4 folding. original green cloth, gold-stamped the the front cover & spine. London: Longmans Green, 1898. First Edition. Churchill's scarce first book. There is light foxing throughout; the original black front end-paper is scuffed where a bookplate was removed; front fly-leaf starting to detach; ownership signature on half-title. Lack of errata slip & 12/97 on he 32p. catalogue in the back indicate a first state.
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Winston Churchill. The Story of the Malakand Field Force,. Longmans, 1898.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: "The Story of the Malakand Field Force, an Episode of Frontier War", by Winston Churchill. 1st edition, 1st issue, Longmans, Green, & Co., 1898, half-tone frontispiece, 2 folding maps, 4 sketch maps, 32 pp. publisher's catalogue dated '12/97' at rear, no errata slip tipped in (indicating first state), bookplate of C.R. Hemeon to front pastedown and ink ownership inscription of Mrs Wood dated June 1904 to half-title (spotted) verso, upper inner hinges cracked, original green cloth gilt, a little rubbed and soiled, 8vo. Overall, a very good copy of Churchill's first book. Provenance: Clarence Reid Hemeon (1897-1953) was a high court judge in the Indian civil service, based at Nagpur.
Seller: Neverland Books, waalre, Netherlands
Price: US$3581.15 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 8vo. Gilt lettered green cloth. 7 maps, 2 folding. 336 pp, 32 pp ads. Slight tears in cloth at head and heel of spine. General soiling and darkening to spine. Clean interiors. Not a pristine copy.
Seller: Karol Krysik Books ABAC/ILAB, IOBA, PBFA, Toronto, ON, Canada
Price: US$4235.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, second issue with errata slip, 8vo., frontispiece portrait, 6 maps (2 folding), 32 pp. advertisements dated 13/98, scattered foxing, original green cloth gilt, light soiling, a very good copy. 'While I was attached to the Malakand Field Force, I wrote a series of letters from the London Daily Telegraph. The favourable manner in which these letters were received, encouraged me to attempt a more substantial work.' The book describes a military campaign by the British army on the North West Frontier (now western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) in 1897. Woods A1(b).
Seller: Shapero Rare Books, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$4800.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue, of Winston Churchillâs first book, an account of his service with the Malakand Field Force in India, with frontispiece portrait of Sir Binden Blood and six maps, two of them folding and in color. Octavo, original cloth. In very good condition, bookplate to the front pastedown, owner name. House in a custom half morocco clamshell box. When in the summer of 1897 a "Swati revolt threatened the British garrison holding the Malakand Pass" along the Afghanistan border, "Churchill caught the next boat to India" where he covered the events of the campaign for the Daily Telegraph (Manchester, 250). The book "was hailed as a minor classic, the debut of an exciting new talent, and⦠a penetrating study of Raj policy. Churchill's response to all this is curiously moving. He was 'filled with pride and pleasure⦠I had never been praised before'" (Manchester, 262). (Woods). Cohen A1.1.a. Woods A1(a). Langworth, 11
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue, of Winston Churchillâs first book, an account of his service with the Malakand Field Force in India, with frontispiece portrait of Sir Binden Blood and six maps, two of them folding and in color. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. Uncommon in this condition. When in the summer of 1897 a "Swati revolt threatened the British garrison holding the Malakand Pass" along the Afghanistan border, "Churchill caught the next boat to India" where he covered the events of the campaign for the Daily Telegraph (Manchester, 250). The book "was hailed as a minor classic, the debut of an exciting new talent, and⦠a penetrating study of Raj policy. Churchill's response to all this is curiously moving. He was 'filled with pride and pleasure⦠I had never been praised before'" (Manchester, 262). (Woods). Cohen A1.1.a. Woods A1(a). Langworth, 11
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue, of Winston Churchillâs first book, an account of his service with the Malakand Field Force in India, with frontispiece portrait of Sir Binden Blood and six maps, two of them folding and in color. Octavo, original cloth. In near fine condition, bookplate to the front pastedown. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase. Uncommon in this condition. When in the summer of 1897 a "Swati revolt threatened the British garrison holding the Malakand Pass" along the Afghanistan border, "Churchill caught the next boat to India" where he covered the events of the campaign for the Daily Telegraph (Manchester, 250). The book "was hailed as a minor classic, the debut of an exciting new talent, and⦠a penetrating study of Raj policy. Churchill's response to all this is curiously moving. He was 'filled with pride and pleasure⦠I had never been praised before'" (Manchester, 262). (Woods). Cohen A1.1.a. Woods A1(a). Langworth, 11
