Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, (1874 – 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945, during the Second World War, and again from 1951 to 1955. Apart from two years between 1922 and 1924, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1900 to 1964 and represented a total of five constituencies. Ideologically an economic liberal and imperialist, he was for most of his career a member of the Conservative Party, which he led from 1940 to 1955. He was a member of the Liberal Party from 1904 to 1924.
Of mixed English and American parentage, Churchill was born in Oxfordshire to a wealthy, aristocratic family. He joined the British Army in 1895 and saw action in British India, the Anglo-Sudan War, and the Second Boer War, gaining fame as a war correspondent and writing books about his campaigns. Elected a Conservative MP in 1900, he defected to the Liberals in 1904. In H. H. Asquith’s Liberal government, Churchill served as President of the Board of Trade and Home Secretary, championing prison reform and workers’ social security. As First Lord of the Admiralty during the First World War, he oversaw the Gallipoli Campaign but, after it proved a disaster, he was demoted to Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. He resigned in November 1915 and joined the Royal Scots Fusiliers on the Western Front for six months. In 1917, he returned to government under David Lloyd George and served successively as Minister of Munitions, Secretary of State for War, Secretary of State for Air, and Secretary of State for the Colonies, overseeing the Anglo-Irish Treaty and British foreign policy in the Middle East. After two years out of Parliament, he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in Stanley Baldwin’s Conservative government, returning the pound sterling in 1925 to the gold standard at its pre-war parity, a move widely seen as creating deflationary pressure and depressing the UK economy.
Churchill was a prolific writer. His output included a novel, two biographies, three volumes of memoirs, several histories, and numerous press articles. Two of his most famous works, published after his first premiership brought his international fame to new heights, were his twelve-volume memoir, The Second World War, and the four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. In recognition of his “mastery of historical and biographical description” and oratorial output, Churchill received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.
Widely considered one of the 20th century’s most significant figures, Churchill remains popular in the Anglosphere, where he is seen as a victorious wartime leader who played an important role in defending Europe’s liberal democracy against the spread of fascism. On the other hand, he has been criticised for some wartime events and also for his imperialist views.
Sir Winston Churchill suffered his final stroke on 12 January 1965 and died twelve days later on the 24th, the seventieth anniversary of his father’s death. Like the Duke of Wellington in 1852 and William Gladstone in 1898, Churchill was given a state funeral. Planning for this had begun in 1953 under the code-name of “Operation Hope Not” and a detailed plan had been produced by 1958. His coffin lay in state at Westminster Hall for three days and the funeral ceremony was at St Paul’s Cathedral on 30 January. Afterwards, the coffin was taken by boat along the River Thames to Waterloo Station and from there by a special train to the family plot at St Martin’s Church, Bladon, near his birthplace at Blenheim Palace.
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill – First Editions Identification Guide
Complete guide to Sir Winston Churchill’s first edition books, order by publication date.
| Year | Title | Publisher | First edition/printing identification points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | The Story of the Malakand Field Force | Longmans, Green, London, 1898 | First English edition. Apple green cloth, gilt lettering. Two states, priority as listed: A) No errata slip tipped-in preceding the first folding map. Rear publisher's catalogue , at p. 32 bottom left corner dated 12/97. 2000 copies printed. B) Errata slip tipped-in preceding the first folding map. Rear publisher's catalogue, at p. 32 bottom left corner dated 03/98. ALSO: Colonial edition, 1898. Bound in grey-green pictorial cloth. With "Longman's Colonial Library" on cover and title page. ALSO: Silver Library edition, 1899. Plump cloth. 1500 copies printed. |
| 1899 | The River War | Longmans, Green, London, 1899 | First English edition. Dark blue pictorial cloth, gilt lettering. 2 vols. Three states, priority as listed: A) Second inverted comma missing after THE "LONDON GAZETTE' on p. 459 of vol. II. 2000 copies printed. B) Second inverted comma error after THE "LONDON GAZETTE" corrected. 500 copies printed. C) Points unknown. Please let me know if you've any info. Around 151 copies printed. One copy known with a dust jacket, cream color, black lettering. ALSO: Longmans, Green, London, 1902. Revised, one-volume edition. Red decorative cloth, gilt lettering. 1000 copies printed. |
