"Outside of a dog, man's best friend is a book. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
— Groucho Marx
Winston Churchill | First Editions
1874 - 1965
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, PC, DL, FRS (30 November 1874 - 24 January 1965) was one of those people it is difficult to avoid in the rare book world, simply by dint of the fact that he was amazingly prolific, and had an educated opinion on everything.
As well as being Prime Minister of the UK twice, steering Britain to Victory during the dark days of the Second World War, writing more speeches than the entire Roman Senate, being a serving officer in the army, taking a stint as a war correspondent, being a noted historian, a less noted painter (although the island of Madeira loves him), he received the Nobel Prize for Literature and was also the first person to be made an honorary citizen of the USA.
See below our stock of Winston Churchill First Editions, fine bindings, sets, signed copies, and other collectible material.
Chartwell
Churchill War Rooms
Blenheim Palace
Lawrence of Arabia Memorial Pamphlet.
London: the friends of T. E. Lawrence, no date [circa 1936]. ORIGINAL PAMPHLET. Single page folded (19 x 11cm), with title to front cover and text inside. Upper left corner heavily browned, otherwise unmarked. Very good. A pamphlet describing the actions required to ensure a memorial to Lawrence be erected..... More
The Collected Essays of Sir Winston Churchill. General Editor: Michael Wolff.
London: Library of Imperial History, no date (1976). [History / Politics] FIRST EDITION. 4 volumes, octavo (25 x 17 x 15cm). Each volume has the publisher's presentation bookplate loosely inserted, noting that this set is number 8 of a limited edition (an uncommon extra). Bound in original quarter dark blue..... More
An Important Collection of Winston Churchill/World War II autographs.
no place, no date. [Autographs] A remarkable autograph album of one Lawrence Biggart containing 95 signatures (1940-48), mostly international statesmen, war leaders, dignitaries and prominent military officials and public servants, plus some contemporary celebrities. Small landscape album (18 x 12cm) in brown crocodile skin-effect leather, comprising 95 autographs on paper..... More
![War Speeches 1938-1945]: Into Battle; The Unrelenting Struggle; The End of the Beginning; Onwards...](/pictures/thumb/59791.jpg?v=1621528084)
[War Speeches 1938-1945]: Into Battle; The Unrelenting Struggle; The End of the Beginning; Onwards to Victory; The Dawn of Liberation; Victory; Secret Session Speeches. Compiled by Randolph S. Churchill.
London: Cassell and Company, 1941-6. [History] COMPLETE WAR SPEECHES IN FIRST EDITION, smartly bound. Seven volumes bound as six (the thinner volumes Victory and Secret Sessions bound together). Octavo (22 x 14 x 19cm). Includes several half-tone plates. Handsomely bound in dark green half morocco, with twin red morocco title..... More
Post-War Speeches, 1945-1959. The Sinews of Peace; Europe Unite; In the Balance; Stemming the Tide; The Unwritten Alliance.
London: Cassell and Company, 1948-61. [Politics] FIRST EDITIONS. Five volumes, octavo (23 x 15 x 18cm). Publisher's cloth, gilt titles to spine, typographic dust-jackets. Some light spotting/toning, jackets clean and fresh, all prices present. A very bright set. 'Tide' is the second state of the jacket. Smartly housed in a...... More
Post-War Speeches, 1945-1959. The Sinews of Peace; Europe Unite; In the Balance; Stemming the Tide; The Unwritten Alliance.
London: Cassell and Company, 1948-61. [Politics] FIRST EDITIONS. Five volumes, octavo (23 x 15 x 18cm). Publisher's cloth, gilt titles to spine, typographic dust-jackets. One discreet inscription, two jackets price-clipped. Some light spotting/toning, jackets clean and fresh, with shallow loss to crown of 'Sinews', otherwise particularly fresh examples. 'Tide' is..... More
The Dawn of Liberation. War Speeches by the Right Hon. Winston S. Churchill C.H., M.P. 1944.
London: Cassell and Company, 1945. [World War II] FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.xi; [1]; 327; [1]. Publisher's blue cloth, gilt titles to spine, in typographic dust-jacket priced at 12/6. Illustrated with three half-tone plates. Some spotting to edges, discreet name to pastedown, jacket price-clipped. A very good copy..... More
Arms and the Covenant. Speeches on Foreign Affairs and National Defence. Compiled by Randolph S. Churchill.
George G. Harrap and Co. Ltd, 1938. FIRST EDITION, EARLIEST STATE. 8vo., pps 466. Publisher's blue cloth with gilt titles to spine in pale blue dustwrapper. This copy is a Colonial issue, sold by A.H.Spencer of Melbourne and with UK price clipped from jacket, Australian label applied to spine. A...... More
The Atlantic Charter, and the Prime Minister's Statement on Basic English of March 9, 1944; in their original form, and in Basic English, for purposes of Comparison. Presented by the Prime Minister to Parliament by Command of His Majesty, March 1944.
London: His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1944. Pamphlet, 153 x 246mm. Government Document. 5 pages, stapled at spine. In near fine condition. More
The British Gazette.
[London]: His Majesty's Stationery Office, May 5 - May 13, 1926. Newspapers, 8 issues, (60 x 48cm). A complete set of the British Gazette newspaper. Housed in a brown leather-spined clamshell box with cloth sides, gilt titles and raised bands (34 x 27cm). All in very good condition, folded, with..... More
Christmas Greetings card.
London and Tunbridge Wells: Printed by Photocrom, n.d. [circa 1945]. Card-backed cut-out photographic print of Winston Churchill, with "The Prime Minister Faces Facts and Gives Facts", printed on the front. Sent out as a greetings card by A. Cohen and Co. of Great Dover Street, London with the text reading..... More
contributes 'A Message of Good Cheer' to 'The Listener'.