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Description: This is Churchill's first book, based on his exploits with Sir Bindon Blood's expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897. Offered here is a superior, collector worthy first edition, first state copy with interesting provenance. The sole previous owner name is "M. G. Cassels" in pencil on the half-title and what appear to corresponding corrections to pp. 187-89 and p. 207. On page 207, the third name in a list of "Wounded severely" British officers is "O. R. Cassells, 35th Sikhs." The "O." is crossed out and replaced with a "G" for the first initial and one of the "l"s struck to match the "G. Cassels" on the half-title. The corrections are in pencil and the "G" appears to be in the same hand as the "G." on the half-title.Lieutenant Cassells (or Cassels) was wounded while fighting alongside Churchill; his gallantry and good fortune are described in some detail on pp. 187-189. In each of the four instances of "Cassells" appearing in these pages, a single "l" is neatly crossed out in pencil. It seems quite plausible that the signature on the half-title page and corrections to the wounded officer's name were made by the officer himself.When this book was written and published, Churchill was a young cavalry officer still serving in India. While he had successfully applied his pen as a war correspondent - indeed the book is based on his dispatches to the Daily Telegraph and the Pioneer Mail - this was his first book-length work. The young Churchill was motivated by a combination of pique and ambition. He was vexed that his Daily Telegraph columns were to be published unsigned. On 25 October 1897 Churchill wrote to his mother: ".I had written them with the design. of bringing my personality before the electorate." Two weeks later, his resolve to write a book firming, Churchill again wrote to his mother: ".It is a great undertaking but if carried out will yield substantial results in every way, financially, politically, and even, though do I care a damn, militarily."Having invested his ambition in this first book, he clearly labored over it: "I have discovered a great power of application which I did not think I possessed. For two months I have worked not less than five hours a day." The finished manuscript was sent to his mother on the last day of 1897 and published on 14 March of 1898. Publication was arranged by Churchill's uncle while the author was still in India, resulting in numerous spelling and detail errors. Churchill was incensed by the errors and acted with haste to address them. Hence later states of the first edition bear errata slips. Home Issue copies also bear a 32-page Longmans, Green catalogue bound in at the back, which is dated either "12/97" or "3/98" at the foot of page 32.With only a little more than 1,900 copies bound, this first edition of Churchill's first book is both desirable and elusive in collector worthy condition. Here is such a copy, notable not only for provenance, but also for very good plus condition. The green cloth binding remains square with only light wear to extremities. We find a tiny ink mark below the author's name, but the spine gilt remains bright and we note only trivial overall soiling. The contents remain bright with modest intermittent spotting. First state is confirmed both by the lack of an errata slip and by a rear catalogue dated "12/97". The original black endpapers are intact, as are the frontispiece, tissue guard, and all maps, including the two folding maps at pages 1 and 146. The binding remains firmly attached, though we note some tenderness at the half-title verso, where there is a cosmetic split at the gutter, the paper separated but the mull and binding cords beneath still intact. We find a miniscule, unobtrusive bookseller sticker affixed to the lower front pastedown.Reference: Cohen A1.1.a, Woods/ICS A1(aa), Langworth p.12.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Description: This is one of four known surviving copies of this extravagantly rare Colonial Library binding of first edition sheets of The Story of the Malakand Field Force. Churchill's first book was issued in two distinctively different "cased" (hardcover) forms. The Home Issue first edition, only printing, is known to collectors in the familiar green cloth with contents printed on thick, white wove paper. Colonial editions were issued with strikingly illustrated front covers. There were no fewer than ten different editions, printings, and binding variations for the small number of Colonial issues ultimately produced from 1898 to 1901. Colonial editions were purposely made thinner and smaller "making them more economical to ship to far-off places than the larger domestic copies." Hence *nearly* all of the numerous Colonial editions and issues were printed on much thinner paper, the early issues on white laid paper (rather than the thicker wove paper of the Home Issue). All except 46 copies. These 46 are actually Home Issue sheets hence true first editions but bound by the publisher in the strikingly illustrated Colonial cloth rather than the green cloth. According to Churchills Bibliographer Ronald Cohen, "On 13 December 1898, Longmans Green apparently had a small surplus of domestically destined sheets and an urgent need for colonial copies. So the publisher assigned forty-six sets of the domestic sheets to the Colonial Library." (See Cohen A1.2.f.) "They were bound in cases identical to those of the standard Colonial Library issue, but they are 30 percent thicker in order to accommodate the thicker domestic sheets. The paper is of course the white wove paper of the domestic sheets but the page size has been trimmed from 191 x 127 mm to 183 x 121 mm. It was of course necessary to