| 1900 | Savrola | Longmans, Green, NY, 1900 | First American edition. Longmans, Green, NY. Address listed on the title page as "FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK". "Copyright, 1899" stated on © page. Published a week prior to the UK edition. Dark blue cloth, gilt lettering. 4000 copies printed. ALSO: Longmans, Green, London, 1900. First English edition. Address listed on the title page as "PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON". "Copyright, 1899" stated on © page. Blue-green cloth. 1500 copies printed. ALSO: A second impression of 1500 copies were printed, as well as 2000 for the Colonial edition. No date on the copyright page. ALSO: Later in the same month, another 2000 were printed, 1000 each for the home & Colonial editions. Points unknown. ALSO: George Newnes, Ltd., London, 1908. First illustrated edition. Bound in wrappers, red and blue lettering. |
| 1900 | London to Ladysmith | Longmans, Green, London, 1900 | First English edition. Tan pictorial cloth. Black and red lettering. Gilt lettering to spine. 10,000 copies printed. ALSO: Longmans, Green, London, 1900. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. 3000 copies printed. ALSO: A few days after the first impression was printed, a further 500 were printed. Points unknown to me. |
| 1900 | Ian Hamilton's March | Longmans, Green, London, 1900 | First English edition. Dark red cloth, gilt lettering. 5000 copies printed. ALSO: Longmans, Green, London, 1900. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. 1533 copies printed. ALSO: A further 3000 copies were printed Nov. 1900. Points unknown to me. ALSO: The Copp, Clark Ltd. Toronto, 1900. First Canadian edition. Tan decorative cloth, black lettering. |
| 1903 | Mr. Brodick's Army | Arthur L. Humphrey, London, 1903 | First English edition. Dark red matt card, black lettering. |
| 1906 | Lord Randolph Churchill | Macmillan & Co., London, 1906 | First English edition. Two vols. Maroon cloth, gilt lettering. Issued with dust jacket. 8000 copies printed. ALSO: MacMillan & Co, NY, 1906. First American edition. Dark maroon cloth, gilt lettering. "The Macmillan Company" imprint on the spine instead of "Macmillan & Co." of the English edition. ALSO: MacMillan & Co, London, 1907. Second English edition. One vol. edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. |
| 1906 | For Free Trade | Arthur L. Humphrey, London, 1906 | First English edition. Dark red matt card, black lettering. The book is uniform with Mr. Brodrick's Army. |
| 1908 | My African Journey | Hodder & Stoughton, London, MCMVIII | First English edition. Bright red pictorial cloth, gilt lettering. 12,500 copies printed. |
| 1909 | Liberalism and the Social Problem | Hodder & Stoughton, London, MCMIX | First English edition. Maroon cloth, gilt lettering. 5000 copies printed. ALSO: Hodder & Stoughton, NY, 1909. First American edition. Dark maroon cloth, gilt lettering. ALSO: Longmans, Green, London, 1909. Second printing. "Second Edition" listed on title page. |
| 1910 | The People's Rights | Hodder & Stoughton, London, [1910] | First English edition. Two bindings, no priority: A) Pictorial yellow wrappers, black & green lettering. Two states, priority as listed:
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| 1910 | Prison and Prisoners | Cassell & Co., London, 1910 | First English edition. Grey wrappers, blue lettering. |
| 1923-1931 | The World Crisis | Thorton Butterworth, London, (1923-1931) | First English edition. Six vols. Published between (1923-1931). Navy blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... April 1923" with no other printing statement on © page. Issued in light green dutwrappers, black lettering, price on the spine. 5150-7500 copies printed. ALSO: Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, (1923-1931). First American edition. The year on the title page must match with the year on the © page. Except for the final volume, Scribner's "A" seal on © page. |
| 1930 | Parliamentary Government and the Economic Problem | Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1930 | First English edition. Grey tinted laid paper, green lettering. |
| 1930 | My Early Life | Thorton Butterworth, London, [1930] | First English edition. Bright purple coarse or smooth cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1930" stated on © page, no statement of later printing. Two states, priority as listed: A) Title on the cover stamped in three lines and the boxed list of "Works by the same Author" on half-title verso list 11 titles. B) Cover title stamped in five lines and 12 titles listed on the "Works by the same Author" on the half-title verso. Issued in purple dustwrapper. 5750 copies printed. ALSO: Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, 1930.Grey-blue cloth, gilt lettering. Scribner's "A" seal on © page. |
| 1931 | India | Thorton Butterworth, London, [1931] | First English edition. Two issues, no priority: Orange cloth or wraps, black lettering. "First published ... 1931", no statement of other printing on © page. Cloth binnding issued with an orange dustwrapper, price 2/-. |
