The Island Race. CHURCHILL, Winston S.

First edition thus, handsomely bound, of the illustrated abridgement of the History of the English-Speaking Peoples, originally published in four volumes from 1956 to 1958. Churchill began his history during his wilderness years in the early 1930s but did not complete it until the late 1950s, after his final retirement as prime minister. He presented an intertwined narrative of the histories of Britain, the United States, and the empire's dominions. It was history as manifesto, setting out a vision of the English-speaking nations as bound by a common history and purpose. By stressing their shared heritage and destiny, Churchill, by birth half English and half American, believed he could cement the bonds between them. The work was acclaimed and became an international best-seller, further vindicating his award of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953. Cohen A275.1a (first state, with p. 75 uncorrected). Quarto (307 x 242 mm). Illustrated in colour throughout. Contemporary red half morocco, spine lettered in gilt, gilt floral devices in compartments, red cloth sides, marbled endpapers. Very lightly shaken: a near-fine copy.