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This is a collector-worthy copy of the first edition, first state of this early collection of Churchill's speeches, housed in a handsome full red Morocco Solander case. The People's Rights was most commonly issued in an exceptionally perishable form, in vividly hued, thin, yellow-orange paper wraps (with a halftone photo of Churchill on the cover) and contents printed on cheap, pulp paper. Consequently, few copies survive, and significant wear, losses, and general deterioration are common to those copies that endure.Given the inherent fragility of the edition, this copy is quite well preserved, cleaner, brighter, and more complete than the vast majority of examples we see. This copy is the first state of the first edition, confirmed by an Index rather than a second Appendix at pages 149-152 and a pagination error at p.71. The illustrated wraps retain vivid color and show only modest soiling. Despite some creasing, both front and rear wraps are attached and almost entirely complete, with only fractional chipping to extremities. The spine shows some typical cracking and fractional loss at the spine ends and along the joints. Nonetheless, the title, author, and price print are all fully intact, only the left edge of the publisher s name affected. Moreover, the spine retains strong color, only lightly toned. The contents are browned, as inevitable with the cheap pulp paper, but both less toned and less brittle than is typical. Moreover, we find no previous ownership marks and no spotting. We note a minor lower fore edge loss (confined to the blank inner margins) spanning p.141 through the Index and equally minor lower right corner loss spanning p.125 through the Index. There are also fractional fore edge losses to the first three leaves the half title, title, and Preface pages. The book is protected within a lovely Solander case. The full red Morocco goatskin Solander features a rounded spine, gilt-decorated raised spine bands bracketed by gilt rules, gilt-printed title, author, and publication date, blind rule-bordered front and rear covers, and red velvet-lined interior. Condition of the Solander case is fine, with no wear or defects noted.In 1904, Churchill quit the Conservative Party and joined the Liberals, beginning a dynamic chapter in his political career that saw him champion progressive causes and be branded a traitor to his class. In late 1909 when The People's Rights was published, Winston Churchill was a powerful political force and a member of the Cabinet. From December 3-11, 1909 Churchill was on the campaign trail for the Liberals. The People's Rights is a distillation of these nine days of speeches, criticizing the House of Lords (which had rejected the Liberal Government's budget, thus precipitating the campaign) and championing Free Trade, a graduated income tax, luxury tax, and surtaxes on unearned income. Churchill's efforts were not wasted; the election gave the Liberals a slim majority and passage of their budget. The first edition is not only an important work, but also the only edition published in Churchill's lifetime.Reference: Cohen A31.2.a, Woods/ICS A16(aa), Langworth p.97.
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