Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931.
Price: US$20.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: hardcover with no dust jacket. scuffing along page edges.
Seller: BMV Bookstores, Toronto, ON, Canada
Winston S. Churchill .. The World Crisis (abridged in one volume).. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931.
Price: US$50.00 + shipping
Description: Abridged one-volume edition. Near fine book without jacket. Red hardcover, gold lettering on pine, 1931, 1949 printing, 866pp. Cover has slightest wear (barely visible), page edges not quite pristine, binding tight and square, endpapers tanned along hinge; text, maps and foldouts like new; no marks or writing. OVERSIZE. ** We are a small family business selling fine new and pre-owned books online since 1999. We provide professional service and individual attention to your order, daily shipments, and sturdy packaging. FREE TRACKING ON ALL SHIPMENTS WITHIN USA. **Your purchase supports our town's public library.
Seller: Brentwood Books, Kinnelon, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$50.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Navy cloth cover shows minor wear, rubbing, and bumped corners, no dj. Pages are lightly tanned with minor scattered foxing.
Seller: Books From California, Simi Valley, CA, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. THE WORLD CRISIS.. Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, 1931.
Price: US$50.00 + shipping
Description: Original blue cloth with gilt spine title; large octavo, xii, 866 pp., 20 full-page maps and charts (some folding), 34 additional maps, charts, etc. in the text. Revision and abridgement of the work previously published in 4 volumes. First US printing thus. Light scuffing and some dulling to cover cloth, previous owner name to front fixed endpaper, else very good.
Seller: Chanticleer Books, ABAA, Fort Bragg, CA, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. The World Crisis. NY: Scribner's, 1931, 1931.
Price: US$65.00 + shipping
Description: Hard bound, first edition, smaller quarto, illustrated with numerous fold-out maps in colour, and other maps, 866pp includes index. Canadian Member of Parliament for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF, forerunner of NDP) Alistair Stewart's inked signature to front free endpaper. Very minor rubbing to extremities else very good/-- in lightly soiled blue cloth covers (no dust jacket). All books in stock and available for immediate shipment from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Seller: Books on the Web, Winnipeg, MB, Canada
Churchill, Winston. The Unknown War: The Eastern Front. Scribner's, N.Y., 1931.
Price: US$88.50 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: nice copy of the first edition; bookplate
Seller: Kisselburg Military Books, Potomac, MD, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. The Unknown War | The Eastern Front. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$89.76 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Letter A on copyright page. 6-1/4" x 9", xviii + 396pp + tipped in folding maps in colour at end of text. Printed on off white acidic paper and bound in sewn signatures in dark maroon cloth boards. Missing jacket. Spine, top 1/4" of front panel shadow faded, and the bottom corners are slightly bumped, otherwise slight edge wear, shelf wear to cover. Top edge is age discolored / dust soiled. Binding is square and tight. Pages are gently aged toned but clean and unmarked.
Seller: The People's Co-op Bookstore, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Churchill, Winston S.. Unknown War. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$95.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Former library book with faded lettering on spine, stamps on copyright page and rear pockets removed. Rear hinge cracked, but attached, otherwise tight binding, solid boards with bright gilt lettering, sun-faded spine and 1" strip across front board, bright gilt lettering to spine strip, ruffled spine ends, foxing to upper text block, otherwise clean, unmarked pages throughout. Fold-out map in rear torn, but attached. Churchill's account of the Eastern Front in World War I. 1st edition with Scribner "A".
Seller: Shaker Mill Books, W. Stockbridge, MA, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. The World Crisis. Scribners, 1931.
Price: US$100.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is the first abridged edition of books 1,2 and 3 in the series. In blue cloth with Scribner's "A" on copyright pages. Front hinge is cracked and the rear hinge is starting at the bottom. The book is still tight with very little wear. Light browning to top page edges. Bookplate to front pastedown.
Seller: Jay W. Nelson, Bookseller, IOBA, Austin, MN, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. THE WORLD CRISIS. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$143.75 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: 866 pages, with 20 fold-out maps, and 33 black and white diagrams and illustrations. Blue cloth with godl titling, corners very lightly bumped, light wear to spine at corners, some rubbing on front and rear covers, previous owner's plate on fpdep, inscription on ffep, underlining and marginal notes in pencil throughout, some slight yellowing to page edges, Good.