provide these copies with a new title page, since the books were intended for sale in the Colonies, and the new title page was printed on wove paper to match the domestic sheets the middle initial "L." was dropped from the author's name (although it remained on the front cover of the volume)." (Finest Hour, Number 141, Winter 2008-09)Our recent discovery of this copy makes just three complete and privately-owned copies known (a fourth resides in the New Zealand National Library, missing a map). Notably, these four known survivors are fewer in number than known surviving copies of either Mr. Brodricks Army or For Free Trade.Condition of this copy approaches very good, sound and complete with pardonable and only superficial cosmetic detractions. The binding is tight and square with a nicely rounded spine. The illustrated front cover is quite well preserved, with only slight scuffing and soiling. Shelf presentation is quite respectable for a Colonial edition, the color unfaded and the gilt print still bright and clearly legible despite slight mottling, a scuff to the "WINSTON L. | SPENCER", and wrinkling at the spine ends. Thankfully, significant aesthetic detractions are confined to the undecorated rear board, which shows a large, dark stain, a thin, vertical red stain adjacent to the spine, and general overall soiling and staining. The contents are tight and, surprising for any Colonial issue, bright with an almost crisp feel. Frontispiece, tissue guard, and all maps are present, with no maps improperly folded. Spotting is moderate, primarily confined to the first and final leaves and the page edges. The errata slip found in later states of the Home Issue was available from 19 April 1898. The 46 sets of Home Issue sheets were transferred to the Colonial Library on 13 October 1898. Consonant with these dates, this copy includes the 13-item domestic errata slip. Of note, each of the three previously known copies has New Zealand provenance. The sole previous ownership mark in this copy is consistent. "Percival. A. Mudd | N.Z. 19.3.99." is inked on the half title.Bibliographic reference: Cohen A1.2.f First edition, Home Issue, Colonial Library binding.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$5772.43 + shipping
Description: First edition, first state without the erratum slip preceding the first folding map. 8vo. Original green cloth with gilt titles to the upper cover and spine. A near fine copy, with some tanning to the spine, but the boards are notably clean. Page edges tanned, but generally fresh, with armourial bookplate to the front pastedown. Housed in custom made slipcase. Frontispiece portrait, two fold out maps and four full page maps as called for. The author's scarce first book written from the author's experience on the Indian frontier. "While I was attached to the Malakand Field Force, I wrote a series of letters from the London Daily Telegraph. The favourable manner in which these letters were received, encouraged me to attempt a more substantial work". Woods A1(a)
Seller: Jonkers Rare Books, Henley on Thames, OXON, United Kingdom
Price: US$6000.00 + shipping
Description: This is an exceptional copy of the first edition, only printing, first state of Churchill's first book, based on his exploits with Sir Bindon Blood's expedition on the Northwest Frontier of India in 1897. First state is confirmed by the lack of an errata slip and a publishers catalogue dated "12/97". Condition is near fine, a strikingly clean and unrestored example, quite elusive thus. The publishers green cloth binding remains square, tight, clean, and beautifully bright with sharp corners. We note only trivial wrinkling to the spine ends and a hint of wear to the hinges and corners. There is no appreciable color shift between the spine and covers and the gilt on both the front cover and spine remains vividly bright. The binding is protected with a removable, clear mylar cover.The contents are equally and notably clean for the edition. The page edges even the top edge are free of dust or soiling, showing only mild age-toning. Within, the contents are atypically bright for the edition and spotting atypically modest, substantially confined to the half-title, title, and dedication pages, light and only intermittent elsewhere through the text. All maps are intact, including the folding maps at pages 1 and 146, as is the frontispiece and tissue guard. The original black endpapers are present, with an unobtrusive cosmetic split to the paper at the lower 2 inches (5 cm) of the front pastedown gutter that in no way affects binding integrity. The name "Mary B. Leiter" and a date of "June 1899" are inked in the same hand on the upper half-title. "Leiters" is written in pencil on the upper front free endpaper (unobtrusive on the black paper) above "Alice B".When this book was written and published, Churchill was a young cavalry officer still serving in India. While he had successfully applied his pen as a war correspondent - indeed the book is based on his dispatches to the Daily Telegraph and the Pioneer Mail - this was his first book-length work. The young Churchill was motivated by a combination of pique and ambition. He was vexed that his Daily Telegraph columns were to be published unsigned. On 25 October 1897 Churchill wrote to his mother: ".I had written them with the design. of bringing my personality before the electorate." Two weeks later, his resolve to write a book firming, Churchill again wrote to his mother: ".It is a great undertaking but if carried out