My African Journey.

London: Hodder and Stoughton,, [1910]. Second edition, the first issued solely in wrappers format, published two years after the first edition which was issued both in cloth and in wrappers for the colonial market. This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen, who stated to us that in terms of condition it was the best copy he ever saw. The edition was intended as a cheaper version than its predecessor. The pictorial front wrapper (with an illustration unique to this edition) is very attractive, but otherwise lower production values ensured the book is fragile and prone to browning and wear. It is much less common than the first edition. My African Journey, based on his travels around British East Africa in the autumn of 1907, was the first book to derive purely from Churchill's journalism, as distinct from his work as a war correspondent. The account is highly readable and "bubbles with Churchill's irrepressible interest in everything new, whether it was the thrill of hunting rhino, the dangers of sleeping sickness, or the engagingly extempore justice of the District Officers" (Woods, p. 81). Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the initial advertisement page. 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 custom beige cloth solander box. Light rubbing and a few tiny nicks and chips at extremities, contents toned as usual: an attractive, unusually well-preserved copy. Cohen A27.8; Woods A12 (first edition).