Seller: J. Wyatt Books, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Price: US$150.00 + shipping
Description: Brown cloth over boards; Gold lettering on spine and front cover; 387 pp.; 69 bw maps and diagrams; 8 bw illus.; 1 fold-out color map in back of book. The story of World War I told from the Russian standpoint, as opposed to the British, which was told in Churchill's' 'World Crisis' and 'Aftermath'. Good, (Small bookplate inside front cover)
Seller: Mullen Books, ABAA, Marietta, PA, U.S.A.
CHURCHILL, WINSTON S. THE UNKNOWN WAR, THE EASTERN FRONT. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Description: Front cover and spine lettered in gilt. Spine sunned. Spine extremities lightly frayed. Frontispiece portrait of Emperor Francis Joseph. Eight additional illustrations through the text. Sixty-nine maps and dsiagrams in black and white. Large folding color map at rear. Map hinge repaired with archival tape, no loss of paper. Rare small areas of foxing confined to fore-margins. This is the American first edition of the sixth volume in the "World Crisis" set. The British edition is called "The Eastern Front". 396pp. See Woods A31(aa). Size: Medium Crown Octavo
Seller: Glenn Books, ABAA, ILAB, Prairie Village, KS, U.S.A.
Winston Churchill. The World Crisis. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$250.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: "The World Crisis" by Winston Churchill. First American edition thus from Charles Scribner's Sons in 1931. The Scribner's "A" on the copyright page means that it is a first printing as well. This volume is a revision and abridgment of the work previously published in four volumes. Illustrated throughout with maps. 6.75'' x 9.5'', 866 pages. A previous owner, Kay Halle, left an inscription for a friend on the front endpaper. This particular signature is of historical interest because Halle--a journalist, socialite, and World War Two-era spy from Cleveland--was a personal friend of the Churchill family, and was in fact the lover of Churchill's son Randolph. She was also close to the Kennedy family, and was linked (either in friendship or romance) to many of the 20th century's political and artistic greats, including George Gershwin, Averell Harriman, Walter Lippmann, and Buckminster Fuller. The book is in very good minus condition. Some shelf wear, including cloth tearing, to the spine, and some bumping and scuffing to the corners. The blue cloth boards and spine are somewhat toned and slightly discolored in places, but the gilt lettering on the spine is intact. Occasional markings in pen and pencil (including the aforementioned inscription) and slight foxing/staining to the endpapers and pastedowns. The binding is cracked on the rear hinge. The text block and illustrations are toned, but bright, largely clean, and complete. The quality of the text, along with the fascinating bacstor behind the inscription, will make this a must-have for any student of history. Please view the many other rare titles available for purchase at our store. We are always interested in purchasing individual or collections of fine books. Inventory #(I5-60).
Seller: Ernestoic Books, Clarence, NY, U.S.A.
Churchill, Winston S.. The World Crisis (In One Volume). Charles Scribner's Sons, 1931.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First US Edition, First Printing. Blue cloth with gilt titles. Scribner "A" with shield. Prior owner signature on inside front cover.
