Addresses by Winston S. Churchill, King George VI, Mackenzie King, 1940

Description: Prime Minister Churchill's Address to the Italian People December 23rd, 1940, together with the Christmas Day Message from His Majesty King George VI to His People Broadcast December 25th, 1940, and the Christmas Day Message from Prime Minister Mackenzie King to the Canadian Army Abroad and At Home Winston S. Churchill, King George VI, Mackenzie King Winnipeg: Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company, 1940 First edition Condition: Fine Normal 0 false false false EN-CA JA X-NONE This is an exceedingly rare wartime speech pamphlet featuring Churchill's Address to the Italian People of 23rd December 1940. Broadcasting from the Cabinet War Rooms, Churchill sought to assure the Italians of Britain's historic friendship with Italy and place blame for the conflict on Mussolini. Churchill's speech is published here with two others - King George VI's Christmas Day Message of 25th December 1940 and Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King's Christmas Day message to the Canadian Army. This speech pamphlet is unusual in several respects - its publication, its survival, and its superlative condition. Per Churchill Bibliographer Ronald Cohen (pages 530-532) the publisher - Universal Life Assurance and Annuity Company - was in business from 1902 to 1942. In an exuberant surge of patriotism, the company published over 40 booklets in the "Universal Life for Victory Series", a few of which were speeches by Churchill. Apparently, there were copyright concerns in the office of the Prime Minister, as well as with his British and Canadian publishers. Prickly correspondence was exchanged, but also some correspondence recognizing the propaganda value of Universal Life's efforts. Eventually the matter was closed. This copy, a remarkable survivor, is in truly outstanding, fine condition. The pamphlet is bound in wire stitched paper wraps, measures 6 inches x 3.5 inches, and is 14 pages in length. Churchill's speech occupies all of pages 8 through 14. The pamphlet is pristine inside and out - crisp, clean, and bright with no wear or markings of any kind. Searching for flaws, we note that one of the two binding staples (both still perfectly tight) shows just a trivial hint of rust, but not even enough to stain the adjacent paper. It is hard to imagine many copies of this perishable and unusual wartime publication still exist; a superior example is improbable. The pamphlet is protected in a removable, archival quality mylar sleeve. Bibliographic reference: Cohen D77, unknown to Woods. Ref #: 000956 CHURCHILL BOOK COLLECTOR We are Churchill Book Collector, a professional bookseller specializing in books and other published works by and about the great twentieth century statesman and acclaimed writer, Sir Winston Churchill. We offer both a singular inventory and approachable expertise. The integrity of our inventory is backed by our membership in the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA). Churchill's official biographer, Sir Martin Gilbert, rightly called Churchill's long life "remarkable and versatile". Statesman, soldier, war correspondent, ardent social reformer, combative cold warrior, painter - Churchill was many things, but perhaps above all a master wordsmith. We’re here to help Churchill’s words find your shelves. Our extensive inventory features some of the rarest material offered – including fine first editions and inscribed copies – as well as reading copies and works about Churchill’s life and time. While we specialize in Churchill, our inventory also includes noteworthy first and collectible editions by other authors, ranging from Xenophon to T. E. Lawrence, spanning exploration and empire to twentieth century fiction. We are able to help with anything from finding individual books to assembling full collections, working closely with individual collectors to identify and accommodate their preferences and budget. We are also able to commission preservation cases and fine bindings. Please contact us if you have books to sell. We buy, and in some cases consign, fine and collectible individual items, as well as whole collections.

Price: 720 USD

Location: San Diego, California

End Time: 2025-02-10T19:34:01.000Z

Shipping Cost: 15 USD