Books

First edition, first impression, the very rare colonial wrappers issue, from the library of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. The wrappers issue has been called "a hundred times rarer" than the standard issue in red cloth (Langworth, p. 83). This is a particularly well-preserved copy, carried by a contemporary owner on their own African jaunt. The contents of the wrappers issue are identical to the cloth issue. The cover design is similar, but the background is tan rather than red, and there is an asterisk denoting export on the spine. The spine lettering is reset. The total first edition print run was 12,500 copies, of which 903 were issued in this format - given their fragile nature, and colonial market, "few appear to have survived" (Cohen). On the half-title is a contemporary list, initialled "E.D.R", of 20 places names in Africa, evidently representing the contemporary owner's own travels around the continent: included are Cape Town, Mozambique, Zanzibar, Uganda, and Mombasa. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. 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 pictorial wrappers. Housed in a custom red cloth solander box. Photographic frontispiece, 46 photographic plates, 3 maps. Slight superficial split to front joint and light foxing to edges and contents. A near-fine copy. Cohen A27.3; Czech, African Big Game Hunting, p. 37; Woods A12. Richard M. Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998.

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.