Seller: J. Mercurio Books, Maps, & Prints IOBA, Garrison, NY, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis: The Unknown War. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Description: This is a jacketed copy of the first edition, first printing of the sixth and final book of The World Crisis, Churchill's monumental history of the First World War. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Then, being Churchill, he wrote about it.The World Crisis was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931, with the first four volumes spanning the war years 1911-1918 and the fifth dealing with the postwar years 1918-1928 (The Aftermath). In proposing this sixth and final book to his publisher, Churchill wrote: "In the previous volumes of the World Crisis I have described only in a few pages the course of events in the Eastern theatre. They have merely been the background of our main drama of the war. But now I think I might write a volume called 'The Eastern Front' (published as "The Unknown War" in the U.S.), which would be separate from but supplementary to our five volume history." Scribner published 3,870 first printing copies in 1931. First printing dust jackets are now quite scarce and absent the dust jackets the russet cloth bindings proved highly prone to fading and wear. The World Crisis is one of the few Churchill editions for which this, the U.S. edition, is the true first, as initial publication preceded the British.This first edition, first printing of the sixth and final volume approaches near fine in a fair dust jacket. First printing is confirmed by the Scribners "A" on the title page verso. The dark russet cloth binding is square, clean, tight, and bright as only jacketed copies can be. Mild dulling to the lower spine is the only minor detraction, this corresponding to lower spine dust jacket loss. The contents retain a crisp, unread feel. We find no previous ownership marks and no spotting. The dust jacket has done its job protecting the book beneath, but in the process taken the brunt of age and wear. The jacket is unclipped, retaining the original "$5.00" front flap price. There is a significant triangular loss at the lower spine, extending into the adjacent lower front face, to a maximum depth of 1.75 inches (4.5 cm) There is lesser, fractional loss at the spine head and flap fold corners, as well as a small loss at the center front flap fold. The upper front and lower rear joints show closed tears and there is a roughly 3 inch (7.6 cm) diagonal closed tear with attendant wrinkling extending from the upper front joint to the upper front face. The jacket spine is toned, scuffed, and soiled. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.In October 1911, aged 36, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He entered the post with the brief to change war strategy and ensure the readiness of the worlds most powerful navy. He did both. Nonetheless, when Churchill advocated successfully for a naval campaign in the Dardanelles that ultimately proved disastrous, a convergence of factors sealed his political fate. Churchill was scapegoated and forced to resign, leaving the Admiralty in May 1915. By November, Churchill resigned even his nominal Cabinet posts to spend the rest of his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches at the Front. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated by the Dardanelles Commission and rejoined the Government, foreshadowing the political isolation and restoration he would experience two decades later leading up to the Second World War. And, of course, Churchill famously returned to the Admiralty in September 1939. Despite Churchill's political recovery, the stigma of the Dardanelles lingered. Hence Churchill had more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.1(V).a, Woods/ICS A31(aa), Langworth p.103
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis: The Unknown War. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Description: This is a jacketed copy of the first edition, first printing of the sixth and final book of The World Crisis, Churchill's monumental history of the First World War. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Then, being Churchill, he wrote about it.The World Crisis was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931, with the first four volumes spanning the war years 1911-1918 and the fifth dealing with the postwar years 1918-1928 (The Aftermath). In proposing this sixth and final book to his publisher, Churchill wrote: "In the previous volumes of the World Crisis I have described only in a few pages the course of events in the Eastern theatre. They have merely been the background of our main drama of the war. But now I think I might write a volume called 'The Eastern Front' (published as "The Unknown War" in the U.S.), which would be separate from but supplementary to our five volume history." Scribner published 3,870 first printing copies in 1931. First printing dust jackets are now quite scarce and absent the dust jackets the russet cloth bindings proved highly prone to fading and wear. The World Crisis is one of the few Churchill editions for which this, the U.S. edition, is the true first, as initial publication preceded the British.This first edition, first printing of the sixth and final volume is very good minus in a good dust jacket. First printing is confirmed by the Scribners "A" on the title page verso. The dark russet cloth binding is square and tight, with only a hint of spine dulling and some scuffing to the rear cover, as well as light shelf wear to extremities. The contents are clean and complete, with age-toning but no spotting or previous ownership marks. The dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the original "$5.00" front flap price. There is shallow loss to the spine heel and across the upper edges, spanning the spine and adjacent portions of the faces. At the lower right front face, there is a larger, irregular loss, 1.5 x .625 inches (3.8 x 1.6 cm). The jacket faces are clean and bright apart from a few stray marks to the upper right of the rear face. The jacket spine is toned, scuffed, and a little stained, with a small hole below the authors name. