London to Ladysmith via Pretoria, finely bound in full red Morocco by Bayntun-Riviere.
London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1900. First edition, first printing. Full leather. This an exceptional, finely bound British first edition, first printing of Churchill’s third published book. London to Ladysmith via Pretoria is the first of Churchill’s two books based on his newspaper despatches sent from the front in South Africa. This book and its successor, Ian Hamilton’s March, are Churchill's final literary effort as an itinerant soldier and war correspondent before embarking on his storied political career.
This copy is a compellingly handsome example of the fine binder’s craft, in full red Morocco by Bayntun-Rivière. The binding features a hubbed spine with gilt-ruled compartments, gilt-decorated bands, and gilt-hatched spine ends. The spine features the title and author in the second and third compartments with the publication date at the heel. The first, fourth, fifth, and sixth compartments each feature a gilt lion rampant. The covers feature gilt rule borders and gilt-decorated edges, the front cover gilt-stamped with Churchill’s facsimile signature. The contents are bound with all edges gilt, red and gold silk head and tail bands, and combed pattern marbled endpapers framed by generous, double gilt-ruled turn-ins with decorative corner devices.
“BOUND BY BAYNTUN RIVIERE. BATH. ENGLAND.” is gilt-stamped on the lower front pastedown turn-in. In 1939, the year the Second World War began, the firm of George Bayntun acquired the Rivière Bindery. The Bindery has been in residence on Manvers Street in Bath ever since.
Condition of the binding is fine, with no toning, soiling, blemishes, or appreciable wear. The bright and immaculate contents suit the binding. We find no spotting, no soiling, and no previous owner marks. All maps and plans are present, with the folding maps at the title page and p.366 fully intact and properly folded. The rear catalogue is dated “10/99” (rather than “’7/00”), indicating this is one of the earlier bound copies.
London to Ladysmith via Pretoria is the first of Churchill's two books based on his newspaper despatches sent from the front in South Africa. In October 1899, the second Boer War erupted between the descendants of Dutch settlers in South Africa and the British. Churchill, an itinerant, adventure-seeking young cavalry officer and war correspondent, swiftly found himself in South Africa with the 21st Lancers and an assignment as press correspondent to the Morning Post. Not long thereafter, on 15 November 1899, Churchill was captured during a Boer ambush of an armored train. His daring and dramatic escape less than a month later made him a celebrity and helped launch his political career.
London to Ladysmith via Pretoria contains 27 letters and telegrams to the Morning Post written between 26 October 1899 and 10 March 1900. It was published in England in mid-May 1900 and sold well. Churchill returned from South Africa in July 1900 and spent the summer campaigning hard in Oldham. Churchill had lost the Oldham by-election – his first attempt at Parliament – in July 1899. Since then, as Arthur Balfour (who became Prime Minister in 1902) put it in a 30 August 1900 letter, the young Churchill had had “fresh opportunities - admirably taken advantage of – for shewing the public of what stuff you are made.” Indeed; Churchill won his first seat in Parliament on 1 October 1900 in the so-called "khaki election".
Reference: Cohen A4.1.a, Woods/ICS A4(a.1), Langworth p.53. Item #008299
Price: $2,000.00