The Story Of The Malakand Field Force. An Episode Of Frontier War. Churchill, Winston S.

Third edition of Churchill's first book: "jacketed copies are extremely rare" (Langworth, p. 24). This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published as The Malakand Field Force in 1898. It was followed by the Silver Library Edition in 1899. This third edition is the earliest for which a dust jacket survives. It was published in the Nelson's Shilling Library series, a cheap reprint market. The book was subsequently out of print until 1989. Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpapers. Cohen's Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill, published in three volumes in 2006, is the authoritative source for collectors, librarians, and dealers. Cohen A1.5. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998. Duodecimo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Portrait frontispiece, 6 maps and plans, 2 of them folding. Contemporary bookplate of B. D. Farquharson to front pastedown (Farquharson's bookplate is known in other Churchill books also). Very light bumping and rubbing at extremities; unclipped jacket chipped with some loss, without repair. A near-fine copy in good jacket.