Books

Third edition, retaining the rare dust jacket, of Churchill's only novel, a melodramatic tale of liberal revolution in an autocratic Mediterranean state; from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Langworth writes of this edition that the "presence of the evocative jacket turns this rather ordinary book into a collector treasure; unfortunately, I have encountered only a handful of jacketed copies in ten years" (p. 45). It is one of the earliest editions of Churchill's works for which a copy in dust jacket can realistically be obtained - many editions of his works which precede it have no known surviving jackets, others with jackets surviving in but a single or a handful of examples. Savrola was first published in 1900, followed by an edition in wrappers in 1908. This is the third edition overall, published as part of Hodder and Stoughton's Sevenpenny Library series. Two states are recorded by Cohen: this is his first state, without a date on the title page; other copies are dated 1915. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpapers. Cohen's Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill, published in three volumes in 2006, is the authoritative source for collectors, librarians, and dealers. Octavo. Original red cloth, spine lettered in black. With pictorial dust jacket. With frontispiece matching the dust jacket. Gift inscription dated Christmas 1916 on front free endpaper. Slight transfer of jacket residue to joints, contents toned as usual; jacket a little worn without any significant loss to lettering, front flap fold discreetly consolidated, unclipped (priced on spine not flaps); a near-fine copy in very good jacket. Cohen A3.6.a. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998.

A gripping story of Savrola, a resilient leader fighting for freedom in a turbulent revolution.