Winston S. Churchill. India, an author's presentation copy of the scarce hardcover issue inscribed by Churchill the month following publication to James Craig, 1st Viscount Craigavon and first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland. Thornton Butterworth, Ltd., London, 1931.

Price: US$6500.00 + shipping

Description: This author’s presentation copy of the scarce hardcover issue of India is inscribed by Winston S. Churchill to James Craig, first Viscount Craigavon and first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, with whom Churchill had worked closely for the previous decade to establish and secure peace between northern and southern Irish states. The inscription, inked in black in five lines on the front free endpaper, reads: "To | Craigavon | from | Winston S. Churchill | 1931. June". This first edition, second and final impression was issued in late May, following the first printing of 27 May 1931. Hence this copy was potentially inscribed within days of publication. This is a remarkable association copy of a book almost never encountered signed, let alone inscribed, and certainly not in this, the scarcest of the first edition binding variants. It also bears the cringe-worthy evidence of previous ownership by a former mayor of Beverly Hills, California, who was clearly more narcissist than bibliophile. ConditionCondition is generally very good. The distinctive orange cloth binding is square and tight with only modest overall soiling, slight color shift to the spine, and trivial wear to extremities. The contents show only light spotting, primarily confined to the page edges, with occasional intrusions into the inner margins. What mars this remarkable association copy is its secondary and far lesser association, namely its previous ownership by Hugh W. Darling (1901-1986), a former Mayor of Beverly Hills (elected 1960) and President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. This copy was acquired directly from the estate of Darling in the late 1980s. In a singular act of ill-advised vandalism, Darling inked "Hugh W. Darling | From H.S.D." one inch below Churchill’s gift inscription. "H.S.D." is presumably Darling’s wife, Hazel, from whom Darling ostensibly received the book as a gift. Inked above and to the right of Churchill’s inscription are two dates. "Dec. 25, 1967" is inked in red above "Jan 1, 1968" in blue.Further marks within the text are, mercifully, in pencil rather than in ink. While we have left this underlining intact, it appears erasable. Underling appears in blue or red colored pencil on pages 10, 11, 23, 46, 47, 50, 60, 62, 65-68, 72, 85, 104, 112, 115, 120, 124, 126, and 138. One plausible explanation is that the 1967 and 1968 dates written in red and blue ink on the upper right of the front free endpaper denote when this underlining was done. However, we note that the underlining is in pencil while the dates are inked and that colored pencils were commercially available before this presentation copy was inscribed by Churchill for James Craig. Despite being marred by a doltish philistine of a previous owner, this remains a remarkable association copy of a book almost never seen signed, let alone inscribed. The AssociationJames Craig, (1871-1940), first Viscount Craigavon, served as first Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1921 until his death in 1940. From the early 1920s on, he and Churchill worked closely together, forging both Craig’s nation and a deep mutual regard.This association inscription is splendidly charged with irony. Churchill vigorously opposed Indian independence on the grounds that it would unleash the destructive potential of religious strife, lead to bitter partition and disputed borders, and unleash sectarian violence. Churchill came to support Irish Home Rule – which entailed both a bitter partition and fueled the ensuing better part of a century of sectarian violence and territorial disputes. James Craig was a vehement opponent of Irish independence, though he became the first Prime Minister for Northern Ireland and worked - closely with Churchill - to ensure the viability and perpetuation of a self-governing Northern Ireland.Lord Craigavon died in office on 24 November 1940, six months after Churchill became wartime Prime Minister.Reference: Cohen A92.1.d, Woods/ICS A38(a.2), Langworth p.150

Seller: Churchill Book Collector ABAA/ILAB/IOBA, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.