The Second World War: First Phase.

First edition, presentation copy, inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "Dorothy Paley from Duff Cooper". The recipient, Dorothy Hart Paley (1908-1998), was the wife of William Samuel Paley, the chief executive of the Columbia Broadcasting System. The Paleys were friends with the Coopers. During the war, Cooper sent his son, John Julius, to study at Upper Canada College - the Paleys took him in during the holidays. Cooper opposed appeasement and was the only Cabinet minister to resign over the Munich Agreement. His book charts the 12 months following his resignation through a selection of his articles and speeches. It was completed before the outbreak of war and published in late September 1939. Octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Contents a little toned; unclipped jacket rubbed with some short closed tears at extremities: a near-fine copy in very good jacket.