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.In October 1911, aged 36, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He entered the post with the brief to change war strategy and ensure the readiness of the worlds most powerful navy. He did both. Nonetheless, when Churchill advocated successfully for a naval campaign in the Dardanelles that ultimately proved disastrous, a convergence of factors sealed his political fate. Churchill was scapegoated and forced to resign, leaving the Admiralty in May 1915. By November, Churchill resigned even his nominal Cabinet posts to spend the rest of his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches at the Front. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated by the Dardanelles Commission and rejoined the Government, foreshadowing the political isolation and restoration he would experience two decades later leading up to the Second World War. And, of course, Churchill famously returned to the Admiralty in September 1939. Despite Churchill's political recovery, the stigma of the Dardanelles lingered. Hence Churchill had more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.1(V).a, Woods/ICS A31(aa), Langworth p.103
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis: The Unknown War. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$1000.00 + shipping
Description: This is a jacketed copy of the first edition, first printing of the sixth and final book of The World Crisis, Churchill's monumental history of the First World War. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Then, being Churchill, he wrote about it.The World Crisis was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931, with the first four volumes spanning the war years 1911-1918 and the fifth dealing with the postwar years 1918-1928 (The Aftermath). In proposing this sixth and final book to his publisher, Churchill wrote: "In the previous volumes of the World Crisis I have described only in a few pages the course of events in the Eastern theatre. They have merely been the background of our main drama of the war. But now I think I might write a volume called 'The Eastern Front' (published as "The Unknown War" in the U.S.), which would be separate from but supplementary to our five volume history." Scribner published 3,870 first printing copies in 1931. First printing dust jackets are now quite scarce and absent the dust jackets the russet cloth bindings proved highly prone to fading and wear. The World Crisis is one of the few Churchill editions for which this, the U.S. edition, is the true first, as initial publication preceded the British.This first edition, first printing of the sixth and final volume is good in a very good dust jacket. First printing is confirmed by the Scribners "A" on the title page verso. The dark russet cloth binding is beautifully clean, tight, and square with superb spine presentation, sharp corners, and only a hint of shelf wear to extremities. Moreover, the contents are clean and bright. Even the untrimmed fore edges remain clean and the contents show no hint of spotting. The only previous ownership marks are a previous owners bookplate affixed to the front pastedown and a tiny previous owner sticker affixed to the lower rear pastedown. We would grade this copy as "fine" but for one considerable aesthetic flaw a large patch on the front cover, encompassing most of the authors name, is significantly discolored, likely either abraded or briefly exposed to moisture. The dust jacket is shows only mild spine toning and is notably clean, with only a few trivial blemishes. The upper front flap is neatly price-clipped and there is shallow intermittent loss to a maximum depth of .5 inch (1.27 cm) at the spine heel and bottom edge of the front face. The only other loss is fractional, confined to corners and hinge extremities. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.In October 1911, aged 36, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He entered the post with the brief to change war strategy and ensure the readiness of the worlds most powerful navy. He did both. Nonetheless, when Churchill advocated successfully for a naval campaign in the Dardanelles that ultimately proved disastrous, a convergence of factors sealed his political fate. Churchill was scapegoated and forced to resign, leaving the Admiralty in May 1915. By November, Churchill resigned even his nominal Cabinet posts to spend the rest of his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches at the Front. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated by the Dardanelles Commission and rejoined the Government, foreshadowing the political isolation and restoration he would experience two decades later leading up to the Second World War. And, of course, Churchill famously returned to the Admiralty in September 1939. Despite Churchill's political recovery, the stigma of the Dardanelles lingered. Hence Churchill had more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.1(V).a, Woods/ICS A31(aa), Langworth p.103
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Winston S. Churchill. The World Crisis: The Unknown War. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1931.
