Winston S. Churchill - The World Crisis / The Second World War - 1923-1948

Winston S. Churchill — 8 volumes in first editions on the two world wars, 1923 advertising prospectus and two handwritten inscriptions

A set of eight volumes in first editions by Winston S. Churchill, devoted to the two world wars. The lot is accompanied by a period advertising prospectus for The World Crisis, dated 1923, and two handwritten inscriptions addressed to the same recipient in the early volumes of The Second World War.

A statesman, a leading figure in both wars and a firsthand witness to their history, Churchill was also one of the great historical writers of the 20th century. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.

Contents of the lot

The World Crisis — First World War, volume 1 first published April 1923, volume 2 first published October 1923, volumes 3 and 4 first published March 1927, four volumes published by Thornton Butterworth, London:

* 1911–1914
* 1915
* 1916–1918, Part I
* 1916–1918, Part II

The Second World War — Second World War, first published 1948, four volumes published by Cassell & Co., London:

* Volume I, The Gathering Storm
* Volume II, Their Finest Hour
* Volume IV, The Hinge of Fate
* Volume VI, Triumph and Tragedy

All eight works are presented as first editions. The lot brings together these eight selected volumes and does not constitute the complete two series.

Two handwritten inscriptions to John Rombouts

Volumes I and II of The Second World War each bear a blue-ink inscription addressed to John Rombouts:

* In The Gathering Storm: “To John Rombouts. The Prelude to the days of difficulty in Belgium.”
* In Their Finest Hour: “To John Rombouts. As a token of respect for the part you played on the other side of the Channel.”

The handwritten signature beneath the inscriptions is read as “Cominius.” This reading is an attribution, not an authentication. The name evokes a SOE radio mission carried out in Belgium in 1944; however, the inscriptions themselves are not sufficient to establish a definite connection between this mission, the signatory and John Rombouts.

These inscriptions give the lot a distinctive historical interest: they evoke Belgium and the recipient’s role “on the other side of the Channel.” They are not attributed to Winston Churchill.

Original 1923 advertising prospectus

The lot includes the period advertising prospectus for The World Crisis, 1911–1915, bearing the words “READY APRIL 1923,” the name of Thornton Butterworth and the printed price of 30 shillings. Illustrated with a portrait of Churchill and describing the book, this original document provides a remarkable complement to the volumes devoted to the First World War. Churchill’s signature appearing on it is printed, not handwritten.

Condition and presentation

Volumes bound in publisher’s cloth, with gilt titles on the spines. Signs of wear and rubbing, slight fading to the spines, browned pages and a few age-related marks. The volumes shown in the photographs are without dust jackets. The 1923 prospectus has folds, marks and annotations; its condition is visible in the photographs.

A collector’s set bringing together Churchill’s two great histories of war, an original 1923 advertising prospectus and two handwritten inscriptions bearing a reading possibly connected to the Cominius mission.

Fast shipping, carefully protected and tracked.