will yield substantial results in every way, financially, politically, and even, though do I care a damn, militarily." Having invested his ambition in this first book, he clearly labored over it: "I have discovered a great power of application which I did not think I possessed. For two months I have worked not less than five hours a day."The finished manuscript was sent to his mother on the last day of 1897 and published on 14 March of 1898. Publication was arranged by Churchill's uncle while the author was still in India, resulting in numerous spelling and detail errors. Churchill was incensed by the errors and acted with haste to address them. Hence later states of the first edition bear errata slips. Home Issue copies also bear a 32-page Longmans, Green catalogue bound in at the back, which is dated either "12/97" or "3/98" at the foot of page 32. With only a little more than 1,900 copies bound, this first edition of Churchill's first book is both desirable and elusive. Copies of this quality are becoming quite rare. Reference: Cohen A1.1.a, Woods/ICS A1(aa), Langworth p.12
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$6413.81 + shipping
Description: First edition, first state, of Churchill's first book, home issue in the "apple green cloth" (Woods). This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. First-state copies do not have an errata slip. Copies were also bound for export in cloth and in wrappers, both designated "Longmans' Colonial Library" on the front cover. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the half-title. 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 A1.1.a; Woods A1a. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt within blind panel, front cover lettered in gilt on recessed panel, black endpapers. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. With 32-page publisher's catalogue at rear dated "12/97" (copies also found with catalogue dated "3/98"). Partly erased library stamp to half-title, ink marking in outer margin of pp. 114-5. Spine lightly darkened with shadow of removed label, contents toned, staining to catalogue at rear. Still a good copy in the original cloth.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$6850.00 + shipping
Description: Winston Churchill's 'The Story of the Malakand Field Force' A Near Fine First Edition in the Original Cloth - Housed in a Superb Cosway-Style Clamshell Case CHURCHILL, Winston L. Spenser. The Story of the Malakand Field Force. An episode of frontier war. with maps, plans, etc. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1898. First edition, second state with the errata slip tipped in immediately preceding the first folding map and the 32 page publisher's catalog dated "3/98". Octavo (7 9/16 x 5 inches; 192 x 127 mm.). [xvi], 336 pp. 32 page publisher's catalog dated March 1898 at end. Photogravure frontispiece with original tissue guard, two colored folding maps, both with original tissue guards, and four uncolored sketch maps. Publisher's apple green cloth, front cover and spine lettered in gilt, black coated endpapers. Mainly marginal foxing throughout but far less than is usually seen. Spine with very slight mark, possibly from a label that has been removed. In spite of the aforementioned this is an exceptional and near fine copy of Churchill's first non fiction work. Now housed in a magnificent Cosway-Style full red morocco clamshell case with watered red silk lining. On the front is a fine oval portrait miniature (3 1/8 x 2 1/2 inches; 79 x 63 mm.) of a young Winston Churchill, spine with five raised bands decoratively tooled and lettered in gilt. Aside from the foxing this is a near fine copy of Churchill's first published work of non fiction, the apple green cloth binding free from the usual fading and mottling. "2000 copies published on 14 March 1898, price 7s. 6d. There is a second state of this first issue, identified by the presence of an errata slip tipped in immediately preceding the first folding map. All copies should possess protective tissues over the frontispiece and folding maps, and should also possess a 32pp. Classified Catalogue, printed on thinner paper and separately numbered 1-32." (Woods, A1(a), p. 16) The Story of the Malakand Field Force: An Episode of Frontier War was an 1898 book written by Winston Churchill; it was his first published work of non-fiction. The book describes a military campaign by the British army on the North West Frontier (now western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan) in 1897. It is dedicated to General Bindon Blood. The story of the campaign and Churchill's part in it is told in Con Coughlin 2013 book: Churchill's First War: Young Winston and the Fight Against the Taliban. Seeking military distinction, the 22-year-old Winston S. Churchill talked his way into the Malakand Field Force as a war correspondent, reporting on the front line in a struggle against restless tribes on the Northwest Frontier. Churchill describes dramatic campaigns, his writing always rooted in the exotic and, at times, adverse environment of the area now part of Pakistan. This experience of entrenched and increasingly mechanized warfare almost certainly influenced his command during the First World War, when he was better able than most to understand the nature of military stalemate. In this, his first book, he collected his reports of the conflict, providing a fascinating look at the start of Churchill's career as both a writer and as a soldier. Woods A1 (a) second state.
