Winston S. Churchill – The Collected Works

•Author: Winston Spencer Churchill

•Edition: Centenary Limited Edition, published 1973–1976

•Publisher: The Library of Imperial History / Hamlyn Publishing Group

•Format: Octavo (23.3 × 15 cm)

•Volumes: 34 (complete without the separate 4-volume Collected Essays supplement)

•Binding: Full gilt-stamped vellum, each volume bearing Churchill’s coat of arms in gilt on the upper board. All edges gilt. Housed in original publisher’s green slipcases.

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•Condition: Fine internally, with minimal evidence of handling or use. The vellum bindings show typical and expected age toning, with some variation in hue across volumes. Slipcases exhibit slight shelf wear and colour variation, as originally supplied by the publisher. Overall, this is a  well-preserved set.

•Description: This monumental 34-volume Centenary Edition of Churchill’s works was produced in a strictly limited edition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Churchill’s birth. As documented by Churchill bibliographer Richard M. Langworth, the set comprises over five million words across 19,000 pages. To make this edition possible, eleven publishing houses across the UK, the USA, and Canada relinquished their individual copyrights, enabling the creation of a unified and comprehensive collection. As part of the agreement, no other complete edition of Churchill’s works was to be published until the expiration of international copyright in 2019. This edition includes all of Churchill's major works—The Second World War, The World Crisis, My Early Life, Marlborough, The River War, Speeches, and more—presented in a handsome uniform binding designed to reflect the stature of its author.

Additional Notes:

•Issued without dust jackets, as designed; each volume was protected by its individual slipcase.

•The vellum bindings were prone to natural discoloration even from new, and tonal variation is characteristic, not a flaw.

•Production was initially planned as a limited edition of 3,000 sets, however only about 2,000 sets were actually produced in the full vellum binding.