THE RIVER WAR. An Account of the Reconquest of the Soudan by CHURCHILL. WINSTON. SPENCER - 1899

Chatto & Windus. London. 1891. FIRST EDITION. 3 Volumes. 8vo. (7.5 x 5 inches). Inscribed by the author on the half-title of volume I, "A. P. Watt with the Author's kindest wishes. 6th June 1891". 12 mono full page plates by Green, each with a tissue guard. Original dark green cloth blocked with elaborate blind decoration, spines lettered in gilt, floral patterned endpapers. Cloth very slightly rubbed at extremities and a few thin white streaks to the front board of volume one and some light foxing to the decorative endpapers, otherwise clean, tight and bright throughout. Overall a better than very good set. Alexander Pollock Watt (1838–1914) was the first successful British literary agent. His agency, started in 1875, is still active today and is, in fact, the longest-established literary agency in the world. He acted as Besant's agent, and also his literary executor.

Chatto & Windus. London. 1888. FIRST EDITION. 3 Volumes. 8vo. (7.5 x 5 inches). Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper of volume I, "A. P. Watt. From the Author". Original brown cloth blocked in metallic blue in a geometric pattern to the spines and front boards. The spines are lettered in gilt. Floral patterned endpapers. Spines rolled a little, some light spotting to endpapers and title pages but generally a clean, tight and bright copy. Overall a better than very good set. Alexander Pollock Watt (1838–1914) was the first successful British literary agent. His agency, started in 1875, is still active today and is, in fact, the longest-established literary agency in the world. He acted as Besant's agent, and also his literary executor.

The Modern Press. 1886. First separate issue, larger untrimmed variant, inscribed by the author. Originally printed in the April 1885-March 1886 issues of "To-Day", this first edition was printed from the corrected and revised stereos of the original setting for the journal. This is the larger, variant issue, with the preliminary blank leaf bound at the beginning. Shaw explains the variant this way: "The size of the bigger copies is due to the fact that they reproduced not only the type but the format of To-day. But the booksellers objected that in this form it occupied too much room to be displayed on their stalls and counters. It was probably cut down as far as the margins would allow to meet this objection" (Laurence). Inscribed by Shaw, "This is the first Issue, which was so tall that the booksellers refused to exhibit it on their counters, as it took too much room. So it had to be cut down. G. Bernard Shaw 26/7/30." . ---- Housed in a green cloth covered chemise and quarter green morocco slip… Read More

John Murray. London. 1927. FIRST EDITION. 8vo. (7.4 x 5 inches). A fine clean copy throughout. Finely bound, by Zaehnsdorf for Asprey and Co, in recent full black morocco. Spine with five raised bands, each with gilt wavy lines. Compartments ruled and lettered in gilt. Boards with gilt ruled border. Board edges with single gilt ruled lines. Turn-ins with elaborate floral gilt decoration. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. A highly attractive leather binding.

The Nonesuch Press. London. 1924-27. FIVE VOLUMES. Tall 4to. (12.3 x 8.3 inches). Limited edition. One of 1000 sets printed on Japon vellum (The Apochrypha is one of 1250 copies) from a total edition of 1075 copies. The typography was arranged by Frances Meynell. Each volume decorated with copperplate engravings by Stephen Gooden, including the title pages. A lovely clean set finely bound in recent full black morocco, decorative gilt border to boards. Spines with raised bands, each with decorative gilt piping and ruling. Red title labels, gilt. Top edges gilt, others untrimmed. A beautiful set.

Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co. Ltd. London. 1907. Small 8vo. (6.2 x 4 inches). Fine early twentieth century full vellum hand painted binding. Fine binding decorated with a painted scene on the front cover depicting a woman and two children in a rustic garden scene, the spine is decorated with a matching design of a variety of painted flowers and the back cover has a single painted flower in the bottom left corner. Marbled endpapers. All edges gilt. The book is miss-titled in gilt and black on the spine reading 'The Christian Year' so the binder may have been working on more than one book at a time and got two mixed up. The binding is unsigned but similar to several made by the Royal School of Art Needlework around the same period and is in remarkably good condition, only some slight wear on the border of the front cover and the gilded bands on the spine-ends.

Cassell and Company. London. 1941-46. FIRST EDITIONS. 7 Volumes. 8vo. (8.7 x 5.6 inches). A complete set of first editions and 1st impressions of Churchill's war speeches. A few pages with light foxing but overall a clean and fine set which has been finely bound in recent full dark blue morocco leather, spines with five raised bands, gilt. Red title and name labels, gilt. Spines with lettering and rampant lion device stamped in gilt. Single gilt ruled borders on boards. All edges gilt. Fine. A fantastic presentation of this important set.

Leonard Smithers and Co. London. 1899. FIRST EDITION. Small 4to.(8.4 X 6.3 inches). xvi, 213pp. Original light purple cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and decorative designs by Charles Shannon in gilt to both boards and spine. All edges untrimmed. A small amount of light offsetting to the blank endpapers. Some mottling to the spine and a little bubbling to the cloth on the front board but overall a very good copy. One of 1000 copies, published July 1899. -- Mason 385.

The Mandrake Press. London. 1929. FIRST EDITION. Large 8vo. (8.8 x 5.8 inches). Some very mild foxing to fore edges and some light offsetting to the endpapers from the dustwrapper but overall a bright, clean and fresh copy in publishers dark green cloth, spine lettered and ruled in gilt. In the original colour illustrated dustwrapper with striking designs by Beresford Egan to the panels, spine and rear inner flap. A small area of loss to the very top of the spine, which is a bit toned, and some tiny chips to the extremities but overall a superior and un-restored example of this fabulous wrapper. Near fine book in a better than very good wrapper.

Fred De Fau & Company. New York. 1902. LIMITED EDITION. One of 1,000 numbered sets, this number 942. 10 volumes. 8vo. (7.7 x 5.5 inches). Finely bound by Brentanos in contemporary half tan morocco. Each spine with five raised bands, decorated with gilt piping. Compartments multi ruled and lettered in gilt and with blind tooled centre decorations. Marbled paper on boards. Gold on grey marbled endpapers. Top edges gilt, the others untrimmed and a few gatherings still unopened. Illustrated with decorative head and tail pieces, vignettes in the text and multiple full page black and white illustrations by F. S. Coburn throughout. Each frontis plate protected with a printed descriptive tissue guards. Title pages printed in red and black. Pages nice and clean throughout. There is some minor bumping and rubbing to the corners of the bindings and a couple of small scratches to the lower board of volume 9 but overall this is a near fine, handsome set in excellent condition that looks wonderful on the shelf.