Winston S. Churchill - Arms and the Covenant, 1st edition in first issue jacket

Description: Arms and the Covenant Winston S. Churchill London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd., 1938 First edition, in first issue dust jacket Condition: Very GoodJacket Condition: Very Good minus This book is the precursor to Churchill’s great war speeches, the first edition, only printing. This particular copy is increasingly scarce thus, in the first issue dust jacket. This copy is very good in a very good minus dust jacket. The blue cloth binding is beautifully square, clean, bright, and tight with sharp corners and vivid spine gilt. We note only a hint of sunning at the spine tips. The contents retain a crisp, unread feel. Trivial spotting appears confined to the endpapers, half-title, and the blank frontispiece recto. The sole previous ownership markings are initials and a surname, neatly and diminutively inked on the upper right half-title recto. The fore and bottom edges are clean apart from modest age-toning. The blue-stained top edges are uniformly dulled. This copy would merit “very good plus” or better if not for a missing front free endpaper. This has been neatly but fully removed, so that the contents begin at the half-title, which shows customary transfer browning corresponding to the dust jacket flaps. The dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the original lower front flap price, and substantially complete, with tiny losses confined to the flap fold and joint extremities. The spine is moderately toned and soiled and the faces and flap folds show some spotting. The dust jacket is protected beneath a clear, removable, archival cover. Arms and the Covenant has been called "…the permanent record of one man’s unceasing struggle in the face of resentment, apathy, and complacency" and "probably the most crucial volume of speeches that he ever published." (Frederick Woods) The book contains text from 41 Churchill speeches spanning 25 October 1928 to 24 March 1938. These criticize British foreign policy and warn prophetically of the coming danger. The world remembers the resolute war leader to whom the British turned, but it is easy to forget the years leading up to the war, which Churchill spent persistent, eloquent, and largely unheeded, often at odds with both his own political party and prevailing public sentiment. The speeches were compiled by Churchill's son, Randolph, who contributed a preface and is credited with compilation. Randolph would do the same for his father's first volume of war speeches, Into Battle, published in an almost unrecognizable world less than three years later. The “Covenant” in the title of Arms and the Covenant refers to the League of Nations Covenant, the instrument that was to maintain peace in the wake of the First World War. As testimony to the book's importance, a copy of the U.S. edition lay on "President Roosevelt's bedside table, with key passages, including an analysis of the president's peace initiative, underscored" (William Manchester's The Last Lion, Volume II, p.305). The British first edition saw only a single printing of 5,000 copies published on 24 June 1938 and of these, perhaps as few as 3,381 were issued in the distinctive pale blue dust jacket. Reference: Cohen A107.1. Woods/ICS A44(a), Langworth p.191. Ref #: 007444 CHURCHILL BOOK COLLECTOR We are Churchill Book Collector, a professional bookseller specializing in books and other published works by and about the great twentieth century statesman and acclaimed writer, Sir Winston Churchill. We offer both a singular inventory and approachable expertise. The integrity of our inventory is backed by our membership in the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Churchill's official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, rightly called Churchill's long life "remarkable and versatile". Statesman, soldier, war correspondent, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, painter - Churchill was many things, but perhaps above all a master wordsmith. We’re here to help Churchill’s words find your shelves. Our extensive inventory features some of the rarest material offered – including fine first editions and inscribed copies – as well as reading copies and works about Churchill’s life and time. While we specialize in Churchill, our inventory also includes noteworthy first and collectible editions by other authors, ranging from Xenophon to T. E. Lawrence, spanning exploration and empire to twentieth century fiction. We are able to help with anything from finding individual books to assembling full collections, working closely with individual collectors to identify and accommodate their preferences and budget. We are also able to commission preservation cases and fine bindings. Please contact us if you have books to sell. We buy, and in some cases consign, fine and collectible individual items, as well as whole collections.

Price: 1925 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2024-11-07T03:27:56.000Z

Shipping Cost: 20 USD