Books

First edition of Churchill's second book, based on his own role as a war reporter in the Anglo-Egyptian reconquest of Sudan. "Arguably the most aesthetically beautiful of original trade editions of Churchill's books, The River War is a brilliant history of British involvement in the Sudan and the campaign for its reconquest: arresting, insightful, with tremendous narrative and descriptive power... [the] features of that now distant campaign Churchill impressively captures in precise detail and exciting narrative, including his own role in the last great cavalry charge of British history. Finely written chapters trace the history of the Sudan, the rise of the Mahdi, the martyr's death of Gordon and, apparently not much exaggerated, the author's adventures" (Langworth, p. 27). Churchill himself calls it, in the first sentence, "a tale of blood and war". This copy has the second state of vol. II p. 459 as usual, with an added quotation mark. Two volumes, octavo. Original dark blue cloth, titles and pictorial decoration gilt to spines and front boards, black endpapers, top edges rough-trimmed. Photogravure portrait frontispiece to each volume and 5 similar plates (further photogravure in text), 23 colour maps and battles plans of which 20 folding, other maps and illustrations to the text. Contemporary bookplate to front pastedowns and signature to half-titles of one W. N. Black. A little rubbed, scattered light foxing, joints and hinges intact without repair: a very good copy, much squarer and tighter than often found, vol. II partly unopened. Cohen A2.1.b; Langworth pp. 27-29; Woods A2(a).

The River War: An Historical Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan (1899), by Winston Churchill, is a history of the British imperial involvement in the Sudan and the campaign to reconquer the Sudan following the defeat of the revolt led by the Mahdist leader, Muhammad Ahmad.