Churchill, Randolph S. [Author] Gilbert, Martin [Author]

LIFE OF WINSTON S. CHURCHILL [YOUTH 1874-1900, YOUNG STATESMAN 1901-1914, VOLUME III 1914-1916, VOLUME IV 1917-1922, VOLUME V 1922-1939, FINEST HOUR 1939-1941, ROAD TO VICTORY 1941-1945, NEVER DESPAIR 1945-1965] [8 Volumes] [All Volumes Signed]

London, UK: Heinemann, 1966-1988. First UK Editions, First Printings. Octavo, 8 Volumes. In Good plus to Very Good condition with Good to Very Good condition dust jackets. Volumes 1 and 2 signed by Randolph Churchill, Volumes 3-8 signed by Martin Gilbert. Volume 1 has a dark blue spine with white, light blue, and red lettering. Volume 2 has a dark green spine with white, light blue, and red lettering. Volume 3 has a purple spine with white, grey, ad brown lettering. Volume 4 has a brick red spine with white, blue-grey, and gold lettering. Volume 5 has a dark green spine with white, light grey, and brown-orange lettering. Volumes 6, 7, and 8 have a black spine with white lettering. Dust jackets are all wrapped in mylar coverings. Dust jacket of Volume 1 has mild shelving wear, staining on the front and rear cover, mild wear along the head and tail edges, mild wear along the fore corners, tearing along the front head fore edge, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Dust jacket of Volume 2 has mild shelving wear along the front and rear covers, mild wear along the head and tail edges, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Dust jacket of Volume 3 has mild shelving wear, mild wear along the head and tail edges, a tear on the front cover tail edge, and mild chipping on the spine head edge. Dust jacket of Volume 4 has mild shelving wear, small stains on the front and rear covers, mild wear along the head and tail edges, moderate sun/age-toning along the spine, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Dust jacket of Volume 5 has mild shelving wear, mild wear along the head edges, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Dust jacket of Volume 6 has mild shelving wear, mild bending wear along the spine, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Dust jacket of Volume 7 has mild shelving wear, mild wear along the head and tail edges, staining on the rear cover, a white 'signed' wraparound around the tail, and mild wear along the fore corners. Dust jacket of Volume 8 has mild shelving wear, mild wear along the head and tail edges, mild chipping along the front for head corner, a white 'signed' paper wraparound along the tail, and mild wear along the spine head and tail. Boards of Volume 1 have mild shelving wear, scrapes along the front board tail, mild wear along the fore corners, mild wear along joints, and bending along the spine head and tail. Boards of Volume 2 have mild shelving wear, has mild wear along the fore corners, and mild wear and bending along the spine head and tail. Boards of Volume 3 have white staining along the tails, mild staining on the front board, mild wear along the fore corners, mild wear along the spine head and tail edges, and a dent along the spine head. Boards of Volume 4 have moderate wear along the front and rear boards, staining on the rear board, moderate wear along the edges, mild wear along the fore corners, bending wear along the spine, and mild wear along the spine head and tail edges. Boards of Volume 5 have mild shelving wear, staining on the front and rear boards, mild wear along the head and tail edges, mild wear along the fore corners, and moderate wear along the spine head and tail edges. Boards of Volume 6 have mild shelving wear, staining on the front and rear boards, and mild wear along the spine