The Story of the Malakand Field Force - An Episode of Frontier War (1898)

Winston Churchill is probably the most famous statesman of the 20th century. He was also a prolific author and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953. Here is a rare first edition of The Story of the Malakand Field Force - his first book.

This copy being the first "colonial" edition which was published simultaneously with the "domestic" edition but in a different binding.

The book was issued in the publisher's customary "Longmans' Colonial Library" pictorial cloth binding, a binding which was used for all their publications intended for circulation in India and the Colonies.

There is no mention on the title page of this copy being a "new edition" and there is no mention of later printings on the verso of the title page (as called for). There is no errata slip (the first edition contained numerous textual errors and therefore an errata slip was only inserted in subsequent reprints).

xiv + 336pp. Contains a frontispiece of Sir Bindon Blood (which has pulled loose and without tissue guard) and six maps.

The book has rubbing on the spine ends and corners. There is a former owner's name on the front paste down and front endpaper. Frontispiece frayed along the front and bottom edges as a consequence of having pulled loose. Bottom corner of the rear endpaper torn off and remnant of a pocket on rear paste down as per images. The rest of the book is clean with no inscriptions or foxing. Binding solid.