The Second World War, full set of six British first editions.
London: Cassell and Company, Ltd., 1948. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. This is a compellingly bright six-volume jacketed set of British first editions of The Second World War, Winston S. Churchill's history of the epic 20th Century struggle that was so indelibly stamped by his leadership. Jacketed British first edition sets in marginal condition are not uncommon. However, the coarse cloth bindings of this edition proved susceptible to soiling and mildew, the contents (printed on post-war "Economy Standards" paper) proved highly prone to spotting, the red-stained top edges are most often severely faded, and the dust jackets proved exceptionally vulnerable to pronounced spine toning.
This set is an exception to the rule, featuring better than near fine first printing volumes in very good plus or better dust jackets. The volumes are uniformly square, clean, tight, and unfaded with bright spine gilt and almost no appreciable shelf wear; we note just a few gently bruised corners and some wrinkling at the spine ends. The contents of all six volumes are a treat – immaculately clean and bright. We find no previous ownership marks, no spotting, and no soiling. Even the fore and bottom edges are improbably clean. The red-stained top edges retain rich, even hue across all six volumes. We find no previous ownership marks in the set.
All six dust jackets are unclipped, retaining the original front flap prices, and there is only the most negligible loss, confined to tiny chips at the upper rear joints of the Volume I and Volume IV jackets. Not only are the jackets highly complete, but the spines show very little of the usual toning, some of the red subtitles a bit faded but all still clearly legible. The dust jacket upper edges, particularly at the spine heads, show light wear and tiny closed tears, most of which straighten out beneath the clear, removable, archival covers. Among the hundreds of sets we've handled over the years, few have been this bright and clean overall.
Seldom, if ever, has history endowed a statesman with both singular ability to make history, and singular ability to write it. As with so much of what Churchill wrote, The Second World War is not "history" in the strictly academic, objectivist sense, but rather Churchill's perspective on history. In his March 1948 introduction to the first volume, Churchill himself made the disclaimer, "I do not describe it as history... it is a contribution to history..." Nonetheless the compelling fact remains, as stated by Churchill himself, "I am perhaps the only man who has passed through both the two supreme cataclysms of recorded history in high Cabinet office... I was for more than five years in this second struggle with Germany the Head of His Majesty's government. I write, therefore, from a different standpoint and with more authority than was possible in my earlier books." Certainly, The Second World War may be regarded as an intensely personal and inherently biased history. Nonetheless, Churchill's work remains iconic, a vital part of the historical record. The six-volume epic has been called "indispensable reading for anyone who seeks a true understanding of the war that made us what we are today."
Please anticipate that this set may require additional postage depending on delivery method and destination.
Reference: Cohen A240.4(I-VI).a, Woods/ICS A123(ba), Langworth p.264. Item #008972
Price: $1,500.00