head and tail. Boards of Volume 7 have mild shelving wear, mild wear and bending along the head fore corners, mild wear along the edges, and mild wear and bending along the spine head and tail edges. Boards of Volume 8 have mild shelving wear, age-toning along the head and tail edges, mild wear along the rear head fore corner, mild bending wear along the spine, and bending along the spine head and tail edges. Textblock of Volume 1 has ink staining on the copyright page, has splitting to the gutter from the title page to front end-page, pencil markings on the front end-page, staining on end-pages and pastedowns, mild wear along edges, staining along edges, red ink staining on the head edge, and mild age-toning. Textblock of Volume 2 has mild adhesive staining on the edges of the front end-page, mild staining on the fore edge, red ink staining on the head edge, and mild age-toning along the edges. Textblock of Volume 3 has pencil markings on the front end-page, mild wear along the fore edge, stains along the edges, red ink staining on the head edge, and mild age-toning along the edges. Textblock of Volume 4 has pencil marks on the front end-page, mild wear along the fore edge, staining along the tail edge, moderate age-toning along the head edge near the spine, and purple ink-staining on the head edge. Textblock of Volume 5 has bending on the head corner of pages 51/52, moderate bending on the head edges of pages 53-78, a small bending on the head corners of the last photo plate between pages 1028 and 1029, mild wear along the edges, black stains on the fore and tail edges, purple staining on the head edge, age-toning near the spine, and mild age-toning along the edges. Textblock of Volume 6 has staining on pages 1307/1308, staining on title and half-title pages, pencil markings on the front pastedown, has mild wear along the edges, moderate foxing along the head edge, mild foxing along the fore edge, staining on the fore and tail edges, and moderate age-toning throughout. Textblock of Volume 7 has pen and pencil marks on the front end-page, adhesive staining on the front pastedown, mild staining on the tail and head edges, and mild age-toning along the edges. Textblock of Volume 8 has pencil markings on the front end-page, denting along the tail spine corners between pages 679-686, mild wear along the tail and head edges, a stain on the head edge, and mild age-toning along the edges. Volume 1 is inscribed stating "Inscribed by" signed by Randolph S. Churchill on half-title page. Volume 2 is inscribed stating "Bobby from" signed Randolph on half-title page, dated "6 Sep 67 -". Volumes, 3, 7, and 8 are signed flat by Martin Gilbert on title pages. Volumes 4 and 5 are signed flat by Martin Gilbert on front end-page. Volume 6 is inscribed stating "Inscribed by the author, to R. G. McLeod with all good wishes -" signed Martin Gilbert on front end-page, dated "15th July 1983". Volume 1 contains a frontispiece black and white photo captioned "Second Lieutenant Winston S. Churchill 4th Hussars 1895" and a thin paper family tree between page 608 and rear end-page. Volume 2 contains a frontispiece with a black and white photo captioned "Winston Spencer Churchill in 1904". Volume 3 contains a frontispiece with a black and white photo captioned "Churchill in April 1916, when Lieutenant-Colonel, commanding the 6th Battalion, Royal Scots Fusiliers. Part of a battalion group photograph taken near Ploegsteert, Belgium". Volume 4 contains a frontispiece black and white photo captioned "Churchill at Lille, 28 October 1918". Volume 5 contains a frontispiece black and white photo captioned "Churchill in 1938".