Seller: David Brass Rare Books, Inc., Calabasas, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$7500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is a very attractive copy of the First State of the First English edition. The rear publisher's catalogue is dated 12/97 and there is no Errata slip. The cloth is fresh and only modestly and evenly faded, including the spine, which is physically robust and unruffled. The binding is crisp and the corners are sharp, if a touch turned. There is a very faint dent in the lower edge of the front and rear boards and a similarly faint scratch in the front face. The contents are fine and unfoxed, with the frontis photo tissue guard present and not browned or tanned. All maps are present and correctly folded, with some transfer at Page 1. The title page and dedication page are uncut. The book is preserved in a gorgeous rose quarter-calf cloth solander, the spine gilt-tooled in five compartments with raised bands. First English Edition [1 of 2,000 copies] (Cohen A1.1.a) (Woods A1a). 8vo (352 pages, 6 maps, illustrations, tissue-guarded frontis portrait. With 32-page rear catalogue dated 12/97)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$7982.50 + shipping
Description: THE STORY OF THE MALAKAND FIELD FORCE AN EPISODE OF FRONTIER WAR, Longmans, Green & Co., 1898, first edition, some light soiling to the covers, modest tanning to the spine, a few tiny nicks to the spine extremities, some scattered foxing, else a tight very good copy in the publishers original cloth binding of this, the most prolific authors first book, detailing his military experience in the northwestern frontier of India with all maps present as called for.
Seller: THE FINE BOOKS COMPANY / A.B.A.A / 1979, ROCHESTER, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$9500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is an exceptionally good copy. The green cloth is vibrantly bright and unfaded, including the fade-prone spine. The binding is crisp and the corners are sharp. This is the Second State binding for the First English edition, per Cohen. The rear publisher's catalogue is present, dated 3/98, and an Errata slip is present after the first folding map. (Frederick Woods' original Churchill bibliography indicated two "states" based on the presence or absence of Errata slips. Subsequent research has indicated that no precedence should be assigned. A rear catalogue dated 3/98 does generally mean a later state than copies with 12/97 catalogues.) The frontis portrait tissue guard is well-tanned, as is the rarely-seen tissue guard for the fold-out map opposite page 146. The black front endpaper has two tiny edge-chips and some beginning separation at the hinge. There is some darkening to the upper fore-edge. The contents are fine; entirely unfoxed. Preserved in a handsome green half-leather slipcase with internal cloth chemise. First English Edition (Second State) [1 of 2,000 copies] (Cohen A1.1.b) (Woods A1a). 8vo (352 pages, 6 maps, illustrations, tissue-guarded frontis portrait. With 32-page rear catalogue dated 3/98)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$9620.71 + shipping
Description: First edition of Churchill's first book, home issue in the "apple green cloth" (Woods), which is particularly prone to fading and mottling. This is an attractive copy of a work of which "truly fine copies are extreme rarities, and even those with routine wear and tear are difficult to find" (Langworth). Churchill was a correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book-form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. This copy is in the second state, with the errata slip. Copies were also bound for export in cloth and in wrappers, both designated "Longmans' Colonial Library" on the front cover. Cohen A1.1.b; Woods A1a. Richard M. Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt within blind panel, front cover lettered in gilt on recessed panel, black endpapers. Housed in a burgundy cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. With 32-page publisher's catalogue at rear dated "3/98". Neat contemporary ownership signature to front free endpaper verso. Very light sunning to spine else cloth fresh and square, contents with slight foxing: a near-fine copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$9620.71 + shipping
