My Early Life: A Roving Commission by Winston Churchill
Signed Presentation Copy - First Edition, First Printing
Published by Thornton Butterworth Limited, London in 1930
Custom Binding by the Bayntun Bindery, Bath, England
Exceptional Condition
Binding Details: Beautiful signed binding by the Bayntun Bindery of full grained morocco leather that features a spine treatment of raised bands and extensive gilt decorations including the lion rampant and titling. All borders and transitions ruled in gold gilt. There are gilt ruled boards with a gold gilted facsimile of Churchill’s signature, leather turn-ins with floral stops, silk head and foot bands, marbled end papers, and gold gilted page edges. The Bayntun Bindery gold gilt stamp appears on the bottom of the inside front cover. The book is housed in a cloth slipcase.
Book Details: This is a signed presentation copy of the first edition, first printing of “My Early Life: A Roving Commission” published by Thornton Butterworth Limited, London in 1930 with the requisite first printing point of 11 titles on the half-title verso boxed list of works by the author. The book is inscribed to W.H. Bernau, Churchill’s financial advisor and fellow Mason, by Winston Churchill with his full signature and is dated April 2, 1931.
From the publisher, “Here, in his own words, are the fascinating first thirty years in the life of one of the most provocative and compelling leaders of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill. As a visionary, statesman, and historian, and the most eloquent spokesman against Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill was one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. In this autobiography, Churchill recalls his childhood, his schooling, his years as a war correspondent in South Africa during the Boer War, and his first forays into politics as a member of Parliament. My Early Life not only gives readers insights into the shaping of a great leader but, as Churchill himself wrote, "a picture of a vanished age."
The book measures approximately 9” x 5.75” with 392 pages including the author’s preface, a table of contents, a list of the illustrations (Frontispiece and 15 other plates, folding map, maps to the text), and an index.
Condition Report: The binding and slipcase are in FINE condition. Internally, the book is in exceptionally clean condition with some very mild foxing to the preliminary endpapers. There are no signs of previous ownership. Overall, this is a rare signed presentation copy in a signed Bayntun binding that houses the first edition, first printing of one of Churchill’s most important works in exceptional condition.
Photographs of the binding, endpapers, and signature treatment appear in the photo section of the listing.
