COMPANION VOLUMES TO CHURCHILL AND GILBERT’S OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY OF WINSTON CHURCHILL

(CHURCHILL, Winston S.) CHURCHILL, Randolph S. and MARTIN, Gilbert, editors. Companion Volumes to Winston S. Churchill. Thirteen volumes. WITH: The Churchill War Papers. Three volumes. London: Heinemann, (1967-2000). Together, 16 volumes. Octavo, original red cloth, original dust jackets. $4500.

First editions of the companion volumes of supporting material to Churchill and Gilbert’s monumental biography of the charismatic British Prime Minister, covering the years 1896 through 1941.

The first two volumes of Churchill’s official biography were written by Churchill’s son Randolph. After Randolph’s death in 1968, Martin Gilbert, who had worked as his research assistant, was appointed official biographer and completed the work in another six volumes. “The approach adopted by Mr. [Randolph] Churchill was the same as his father used in Lord Randolph Churchill, an approach summarized in the ‘Theme’ of this new work: ‘He shall be his own biographer… a majority of the text has consisted of quotations from Sir Winston’s letters, speeches and writings” (Woods, 390). In keeping with this theme, it was decided to publish “companion volumes” to the biography, which include correspondence, speeches, documents and maps. As such, the companion volumes represent a unique archive of Churchill material. Zoller A302a-f.

Fading to dust jackets of Companion Volume IV, parts 1-3. A fine set, scarce with all volumes.