London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 14th May, 1942. ORIGINAL MAGAZINE PRINTING of this speech, broadcast on Churchill's second anniversary as Prime Minister (May 10th). Subsequently collected in 'The End of the Beginning' volume of war speeches, but under the new title 'Prime Minister for Two Years'. Magazine/Newspaper format, stapled at spine..... More
A History of the English-Speaking Peoples.
London: Cassell and Company, 1956-1958. [English History] FINELY BOUND FIRST EDITIONS. Four volumes. Octavo (25 x 17 x 14cm), pp.xxii; 416; pp.xii; 344; pp.xii; 332; pp.xii; 322. With occasional maps and plans. Also with an original black and white photograph of Sir Winston and Clementine Churchill, loose to preliminaries of..... More
In The Balance. Speeches 1949 and 1950.
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1952. [Post-War Churchill Speeches] FIRST US EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[2] x; 456. Publisher's brown cloth with darker brown titles and decoration to spine. With the deep red dust-jacket designed by Samuel H. Bryant, priced at $5.00. Light toning and spotting to edges. Light..... More
India. Speeches and An Introduction.
London: Thornton Butterworth, 1931. [History and Politics] FIRST EDITION, first and second impression in soft covers. Two volumes. Crown octavo (19 x 13cm), pp.141 [3]; pp.141 [3]. With advertisement for the Indian Empire Society at rear. Volumes are identical, except that the first impression is in orange soft covers, and..... More
Lord Randolph Churchill.
London: Macmillan and Co., 1906. [Political Biography] FIRST EDITION. 2 volumes. Octavo (23 x 14 x 10cm), pp.564; pp.531. Frontispiece portrait of Lord Randolph Churchill to each volume as well as several other portraits and illustrations. Publisher's burgundy buckram blocked in gilt to spine and upper covers, edges untrimmed. Contents..... More
![Man Overboard [in The Harmsworth Magazine no.6 for December 1898]. Winston Spencer CHURCHILL, Sir](/pictures/thumb/45778.jpg?v=1574440565)
Man Overboard [in The Harmsworth Magazine no.6 for December 1898].
London: Harmsworth Bros, Dec. 1898. First appearance of Churchill's short story 'Man Overboard'. Small quarto magazine format in original publisher's illustrated paper covers. Very minor edgewear and very slight chipping to spine ends otherwise bright, clean and strong. Quarter inch of loss to tail of spine panel. Staples faintly rusting..... More
Marlborough. His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1933-1938. [Biography/History] FIRST EDITIONS. Four volumes, the first volume SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY CHURCHILL IN THE MONTH OF PUBLICATION. Octavo (24 x 17 x 22cm), pp.[4]; 612; pp.651; [1]; pp.[2]; 608; [2]; pp.671; [1]. With 325 illustrations, including a frontispiece to each volume, black..... More
Marlborough. His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1933 - 1938. [Biography/History] FIRST EDITIONS. Four volumes, octavo (24 x 17cm), pp.[4]; 612; pp.651; [1]; pp.[2]; 608; [2]; pp.671; [1]. With 325 illustrations, including a frontispiece to each volume, black and white plates, folding maps and battle plans, and facsimile documents. In publisher's..... More
Marlborough. His Life and Times.
London: George G. Harrap and Co., 1933 - 1938. [Biography/History] FIRST EDITIONS. Four volumes, octavo (24 x 17 x 22cm), pp.[4]; 612; pp.651; [1]; pp.[2]; 608; [2]; pp.671; [1]. With 325 illustrations, including a frontispiece to each volume, black and white plates, folding maps and battle plans, and facsimile documents..... More
Savrola.
London: George Newnes, no date [1908]. [Literature] Newnes Sixpenny Novel edition of Churchill's only novel, being the FIRST ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Octavo (21 x 15cm), pp.128. Illustrated with two full-page monochrome plates (frontispiece and front cover). Magazine format, stapled and bound in publishers colour-printed card wraps. Slight toning to contents, a...... More
The Second World War.
London: The Educational Book Company, no date [1955]. [Military history] The Chartwell Edition, THE First Illustrated Edition. Six volumes (25 x 18 x 27cm). The standard binding of red cloth, embossed silhouette of Churchill on a brown leather square to upper boards, gilt titles to brown leather squares to spine..... More
Why I am A Free Trader.
London: W. T. Stead, 3 Whitefriars Street 13th April 1905. [Politics / Economics] FIRST EDITION. Pamplet (25 x 15cm), pp.22; [2], ads. Bound in black and white photographic covers, scarce order form on green paper stock remains affixed to upper. Original price One Penny. One-page prefatory notice by editor W...... More
![The World Crisis 1911-1918. [Complete in six volumes]. Winston Spencer CHURCHILL, Sir](/pictures/thumb/54558.jpg?v=1587052803)
The World Crisis 1911-1918. [Complete in six volumes].
London: Thornton Butterworth, 1923-31. [Military history] SMARTLY BOUND FIRST EDITIONS, a complete set. Six volumes. Octavo (24 x 16 x 29cm), pp.[8]; 536; pp.557; [3]; pp.292; pp.x; 293-589; [1]; pp.474; [2]; pp.368. With errata slips, illustrated with black and white plates and folding maps. Bound in green half morocco with..... More
The Liberal Magazine vol. 14. A Periodical for the Use of Liberal Speakers and Canvassers: Forming a Political Record for the Year 1906.
London: The Liberal Publication Department. 1907. Including Churchill's speeches on South Africa and Ireland. Octavo. pp. 764; 72. In navy blue cloth with gilt titles to spine. Binding somewhat loose in places, but complete with index. Published following the landslide victory for the Liberal Party in the 1906 General Election..... More