| 1932 | Thoughts and Adventures | Thorton Butterworth, London, [1932] | First English edition. Various shade of olive-green cloth. Gilt lettering. "First Published...1932" stated on © page, no statement of later printing. Issued in tan dustwrapper, black lettering, price 18/-. ALSO: Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, 1923. First American edition. Published as "Amid These Storms" in the US. Red cloth, gilt lettering. Date on title & © page matches. |
| 1933-1938 | Marlborough: His Life and Times | George G. Harrap, London, [1933-1938] | First English edition. Four vols. Two issues, no priority: A) Limited edition of 155 numbered signed copies in vol. 1. Full orange morocco, gilt lettering. B) First English trade edition. Burgundy cloth, gilt lettering. "First published 1933" stated on © page, no statement of later printing. 10,000-15,000 copies printed. ALSO: Charles Scribner's Sons, NY, (1933-1938). First American edition. Six vols. Green cloth, gilt lettering. Scribner's "A" seal on © page. Two state dustwrappers, priority as listed: A) Tan, green lettering B) Uniform blue/gold dustwrapper. Price $2.75. |
| 1937 | Great Contemporaries | Thorton Butterworth, London, [1937] | First English edition. Dark blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published...1937" stated on © page, no statemtn of later printing. Issued in orange dustwrapper, black lettering. No press reviews on front flap. 5000 copies printed. ALSO: G. P. Putnam's Sons, NY, 1937. First American edition. Dark blue cloth, printed in red/white. Date on title & © page matches. Pictorial dustwrapper, price $4.00. |
| 1938 | Arms and the Covenant | George G. Harrap, London, 1938 | First English edition. Blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First published 1938" stated on © page. Two states dustwrappers, priority as listed: A) Pale blue, black lettering. B) Yellow, red lettering. 5000 copies printed. ALSO: G. P. Putnam's Sons, NY, 1939. First American edition. Dark blue cloth, red/white lettering. Date on title page and © page page matches. Issued in pictorial red, white & black dustwrapper. Price $4.00. |
| 1939 | Step by Step: 1936-1939 | Thorton Butterworth, London, | First English edition. Green cloth, gilt lettering. "First published ... 1939" stated on © page. Issued in tan dustwrapper, black lettering. Price 12s6d. 7500 copies printed. ALSO: G. P. Putnam's Sons, NY, 1939. First American edition. Dark blue cloth, red/white lettering. Issued in pictorial dustwrapper, black lettering. Price $4.00. |
| 1941 | Into Battle | Cassell & Co., London, [1941]. | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First published 1941" stated on © page. Third speech left out and no pagination on p. 78. Issued in pictorial dustwrapper. Price 8s6d. 30,000 copies printed. ALSO: G. P. Putnam's Sons, NY, [1941]. As "Blood, Sweat and Tears". Dark blue cloth, red/white lettering. Dated 1941 on © page. Issued in a yellow dustwrapper, red, white, blue lettering. Price $5.00. A Book Club edition was issued in red cloth. |
| 1942 | The Unrelenting Struggle | Cassell & Co., London, [1942] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1942" stated on © page. Issued in pictorial white dustwrapper, black & white lettering. Price 8s6d. 10,500 copies printed. ALSO: Little Brown Co., 1942. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First Edition" stated on © page. Issued in pictorial dustwrapper. Price $3.50. 15,000 copies printed. |
| 1943 | The End of the Beginning | Cassell & Co., London, [1943] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1943" stated on © page. Issued in white dustwrapper, black and white lettering. Price 11s4d. 16,000 copies printed. ALSO: Little Brown & Co, 1943. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First Edition" stated on © page. Pictorial red/white dustwrapper. Price $3.50. |
| 1944 | Onwards to Victory | Cassell & Co., London, [1944] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1944" stated on © page. Issued in white dustwrapper, black and white lettering. Price 12s6d. 15,000 copies printed. ALSO: Little Brown & Co, 1943. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First Edition" stated on © page. Pictorial red/white dustwrapper. Price $3.50. |
| 1945 | The Dawn of Liberation | Cassell & Co., London, [1945] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1945" stated on © page. Issued in white dustwrapper, black and white lettering. Price 12s6d. 14,250 copies printed. ALSO: Little Brown & Co, 1943. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First Edition" stated on © page. Pictorial red/white dustwrapper. Price $3.50. |
| 1946 | Victory | Cassell & Co., London, [1946] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published ... 1946" stated on © page. Issued in white dustwrapper, black and white lettering. Price 12s6d. 38,000 copies printed. ALSO: Little Brown & Co, 1943. First American edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First Edition" stated on © page. Pictorial red/white dustwrapper. Price $3.50. |
