The Second World War. Vols I-VI (best editions)

Plastic-protected three-colour unclipped dustjackets (25s, 25s, 25s, 30s, 30s, 30s), black cloth-boards, gilt-lettered to the spine, rose-tinted top page edges, grey patterned printed endpapers, and a total of 4692 pp text on ivory wove paper.

• Vol I. The Gathering Storm. How the English-Speaking Peoples through their unwisdom, carelessness and good nature, allowed the wicked to rearm. New edition, revised and reset. Published November, 1949. xix + 724 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index, including maps in the text.
• Vol II. Their Finest Hour. The fall of France and alone. First edition, 1949. xvii + 684 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index + 3 inserted larger maps.
• Vol III. The Grand Alliance. How the British fought on with hardship their garment until Soviet Russian and the United States were drawn into the great conflict. First edition, 1950. xviii + 818 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index + 3 inserted larger maps.
• Vol IV. The Hinge of Fate. How the power of the Grand Alliance became preponderant. First edition, 1951. xviii + 917 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index + inserted facsimile of Mr Churchill's Directive to General Alexander and of General Alexander's Reply + 4 inserted larger maps.
• Vol V. Closing the Ring. How Nazi Germany was isolated and assailed on all sides. First edition, 1952. xviii + 673 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index + inserted facsimile of Mr Churchill's Minute of May 30, 1942 + 3 inserted larger maps.
• Vol VI. Triumph and Tragedy. How the great democracies triumphed, and so were able to resume the follies which had so nearly cost them their life. First edition, 1954. xviii + 716 pp of b/w-illustrated text, appendixes and index + 11 inserted larger maps.

CONDITION. All first editions except Vol I, which is better than the first, the volumes are complete and lightly read. The dustjackets are near-fine and plastic protected. The binding and boards are unrubbed and near fine. The colour of the tinted top page edges has faded. There is the same owner signature on the paste-downs of Vols I-IV but no signatures in Vols V-VI. The volumes are otherwise unmarked. There are one or two yellowed tape residues on the dust jacket flaps and/or endpapers of all the volumes. 

This is a matched complete near-fine set.