The Second World War: The Gathering Storm; Their Finest Hour; The Grand Alliance; The Hinge of Fate; Closing the Ring; Triumph and Tragedy.

CHURCHILL, Winston S.

$12,500.00

Item Number: 144323

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1948-53.

First American editions of Winston Churchill’s masterpiece, preceding the British editions. Octavo, six volumes, original cloth, illustrated. The Hinge of Fate is an association copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, “To Sylvia from Winston 1951.” The recipient, Sylvia Henley was “one of those who had known Churchill best, and longest. a frequent guest at Chartwell” (Gilbert, p. 307). Along with Jock Colville, Henley was one of Churchill’s most frequent Bezique opponents; Bezique was Churchill’s favorite game, as he was an expert player. Each volume is fine in near fine dust jackets. Housed in the original publisher’s wooden box. An exceptional association, uncommon signed and inscribed and in the original wooden box.

"Winston Churchill himself affirmed that ‘this is not history: this is my case" (Holmes, 285). Churchill was re-elected to the post of Prime Minister in 1951. "The Second World War is a great work of literature, combining narrative, historical imagination and moral precept in a form that bears comparison with that of the original master chronicler, Thucydides. It was wholly appropriate that in 1953 Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature" (Keegan). Named by Modern Library as one of the 100 best non-fiction books of the twentieth century. It placed number one on the 100 best non-fiction books of the twentieth century by National Review magazine.