| 1946 | War Speeches: 1940-1945 | Cassell & Co., London, [1946] | First English edition. Blue wrappers, black lettering. "First Published ... 1946" stated on © page. 20,000 copies printed. |
| 1946 | Secret Session Speeches | Cassell & Co., London, [1946] | First English edition. Light blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First Published...1946" stated on © page. Issued in white dustwrapper, black lettering. 48,500 copies printed. ALSO: Simon & Schuster, 1946. First American edition. Gray cloth, gilt lettering. Date on title page and © page matches. Issues in a white/red/blue dustwrapper. Price $2.00. 5910 copies printed. |
| 1948-1955 | The Second World War | Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1948-1955 | First American edition. The American edition preceded the English edition. Red cloth, top edge stained yellow. No de-bossed "dot" on rear cover (Book Club edition). Dustwrapper price $6.00 on front flap. ALSO: Cassell & Co, London, [1948-1954]. First English edition. "First Published...1948" stated on © page. Black cloth, gilt lettering. Issued in gray patterned dustwrapper, red and pink lettering. |
| 1948 | The Sinews of Peace | Cassell & Co., London, [1946] | First English edition. Orange cloth, gilt lettering. "First published...1948" stated on © page. Issued in a black/white dustwrapper, green lettering. Price 16s. ALSO: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1949. First American edition. Light blue cloth. Issued in a decorated blue dustwrapper, white lettering. Price $3.00. |
| 1948 | Painting as a Pastime | Odham Press Ltd., London | First English edition. Light green cloth, gilt lettering. "First published...1948" stated on © page. Issued in a pictorial red/white dustwrapper. Price 10s6d. 25,000 copies printed. ALSO: Whittlesey House, NY, 1950. First American edition. Dark blue cloth. Issued in a pictorial dustwrapper. |
| 1950 | Europe Unite | Cassell & Co., London, [1951] | First English edition. Dark green cloth, gilt lettering. "First published...1950" stated on © page. Issued in a black/white dustwrapper. Price 18s. ALSO: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1950. First American edition. Green cloth, black lettering. Issued in a decorated green dustwrapper. Price: $5.00. |
| 1951 | In the Balance | Cassell & Co., London, [1950] | First English edition. Dark blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First published...1951" stated on © page. Issued in a black/white dustwrapper, red lettering. Price 18s. ALSO: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1951. First American edition. Brown cloth, black lettering. Issued in a red dustwrapper, white lettering. Price: $5.00. |
| 1952 | The War Speches | Cassell & Co., London, [1952] | First English edition. Three vols. Navy blue cloth, gilt lettering. "First published 1951" stated on © page. Issued in a decorated light yellow/purple dustwrapper, black lettering. Price 21s each vol. 3700 copies printed. ALSO: Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston, 1953. First American edition. Red cloth boards, gilt lettering. "First published 1953" stated on © page. Issued in a black/blue dustwrapper. 500 copies printed. |
| 1953 | Stemming the Tide | Cassell & Co., London, [1953] | First English edition. Burgundy cloth, gilt lettering. "First published...1953" stated on © page. Issued in a black/white dustwrapper, red lettering. Price 18s. ALSO: Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston, 1954. First American edition. Green cloth, black lettering. Issued in a blue/white dustwrapper, red/white lettering. |
| 1956-1958 | A History of the English-Speaking Peoples | Cassell & Co., London, [1956-1958] | First English edition. Four vols. Red cloth, gilt lettering. "First published 1956" stated on © page. Issued in pictorial dustwrappers. First edition dust jacket does not advertise later vols. On flaps. Price 30s/each. 130,000 copies printed. ALSO: Dodd, Mead & Co, NY. 1956-1958. First American edition. Grey cloth. Top edge stained red, no de-bossed "dot" on rear cover (indicating a BOMC). Issued in pictorial dustwrapper. Price $6.00. |
| 1961 | The Unwritten Alliance | Cassell & Co., London, [1961] | First English edition. Red cloth, gilt lettering. Issued in a black/white dust wrapper. Price 35s. 5000 copies printed. |
| 1962 | Frontiers and Wars | Eyre & Spottiswoode, London, 1962 | First English edition. Light blue cloth. "First published 1962" stated on © page. Issued in a white pictorial dustwrapper. Price 35s. ALSO: Harcourt, Brace World Inc., NY, 1962. First American edition. Black cloth. "Fist published 1962" stated on © page. |
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill – First Printing Dust Jackets Identification Guide
Gallery of First state Dust Jackets of Winston Churchill’s works. Only includes the first appearance in book form. Either the UK or US edition and does not include later printings.
Reference:
