Books

Churchill sells to Hodder & Stoughton the rights to sell My African Journey in the US, initialling the first two pages and signing in full on the third page. This is the earliest publishing contract for Churchill we know to have appeared in the market. The contract, dated 9 January 1909, sets out that Churchill grants Hodder & Stoughton exclusive American rights and that he shall receive 15% royalties on the first 5,000 copies and 20% thereafter. Hodder & Stoughton will publish it no later than 30 April 1909. The contract also confirms there are no copyright or libel problems, that Churchill retains the translation and copyright rights, and that after five years either party may terminate the contract with notice. My African Journey was originally serialized in Strand Magazine from March to November 1908. Hodder & Stoughton published the book in the UK in December 1908, and in the US on 27 February 1929. The US issue comprised 1,400 copies printed in the UK. That Hodder & Stoughton would receive the US rights was not predetermined - Churchill's agent A. P. Watt attempted to sell the rights to Scribner's, who were to become Churchill's most consistent US publisher. Watt also sought to get an advance for Churchill on the sale of the US rights, but failed, and on 8 January (the day before this contract), advised Churchill to accept the agreement (Cohen, p. 160). Also included are two other typed letters signed: i) 26 March 1909, from A. P. Watt to J. Churchill sells to Hodder & Stoughton the rights to sell My African Journey in the US, initialling the first two pages and signing in full on the third page. This is the earliest publishing contract for Churchill we know to have appeared in the market. The contract, dated 9 January 1909, sets out that Churchill grants Hodder & Stoughton exclusive American rights and that he shall receive 15% royalties on the first 5,000 copies and 20% thereafter. Hodder & Stoughton will publish it no later than 30 April 1909. The contract also confirms there are no copyright or libel problems, that Churchill retains the translation and copyright rights, and that after five years either party may terminate the contract with notice. My African Journey was originally serialized in Strand Magazine from March to November 1908. Hodder & Stoughton published the book in the UK in December 1908, and in the US on 27 February 1929. The US issue comprised 1,400 copies printed in the UK. That Hodder & Stoughton would receive the US rights was not predetermined - Churchill's agent A. P. Watt attempted to sell the rights to Scribner's, who were to become Churchill's most consistent US publisher. Watt also sought to get an advance for Churchill on the sale of the US rights, but failed, and on 8 January (the day before this contract), advised Churchill to accept the agreement (Cohen, p. 160). Also included are two other typed letters signed: i) 26 March 1909, from A. P. Watt to J. E. Hodder Williams, informing him that he is authorized by Churchill to accept the offer of the American branch to sell the serial rights of My African Journey in the US. ii) 23 November 1909, from A. P. Watt to J. E. Hodder Williams, accepting the sale of American rights to Churchill's next book, Liberalism and the Social Problem. Provenance: the collection of Steve Forbes, chairman of Forbes Magazine, and presidential candidate in the 1996 and 2000 US elections. READ MORE Three pages (260 x 203 mm), typed rectos only, the last docketed on verso "My African Journey American Edition Winston Churchill A. P. Watt Jan 9. 1909"; together with two typed letters signed (see note). Initial two pages of contract a little toned and soiled else in good condition, the third torn and taped with bottom section detached; two typed letters with light toning and handling soiling, the November letter with slight chipping at extremities, in very good condition overall. Ronald I. Cohen, Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill, vol. I, 2006.

My African Journey is the book written by Winston Churchill documenting his travels and experiences during a tour of the British Empire. In this work, Churchill offers his observations on the people, wildlife, and natural beauty of the regions he visited, particularly in parts of what are now Uganda and Kenya.