Victory

London: Cassell and Company Ltd., 1946. First edition, only printing. Hardcover. This is the British first edition, only printing of the sixth volume of Churchill's war speeches. Both aptly and ironically titled Victory, this volume contains speeches, broadcasts, messages, statements, a letter, and the text of the Crimea Declaration made, sent, and issued between 18 January and 16 August 1945. Having done so much to win the war, Churchill faced frustration of his postwar plans when his wartime government fell to Labour in the General Election of July 1945. His final speech in this volume - a review of the war delivered on 16 August 1945 to the House of Commons - was delivered as Leader of the Opposition rather than as Prime Minister. In this speech Churchill trenchantly observed “...The bomb brought peace, but men alone can keep that peace, and henceforward they will keep it under penalties which threaten the survival, not only of civilization but of humanity itself…"

Condition is very good in a good plus dust jacket. The blue cloth binding is square, clean, bright, and tight with sharp corners. We note minor shelf wear to extremities and a few spots along the front and rear joints. The contents are bright, though with spotting, heaviest to the first and final leaves and page edges. The only previous ownership mark is on the front free endpaper recto, two lines blacked out above the inked date "1946". The dust jacket is nearly complete, unclipped, with the lower front flap price intact, and with only fractional loss to the spine ends and flap fold corners. The purple hue on the lower spine is inevitably toned, there is general overall scuffing and light wear, and modest soiling to the white rear face. The dust jacket is protected beneath a removable, clear, archival cover.

Few books are as emblematic of Churchill’s literary and leadership gifts as his war speeches volumes. During his long public life, Winston Churchill played many roles worthy of note - Member of Parliament for more than half a century, soldier and war correspondent, author of scores of books, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, Nobel Prize winner, painter. But Churchill's preeminence as a historical figure owes most to his indispensable leadership during the Second World War, when his soaring and defiant oratory sustained his countrymen and inspired the free world. Of Churchill, Edward R. Murrow said: "He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle." When Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, it was partly “…for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.” Between 1941 and 1946, Churchill's war speeches were published in seven individual volumes.

The British first editions are visually striking, but were printed on cheap “War Economy Standard” paper, bound in coarse cloth, and wrapped in bright, fragile dust jackets. They proved highly susceptible to spotting, soiling, and fading, so the passage of time has been hard on most surviving first editions.

Reference: Cohen A223.1.a, Woods/ICS A112(ab), Langworth p.234