CONTENTS: Vol. 1, "Winston S. Churchill: Volume 1 Youth 1874-1900", xxxvi, 608 pages - Vol. 2, "Winston S. Churchill Volume 2: Young Statesman 1901-1914", xxix, 775 pages - Vol. 3, "Winston S. Churchill Volume III: 1914-1916", xxxvii, 988 pages - Vol. 4, "Winston S. Churchill Volume IV: 1917-1922", xvi, 967 pages - Vol. 5, "Winston S. Churchill Volume V: 1922-1939", xxvii, 1167 pages - Vol. 6, "Finest Hour: Winston S. Churchill 1939-1941", xx, 1308 pages - Vol. 7, "Road to Victory: Winston S. Churchill 1941-1945", xx, 1417 pages - Vol. 8, "Never Despair: Winston S. Churchill 1945-1965", xxvii, 1438 pages. JW consignment. Shelved above Case 0.

1384574

Shelved Dupont Bookstore

Price: $8,000

NOTES

Randolph S. Churchill, born May 28, 1911, was the only son of Winston S. Churchill, the infamous statesman, soldier, and writer who served as the British Prime Minister through the Second World War and from 1951-1955. Randolph and his parents had rather strained relationships throughout their lives, his mother believing him spoiled and keeping a cool distance. Winston Churchill was known to overindulge Randolph, greatly because Randolph was his only son, and frequently vacillated between spoiling and being infuriated with his son, who as a teenager had already developed a reputation as a spoiled playboy, an embarrassment to both his parents for years. Randolph had shown early signs of journalistic talent as a teenager, and thus it was that after a speaking tour across the United States in 1930, he began a career in that field, writing as early as 1932 that the Nazis meant war. Randolph's brief and unsuccessful career in politics early on gave way to a semi-successful career in the military, where he served as a second lieutenant throughout World War II. Fear of dying in the early years of war led Randolph to quickly marry Pamela Digby, the couple having their first child in 1940, named Winston for his grandfather. After the war, relations between Randolph and his father worsened greatly as Randolph was prone to picking fights, capable of "[picking] an argument with a chair", something which led to his divorce with Pamela in 1946. Winston began to lavish gifts upon those he considered surrogate sons, from his son-in-laws to Anthony Eden, a budding politician whom Randolph had long disliked, actions which only worsened their relationship. Randolph would re-marry in 1948 to June Osborne, though the marriage too quickly deteriorated. Despite June's attempts to be a good mother to her step-son, she and Randolph argued frequently, Randolph's belligerence becoming an ever worsening problem. Randolph spent much of the 1950's doing international reporting work, from reporting on the Korean War during which he was wounded, to the Suez Crisis of 1958, and heavy criticism of the South African apartheid state. Despite a flourishing journalistic career, Randolph's political career continued to go nowhere, and his marriage worsened until June filed for divorce in 1958. In 1960 Randolph published the biography of the life of Edward Stanley 17th Earl of Derby in an attempt to prove to the trustees of his father's papers that he was fit to write Winston's official biography. Their and his father's approval to do so led Randolph's son to later write; "At last his life had found a purpose." As Randolph began work on his father's biography he hired on a number of researchers, including Sir Martin Gilbert. In 1964 Randolph underwent surgery to remove a benign tumor in his lungs following a debilitating bout of bronchopneumonia, and it was during his recovery that he repaired several relationships he'd long broken, including becoming friendly once more with his mother. Randolph would never fully recover from this operation, having smoked 80-100 cigarettes and drank two or more bottles of whisky a day for nearly 20 years, Randolph's health went on a sharp decline. Natalie Bevan, his lover since his divorce, aided him during the day, Randolph having grown nearly emaciated in his final years. Randolph and his researchers would work on his father's biography well into his last years of life, publishing the first volume in 1966. By the time of his death in 1968 he had only completed the second of the planned 5-volume series on his father. Randolph would be interred with his parents, his mother outliving him by nearly a decade, and his work continued by his researchers following his passing. Sir Martin Gilbert was born on October 25, 1936 in London. The son of a jeweler, his original name was Goldberg, his grandparents having been from the Jewish Pale Settlement in Tsarist Russia. During the Second World War, Gilbert was evacuated to Canada alongside many other children during the efforts to safeguard children during the bombings by Nazi Germany. He noted an early interest in "Jewish things" and was known to many for his Zionist views and activities. In 1962 Gilbert was approached by Randolph Churchill to help work on a biography of his father Winston Churchill. Gilbert agreed and would work on the project for nearly 20 years, turning what was originally planned to be a 5-volume series into an 8-volume set, each volume with 2 or 3 volumes of documents known as Companions, leaving the total number of volumes attached to the project at 28 with over 30,000 pages. The biographies were met with greatly positive reception, many praising Gilbert's meticulous attention to detail. The reviewer Michael Foot writing: "Whoever made the decision to make Martin Gilbert Churchill's biographer deserves a vote of thanks from the nation. Nothing less would suffice." During his time working on the biographies and after Gilbert would produce other works including several atlases. Though popular for his work on Churchill's biographies and well-written and thorough works, Gilbert notably endorsed a number of far-right ideas including Bat Ye'or's Eurabia theory which relies on the belief that French and Arab powers work together to Islamize and undermine Europe's existing cultures and erode their ties to Israel and the United States. Due to these beliefs and his Zionist sympathies, his appointment in 2009 to the British government's inquiry into the Iraq War was brought greatly into question by many critics including the former ambassador to Libya Oliver Miles. Following a trip to Israel in 2012, Gilbert developed heart arrythmia from which he never recovered, dying in London in 2015, being buried in Israel.