Price: US$1400.00 + shipping
Description: This is a jacketed copy of the first edition, first printing of the sixth and final book of The World Crisis, Churchill's monumental history of the First World War. A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Then, being Churchill, he wrote about it.The World Crisis was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931, with the first four volumes spanning the war years 1911-1918 and the fifth dealing with the postwar years 1918-1928 (The Aftermath). In proposing this sixth and final book to his publisher, Churchill wrote: "In the previous volumes of the World Crisis I have described only in a few pages the course of events in the Eastern theatre. They have merely been the background of our main drama of the war. But now I think I might write a volume called 'The Eastern Front' [published as "The Unknown War" in the U.S.], which would be separate from but supplementary to our five volume history." Scribner published 3,870 first printing copies in 1931. First printing dust jackets are now quite scarce and absent the dust jackets the russet cloth bindings proved highly prone to fading and wear. The World Crisis is one of the few Churchill editions for which this, the U.S. edition, is the true first, as initial publication preceded the British.This first edition, first printing of the sixth and final volume is a near fine plus volume in a good plus dust jacket. The dark russet cloth binding is as good as it gets - improbably bright, immaculately clean, square, and tight with sharp corners, vivid gilt, and only the most trivial hint of shelf wear to extremities. The contents are likewise notably clean, age-toned but with no previous ownership marks. Spotting is negligible, consisting of just a few spots on the top edges, pastedowns, and a page verso facing a folding map. All of the extensive illustrations, maps, diagrams, etc. are intact, including the color folding map at p.388. The Scribners "A" on the title page verso confirms first printing. Ghosting of flap fold text onto the endpapers confirms what the pristine binding already testifies that this copy has spent life jacketed. The dust jacket is neatly price-clipped at the upper front flap with minor chips at the spine head and very light wear to extremities. Despite moderate toning and staining to the spine, the red spine print remains distinct with no appreciable fading. The faces are complete and clean apart from a bit of faint reddish staining at the upper left of the front face. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.In October 1911, aged 36, Winston Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. He entered the post with the brief to change war strategy and ensure the readiness of the worlds most powerful navy. He did both. Nonetheless, when Churchill advocated successfully for a naval campaign in the Dardanelles that ultimately proved disastrous, a convergence of factors sealed his political fate. Churchill was scapegoated and forced to resign, leaving the Admiralty in May 1915. By November, Churchill resigned even his nominal Cabinet posts to spend the rest of his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches at the Front. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated by the Dardanelles Commission and rejoined the Government, foreshadowing the political isolation and restoration he would experience two decades later leading up to the Second World War. And, of course, Churchill famously returned to the Admiralty in September 1939. Despite Churchill's political recovery, the stigma of the Dardanelles lingered. Hence Churchill had more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.1(V).a, Woods/ICS A31(aa), Langworth p.103
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$3000.00 + shipping
Description: This is the first abridged and revised edition of Churchill's monumental history of the First World War in the original first printing dust jacket - one of the most striking and rare dust jackets in the Churchill canon. This magnificent copy is quite likely the finest surviving example.This important edition covering the war years 1911-1918 is not just an abridgement; it incorporates revisions by Churchill with new material, including a whole new chapter on the Battle of the Marne, as well as a new introduction. Moreover, this U.S. edition preceded the British, making it the true first edition. The front face of the yellow dust jacket features a full-length, half-tone photograph of Churchill striding, in top hat with walking stick in hand. The rear cover features a smaller head and shoulders image of Churchill in the uniform of the South African Light Horse (set amid an advertisement for A Roving Commission). Writing in 1997, Churchill expert Richard Langworth said of this dust jacket "I know of only two or three of these in existence." We know of a few more, but certainly only a small number survive and likely no one else owns one like this. This copy is extraordinary, both the jacket and volume in better than near fine condition. The jacket is complete, with no loss whatsoever and the original "$5.00" price intact on the upper front flap. Moreover, the jacket is beautifully bright, the yellow hue entirely unfaded. Minor wrinkling to extremities, particularly at the spine head and adjacent portions of the upper faces, and a hint of soiling, mostly to the rear face, are the only appreciable flaws. The dust jacket is fitted with a clear, removable, archival