Churchill and Roosevelt, The Complete Correspondence by Winston S. Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, edited with commentary by Warren F. Kimball - 1984

Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1984. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. This weighty, three-volume set first issued in 1984 publishes the complete correspondence of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston S. Churchill from October 1933 to April 1945, the month FDR died. The correspondence is edited with commentary by Warren F. Kimball. This is the first printing of the desirable hardcover edition. All printings of the hardcover edition totaled 3,466 sets sold and have long been out of print. This is a quality production with illustrated dust jackets, sturdy red cloth bindings, black endpapers, head and foot bands, and contents printed on acid-free paper.

This set features very good plus or better volumes in near fine dust jackets. The red cloth bindings are square, clean, bright, and tight with sharp corners. The only reportable flaws are a bump to the Volume III lower spine and a trivial hint of soiling to the otherwise bright page edges. We find no spotting, no previous ownership marks, and the books feel unread. We note only minor wrinkling to the spine ends. The red dust jackets are highly prone to spine sunning. This set shows no discernible color shift between the faces and spines. Moreover, the jackets are complete with no loss or tears. The only flaw to report is unobtrusive wrinkling to the Volume III lower spine corresponding to the lower spine bump to the volume beneath. The dust jackets are protected with removable, clear, archival covers. We will ship this large, heavy set at cost.

Few relationships between world leaders proved as important and world-defining as the relationship between Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. On 11 September 1939, Franklin D. Roosevelt had already been President of the United States for six and a half years. By contrast, Winston S. Churchill had only been re-appointed as Britain’s First Lord of the Admiralty a week prior, after the outbreak of the Second World War. While Roosevelt had been leading his own nation, Churchill had spent most of the 1930s out of power and out of favor, warning against the growing Nazi threat and often at odds with both his Party leadership and prevailing public sentiment. But on 11 September, President Franklin Roosevelt initiated what would become a world-defining relationship and correspondence. FDR wrote, “My dear Churchill, It is because you and I occupied similar positions in the [First] World War that I want you to know how glad I am that you are back again in the Admiralty… I shall at all times welcome it if you will keep me in touch personally with anything you want me to know about.” (ed. Kimball, Complete Correspondence Vol.I, p.24) Churchill responded with the amusingly transparent code name “Naval Person” which he changed to “Former Naval Person” when he became prime minister in May 1940.

Reference: Cohen A287.1.