My Early Life.
London: Thornton Butterworth Limited, 1930. First edition, third printing. Hardcover. This is the first edition, third printing of Churchill’s only and extremely popular autobiography, published in November 1930, swiftly following the first and second printings of October. This copy is rendered exceptional by presence of the extravagantly rare dust jacket. The third printing dust jacket is identical in every respect to that of the first printing. The volume is nearly identical to the first printing, excepting only the printing history on the copyright page.
My Early Life has seen a great many editions, many of them collectible, but of course a premium attaches to first editions, with jacketed examples being among the most sought and elusive prizes in the Churchill canon. The vivid plum color of both the binding and dust jacket proved incredibly vulnerable to sunning. Whether because of sunning, the fact that this popular book appears to have been widely read, or both, very few first edition dust jackets survive. Despite a quarter century of research, Churchill’s bibliographer never recorded a jacketed third printing. We know of only two. This likely owes to the great temptation to transfer any third printing dust jacket to a first printing book; jacketed first printings command a towering premium.
In this case, the worn dust jacket clearly belongs with this book and we have not separated them. The jacket is noteworthy for its mere presence rather than condition, still in one piece – the spine, faces, and flap folds connected – but only just. There are various splits and losses along the hinges and flap folds. A substantial portion of the upper spine, above the author’s surname, is missing and there are lesser losses along the lower rear hinge and at the spine heel. The flaps and faces are mostly intact, though with losses to extremities, notably at the upper rear corner of the rear face, and to both the upper and lower edges of the front face. The jacket is laid atop (but not affixed to) a full-color replica of the original dust jacket, the replica and original pieces then placed beneath a clear, removable, archival cover.
This third printing volume beneath is in very good minus condition. The volume’s plum cloth binding is tight and uncommonly bright even if imperfect. The copy was clearly read, and the spine is a bit vertically dimpled, the spine ends are wrinkled and the corners bruised. Nonetheless – owing no doubt to the presence of the dust jacket – the binding remains bright and there is only mild color shift between the covers and spine. The contents are respectably bright, with no previous ownership marks. Spotting is intermittent and light within, heavier to the text block edges. Light differential toning to the endpapers corresponding to dust jacket flaps confirms what the bright binding testifies – that this copy spent life jacketed.
One can hardly ask for more adventurous content than the non-fiction (well, mostly) between the covers of My Early Life. Herein Churchill says:
"Twenty to twenty-five! These are the years!
Don't be content with things as they are....
Don't take No for an answer. Never submit to failure...
You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true,
and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her." (MEL, p.74)
By the end of his own twenty-fifth year, Churchill had been one of the world’s highest paid war correspondents, published his first five books, made his first lecture tour of North America, braved and breasted both battlefields and the hustings, and been elected to Parliament, where he would take his first seat only weeks after the end of Queen Victoria’s reign.
My Early Life remains one of the most popular and widely read of all Churchill's books. The factual experiences of Churchill’s early life compete with any fiction, and any liberties taken are forgivable, in keeping with the wit, pace, and engaging style that characterize the book.
Reference: Cohen A91.1.e, Woods/ICS A37(ab.3), Langworth p.131. Item #008138
Price: $2,650.00