Winston Churchill’s War Speeches: Into Battle, The Unrelenting Struggle, The End of the Beginning, Onwards to Victory, The Dawn of Liberation, Victory, Secret Session Speeches.

CHURCHILL, Winston S.

Item Number: 131990

London: Cassell & Company Ltd, 1943-1946.

Complete set, mixed editions of Churchill’s famed wartime speeches. Octavo, 7 volumes, bound in full crushed dark blue morocco by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, gilt titles and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, double gilt ruling to the front and rear panels, gilt turn-ins and inner dentelles, top edge gilt, illustrated with 50 half-tone photographic plates, including frontispieces. Onwards to Victory, The Dawn of Liberation, Victory, and the Secret Session Speeches are first editions. Presentation set, inscribed by Churchill to his bank manager T.E.R. Harris on the flyleaf of Into Battle, “To T.E.R. Harris from Winston S. Churchill 1946” and initialized by Churchill on the flyleaf of the remaining 6 volumes. The recipient, T.E.R. Harris was Churchill’s financial adviser at the Pall Mall branch of Lloyds bank in London from 1943 to 1948. For many years Churchill relied heavily on his press articles and book deals to assuage his financial worries and often turned to Harris for advice. One of these occasions was in 1943, when Churchill was negotiating the film rights to Marlborough with Sir Alexander Korda and MGM. As the bidding was being pushed up, he sought tax advice from Lloyds and Harris was consulted. Harris happened to be acquainted with famed film producer Filippo Del Giudice, who finally secured the rights to the film for a staggering £50,000. Although Marlborough was ultimately never produced, the deal completely changed Churchill’s finances and allowed him to open negotiations to buy back the rights to the History of the English-Speaking Peoples. In fine condition. An exceptional presentation set, we have never seen a complete signed set.

Churchill’s speeches “constitute a contemporary history of the war which is as lively as it is authoritative; and, so far as contemporary history is of value, they may be said to be the last word upon the war” (Randolph S. Churchill). With 50 half-tone photographic plates, including frontispieces.