Books

First edition, first impression. The second volume of Churchill's autobiographical writings, covering his early political career, the battle of Sidney Street, a near silence on Gallipoli, service on the western front, the negotiation of the Irish settlement, thoughts on the "Mass effects of modern life" and life "Fifty years hence". Uncommon in jacket. A collection of Churchill's magazine and newspaper journalism written in the same lighter, informal style as My Early Life, the success of Thoughts and Adventures came as a considerable surprise to the publisher. Published on 10 November 1932 in a run of 4,000, three additional printings of 1,000 were required in the same month, two of them before publication, Butterworth writing to Churchill: "We are truly delighted at this success which confounds the Jonahs of the Bookselling trade...To keep pace with the increasing demand, we had to get both printers and binders to work overtime. The sheets were delivered by passenger train, and the cases were made by the binders in advance" (quoted in Cohen). A very difficult book to find in a jacket. Octavo. Original olive cloth, title gilt to spine and front board. With dust jacket. Portrait frontispiece. A few indentations to fore-edge. The highly prized dust jacket in strikingly good condition, unclipped, with just a slight split at head of front fold and minor rubbing. Cohen A95; Woods A39(a).

Thoughts and Adventures is an anthology of writings by Winston Churchill, compiled from various articles he wrote before he became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The book covers a wide range of topics, including personal experiences and political commentary.