Description: First edition of Churchill's first book, home issue in the "apple green cloth" (Woods), which is prone to fading and mottling. This is an attractive example of a work of which "truly fine copies are extreme rarities, and even those with routine wear and tear are difficult to find" (Langworth). This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. This copy is in the second state, with the errata slip. Copies were also bound for export in cloth and in wrappers, both designated "Longmans' Colonial Library" on the front cover. This copy does not have the publisher's catalogue - Cohen writes he has seen two such copies, and considers they were shipped to America for sale. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the half-title. 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 A1.1.b; Woods A1a. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt within blind panel, front cover lettered in gilt on recessed panel, black endpapers. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Very light sunning to spine and bumping at ends, slight slit to rear joint, otherwise bright and square with clean contents: a near-fine copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$10000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is an astonishingly fresh, virtually mint copy of the rare First Colonial Library hardcover edition, which was "intended for circulation only in India and the British colonies." Harsher climate conditions in the colonies generally resulted in low survival rates for these volumes. Thus, the immaculateness of this example is so striking. Typographically, the front cover is also an undocumented variant, with Churchill's name rendered as "W. Spencer Churchill," absent the initial "L." [for Leonard] that is usually present. (The "L" was dropped on all Second Edition covers.) The title page here conforms to the First Edition title page. The spine is unfaded; as strongly colored as the front and rear faces. The gilt titles are bright. The binding is crisp, tight and square, with sharp corners. The contents are fine and virtually unfoxed. Simply an exceptional copy. First Colonial Library Edition [1 of 1,075 copies] (Cohen A1.2.a) (Woods A1ab). 8vo (337 pages, with frontis portrait and 6 maps, including 2 fold-out in color.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$10450.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue of the book, no other printings were issued of the first edition but one. This copy with the printed errata slip tipped in. A complete and perfect copy. With a photographic portrait frontispiece, 2 folding maps in colour and 4 sketches and plans. 8vo, publishers original pale green cloth lettered in gilt on spine and cover. Now housed in a very fine light-red morocco fold-over case, the spine panel of the case with raised bands stopped in gilt, the compartments with gilt ruled frames, lettered and numbered in 3 compartments in gilt. xv, 336, 32 ads. An extremely fine copy, all tissue guards present, maps and sketches all in especially fine condition, the cloth as pristine and about as fine and clean as one could hope to find. THE FIRST EDITION, AND AN EXTREMELY FINE AND CLEAN COPY OF THIS INCREASINGLY HARD TO FIND WORK. The first book written by Winston Churchill who would one day be not only a prolific and prize winning author but one of the greatest figures in modern history. After an education at Harrow and Sandhurst he entered the army in 1895 and embarked on one of the most varied and distinguished careers of the 20th century. He acted as a correspondent for The Daily Telegraph from India and for the Morning Post during the Boer War. His dramatic escape from prison in Pretoria brought him to public attention. He embarked on his political career in 1900 by entering Parliament. While there he held many major offices of state: Home Secretary, Secretary of State for War, First Lord of the Admiralty in which he oversaw naval operations for the First World War, Colonial Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and eventually in 1940, Prime Minister. The latter office he would hold throughout World War Two and again from 1951 to 1955. Early in this illustrious life, in 1897, the Daily Telegraph paid Churchill £5 per column for his dispatches from the Northwest Frontier in India, where he first saw action as a soldier, and after his return he fashioned these articles into the book here offered. It was the author's first book and only 2000 copies were printed; it is of course now very difficult to find, especially in such fine condition.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$10500.00 + shipping
Description: " the indiscriminating bullet settles everything." This remarkable association copy of the first edition of Winston Churchills first published book belonged to the bereaved family of Lieutenant-Colonel James Loughnan OBryen, whose death Churchill eloquently mourns at pages 245-7. Noteworthy for condition alone, this book is not only enriched by association with OBryens family, but is also accompanied by a small archive including an original drawing of the Malakand Pass and five contemporary photographs depicting Colonel OBryen, his Regiment, and a native militia.Lieutenant-Colonel James Loughnan OBryen (1858-1897) was born in Delhi and educated in England. His father was a decorated Colonel with the Indian Staff Corps. OBryen entered the Army in 1874 (the year Churchill was born), joining the Indian Staff Corps himself in 1876. OBryen was second in command of the 30th Punjabis when he was given command of the Bengal Infantrys 31st Punjab Regiment on 5 August 1897. Less