cover. The volume beneath is worthy of its jacket, the navy cloth binding beautifully clean, square, bright, and tight with vivid spine gilt, sharp corners. We find only a trivial hint of shelf wear at the spine heel. The contents are equally bright. There is no spotting and the profusion of maps, charts, etc. are all intact. A hint of age-toning is discernible only to the otherwise clean text block edges. We would grade this copy as truly "fine" if not for previous ownership marks all three contemporary and the same, consisting of "Mrs. William Read" and a Los Angeles address on the front pastedown, "Helen L. Read" and the date "Sept 1931" on the half-title, and "Helen L. Read" again on the dedication page. A tiny sticker reading "From the Books of J. W. Robinson Co. Seventh & Grand Los Angeles" is affixed to the upper rear pastedown; this was the flagship location of the eponymous department store, built in 1914.A quarter of a century before the Second World War endowed him with lasting fame, Winston Churchill played a uniquely critical, controversial, and varied role in the "War to end all wars". Churchill's history, The World Crisis, was originally published in six volumes between 1923 and 1931. This first abridged and revised edition, incorporating significant new material, was published in February 1931 actually preceding the November 1931 publication of the sixth and final volume of the unabridged edition. Churchill was in a special position to write this history of a war which nearly cost him both his political and corporeal lives. Churchill served as First Lord of the Admiralty from 1911 until 1915, but after the Dardanelles disaster and slaughter at Gallipoli, he was scapegoated and forced to resign. He ultimately went from the cabinet to the Front, spending his political exile as a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion in the trenches. Before war's end, Churchill was exonerated and rejoined the Government, foreshadowing the political isolation and restoration he would experience nearly two decades later leading up to the Second World War. Despite his political recovery, the Dardanelles stigma lingered, giving Churchill more than just literary and financial compulsion to write his history.Reference: Cohen A69.5.a, Woods/ICS A31(ba.1), Langworth p.115.
Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This is a very good copy of the First American Abridged edition, in the extravagantly rare dust jacket. Like the original six-volume edition, the Abridged one-volume edition was published first in the U.S. (February 1931) and is the true first edition. The unclipped dust jacket jacket is in very good condition overall, with 3 inches of uneven loss along the legth of the upper edge and left corner of the front face, wrapping around to the spine head, as well as fractional loss at the spine tail. The contents are fine and unfoxed with the rear hinge just beginning to give. Rare thus. First American Abridged Edition (Cohen A69.5.a) (Woods A31ba.1). 16mo (866 pages, with 20 fold-out maps, 33 tables and black and white illustrations.)
Seller: CHARTWELL BOOKSELLERS, NEW YORK, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$5443.67 + shipping
Description: First edition, second printing, presentation copy to the acting-Governor of the Bahamas during Churchill's recuperation from a near-death experience, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Charles Dundas from Winston S. Churchill. Nassau. Jan. 1931" [sic - 1932]. Churchill inscribed the book during his stay in Nassau in the Bahamas, following his near-fatal collision with a car in New York on 13 December 1931. Churchill sailed for Nassau on 31 December and recuperated there until 22 January. He wrote to his son Randolph "Here I lead the life as nearly as possible of a vegetable" (Gilbert, p. 391). On 5 January, the Bahamas Legislature gave Churchill a banquet, which was presided over by Charles Dundas as acting-Governor. This was Churchill's first public appearance since the accident. He made a speech praising the Bahamas parliament as one of the oldest in the world and urging them to increase their trade with Canada and the West Indies while maintaining their friendship with the US (see Coventry Evening Telegraph, 6 January 1932). Dundas (1884-1956) was Colonial Secretary to the Bahamas from 1929 to 1934 and at various times served as acting-Governor. He was later Governor from 1937 to 1940. The Unknown War (published as The Eastern Front in Britain) was the final volume of The World Crisis, Churchill's history of the First World War. The first printing of the volume was in November 1931; this second printing (distinguished by the absence of Scribner's "A" on the copyright page) was published on 26 December 1931. Churchill's inscription of "January 1931" - he meant 1932 - is an error easily made in the early days of a new year. Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes. Cohen A69.1(V).b. Martin Gilbert, The Churchill Documents, volume 12, 2009. Octavo. Original purple cloth, spine and front cover lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Housed in custom black cloth slipcase. Half-tone photographic frontispiece, 7 similar plates, 10 maps of which one folding and in colour, maps and plans to text. Cloth a little rubbed, tape residue to endpapers; unclipped jacket a little chipped at extremities with slight staining. A very good copy in very good jacket.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom