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This is an outstanding six-volume jacketed set of British first editions of The Second World War, Winston S. Churchill's history of the epic 20th Century struggle that was so indelibly stamped by his leadership. Jacketed British first edition sets in marginal condition are not uncommon. However, the coarse cloth bindings of this edition proved susceptible to soiling and mildew, the contents (printed on post-war "Economy Standards" paper) proved highly prone to spotting, the red-stained top edges are most often severely faded, and the dust jackets proved exceptionally vulnerable to pronounced spine toning.This exceptional set suffers precious few of the typical deficiencies, featuring near fine first edition, first printing volumes in near fine dust jackets. The volumes are uniformly square, clean, bright, and tight with bright spine gilt, sharp corners, and no appreciable wear. The contents equal or exceed the bindings. All six volumes are impressively clean within. We find no previous ownership marks. Spotting, endemic to the edition, is quite light and appears confined to a few dozen spots on the fore edges of the first two volumes. The red-stained top edges all retain strong, dark hue.All six dust jackets are unclipped, retaining the original front flap prices, entirely complete, and notably clean. We note only minor shelf wear to a few extremities. Apart from the trivial shelf wear, these jackets suffer only a little spine toning to the first three volumes. Despite this mild toning, the red subtitles remain clearly legible across all six dust jacket spines. The dust jackets are protected beneath clear, removable, archival covers. Seldom, if ever, has history endowed a statesman with both singular ability to make history, and singular ability to write it. As with so much of what Churchill wrote, The Second World War is not "history" in the strictly academic, objectivist sense, but rather Churchill's perspective on history. In his March 1948 introduction to the first volume, Churchill himself made the disclaimer, "I do not describe it as history. it is a contribution to history." Nonetheless the compelling fact remains, as stated by Churchill himself, "I am perhaps the only man who has passed through both the two supreme cataclysms of recorded history in high Cabinet office. I was for more than five years in this second struggle with Germany the Head of His Majesty's government. I write, therefore, from a different standpoint and with more authority than was possible in my earlier books." Certainly, The Second World War may be regarded as an intensely personal and inherently biased history. Nonetheless, Churchill's work remains iconic, a vital part of the historical record. The six-volume epic has been called "indispensable reading for anyone who seeks a true understanding of the war that made us what we are today."Reference: Cohen A240.4(I-VI).a, Woods/ICS A123(ba), Langworth p.264.
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