than two months later he was killed in action.Churchill dedicated 465 words to describing OBryens courageous death and philosophically speculating on the peculiar role of chance in warfare which had claimed OBryen on the same battlefields that spared Churchill: " the 31st Punjaub infantry advanced under Colonel OBryen he directed the fire and animated the spirit of the men At last, he was carried mortally wounded from the action a military career differs from all others All his fortunes must be staked afresh each time he goes into action the indiscriminating bullet settles everything though the death in action of a colonel at the head of his regiment is as fine an end as a soldier can desire, it is mournful to record " Churchills words apparently found OBryens wife and daughter. The sole ownership name in the book is "OBryen | 29 Ellerker Gardens | Richmond-Surrey" in three lines inked on the half-title. The upper corner of the p.245-6 leaf is folded and there are faint pencil lines in the margins beside Churchills account of OBryen.The book is a beautifully clean, near-fine copy. A tipped-in errata slip and rear catalogue dated "12/97" identify an early second state of the first edition, only printing. The green cloth binding is square, tight, clean, and bright with no discernible color shift between spine and covers and only trivial wear to hinges and corners and minor wrinkling at spine ends. The contents are atypically bright with incidental spotting confined to the otherwise clean page edges. All maps are intact, including folding maps at pages 1 and 146, as are the frontispiece and tissue guard and the original black endpapers. The mull is nominally exposed in the gutter following the half-title, but this is strictly a cosmetic issue, not affecting binding integrity.The unsigned ink drawing of a mountain pass and military encampment accompanying the OBryen Malakand is on a folded and spotted 4.5 x 7 inch piece of laid paper. Triangles at the lower left, presumably tents, are captioned "Dargai Camp" and the lower right is captioned "Dotted line shows Malakand Pass". Of five accompanying photographs, two depict Colonel OBryen and two the men he commanded. Four photographs are silver gelatin. Two of these group portraits measuring 4.75 x 6.75 and 6.5 x 8.125 inches are captioned "30th PUNJABI INFANTRY". The sole non-military image is 6.25 x 8.125 inches, showing OBryen in a suit seated on porch stairs flanked by a child and two women. An 8.5 x 11.25 portrait of un-uniformed men and boys, some armed, is captioned "Central Group Young [illegible]". The final word may be "Militia". The sole albumen portrait is arguably the standout of the collection, depicting four rows of native soldiers with their British Officers, OBryen prominent among them and identified by name in the caption. The lower right is signed "F. Winter", a photographer in Muree, Punjab.Reference: Cohen A1.1.b
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$11500.00 + shipping
Description: This is a double family association copy of the first edition, only printing, first state of Winston S. Churchills first published book. The enthusiastically proud inscription, inked on the half-title in four lines, reads "David Thomson | from the Authors | Aunt! | April 98". The date is the month following 14 March 1898 publication. The inscription is in the hand of Winstons "favorite" Aunt Leonie to the husband of Winstons cousin. ConditionThis beautifully clean, near-fine copy would be noteworthy for condition alone. The lack of an errata slip and rear catalogue dated "12/97" identify first state. The green cloth binding is square, tight, and unfaded with no appreciable color shift between spine and covers, sharp corners, and bright gilt on both the front cover and spine. We note only some wrinkling to the spine ends, a superficial blemish to the rear cover, and very light soiling, mostly to the lower front cover fore edge. The contents are bright, apart from customary toning of the endpapers and adjacent leaves. All maps are intact, including folding maps at pages 1 and 146, as are the frontispiece and tissue guard and the original black endpapers. Spotting is light for the edition. The only previous ownership mark, discussed below, is an embossed device associated with the estate of Churchills cousin.The book is housed in a full green Morocco goatskin Solander case featuring a rounded spine, with gilt rule framed and gilt decorated spine bands, and covers with gilt rule borders, the interior lined with green velvet. Winstons "favorite aunt"Lady Leonie Blanche (nee Jerome) Leslie (1859-1943) was the youngest of the three famous Jerome sisters including Clara and Jennie, the mother of Winston Churchill. Jennies 1873 marriage to a son of the Duke of Marlborough both produced Winston Churchill and introduced her sisters to aristocratic England, from which their own marriages ensued. In 1884, Leonie wed Sir John Leslie, an Anglo-Irish baronet.Winston, fifteen years his aunts junior, maintained a lifelong relationship with her. " it was often Tante Leonie who took Winston in hand during his holidays." (Kehoe, Fortunes Daughters, p.151) Aunt Leonie sketched the outline of the heroine in Winstons only novel, helped him furnish his first bachelor flat, and corresponded with him throughout his adult life. The year before she died, on 14 September 1942, she wrote to her nephew: "I am all puffed up with pride at your great achievements, yes, puffed out like an old pouter pigeon." In his last letter to her, of 1 August 1943, he wrote to her "You have sent me a lot of charming messages which have cheered me greatly on this long journey. They give me, what no one else can give me, the link with my youth and with my mother." Leonie called Winston her favorite nephew (Irish Independent) and she, in turn, was his favorite aunt.Forty-five years after she inscribed this book, Leonie died while her nephew was Britains wartime Prime Minister. Leonie was reportedly buried with "between her fingers a silver coin Winston sent her for luck " (24 August 1943 letter from Shane Leslie to Seymour Leslie)David Thomson & Eva PurdyThe recipient of this copy, David Thomson (1853-1906), a New York City lawyer, was the husband of Eva Purdy Thomson (1860-1917). Eva was an American cousin of Winston Churchill, the daughter of Catherine Purdy (nee Hall), sister of Mrs. Leonard Jerome (nee Clarissa Hall), Winstons maternal grandmother. Churchill was hosted and helped by Eva during his first visit to New York in 1895. Churchill later inscribed several books for Evas and husband, including The River War (1899) and Lord Randolph Churchill (1906).The upper right blank margin of p.1 features the circular embossed device of "Nepahwin, Inc 1917". Nepahwin was Eva's estate near New Windsor-on-the-Hudson, reportedly converted to an incorporated retreat for religious workers when Eva died.Reference: Cohen A1.1.a, Woods/ICS A1(aa), Langworth p.12
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$48103.56 + shipping
Description: First edition, presentation copy to Churchill's valet and companion of many years, inscribed by the author on the half-title, "Thomas Walden from Winston S. Churchill". Contemporary presentation copies of Churchill's first book are exceedingly rare. Thomas Walden (1868-1921) was the long-serving valet of Churchill's father, Lord Randolph. When Randolph died in 1895, Walden switched to serving Winston, "accompanying him to all his wars and taking care of him" (Lee & Lee, 2010, p. 193). He travelled with Churchill to South Africa in 1899. Churchill was with Walden when he was captured by the Boers, and Walden wrote to his mother to tell her the news. When Churchill entered government, Walden acted as his personal messenger. Walden served Churchill until his death in 1921. After his funeral, Churchill wrote to his wife "Alas my dearest I grieve to have lost this humble friend devoted and true whom I have known since I was a youth", and told her he had "wept bitterly" along with the rest of the household - as Andrew Roberts notes, "few other aristocrats of the day would have described their manservant as a friend and wept for them" (Roberts, p. 286). The Story of the Malakand Field Force is based on Churchill's reports as correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). Presentation copies with contemporary signatures are extremely rare - this is the first we have handled. Auction records show only two other possible presentation copies, and the signatures in both were most likely secretarial. Churchill tended to sign copies of Malakand much later in life. This copy is the home issue (copies were also bound for export in cloth and in wrappers, both designated "Longmans' Colonial Library" on the front cover). It is in the second state, with the errata slip which is absent in the first. Provenance: the book comes from the two of the greatest Winston Churchill collections: that of Donald Scott Carmichael (bookplate to chemise) and the collection of Steve Forbes. It was sold at Sotheby's in 1970 (6 July, lot 311). Cohen A1.1.b; Langworth, pp. 12-14; Woods A1a. Celia Lee & John Lee, The Churchills: A Family Portrait, 2010; Andrew Roberts, Churchill, 2019. Octavo. Original green cloth, spine lettered in gilt within blind panel, front cover lettered in gilt on recessed panel, black endpapers. Housed in green quarter morocco slipcase and chemise. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps (2 folding and in colour). With 32-page publisher's catalogue at rear dated "3/98" (copies also found with catalogue dated "12/97"). Cloth slightly soiled with ring stain on front cover, front inner hinge a little tender, front free endpaper loosening a little, contents generally toned and slightly foxed, minor staining to a few plates, notwithstanding still a very good copy of a book very prone to soiling and wear, here without any repair or restoration.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom