The Second World War. Volume I: The Gathering Storm. Volume II: Their Finest Hour. Volume III: The Grand Alliance. Volume IV: The Hinge of Fate. Volume V: Closing the Ring. Volume VI: Triumph and Tragedy
Melbourne (Volumes 1-5) and London (Volume 6), Cassell & Co. Ltd, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952 and 1954 (the first five volumes are all first Australian editions; the final volume is the first UK edition).
Octavo, six volumes, xvi, 640; xviii, 684; xviii, 818; xviii, 917; xviii, 673; and xviii, 716 pages with numerous maps and diagrams throughout (many printed in two or three colours) plus 25 folding maps.
Black cloth; top corners of Volume IV a little bumped, affecting slightly the textblock; a few other trifling light bumps to the covers; small paper label of the contemporary Adelaide booksellers F.W. Preece Ltd. on the front pastedown of the first volume (and of The Myer Emporium bookshop in the next two volumes); contemporary gift inscription in ink on the flyleaf of all six volumes (gifted from a mother to her son as each volume was published); overall, an excellent set with the excellent dustwrappers (Volumes I and III have a couple of closed tears and a few tiny chips; Volume VI has the UK retail price clipped from it, all others retain their printed Australian prices).
The first volume contains a printed 'Author's Note' at the foot of page ix: 'July 15, 1948. Various Errata and Corrigenda are set forth at the end of the Appendices, facing page 610'. These occupy both sides of an unnumbered leaf, which is preceded by a bound-in slip containing a further 14 errata and corrigenda. Woods A123bb; Langworth, pages 254-282 ('The Australian Issue is wholly more satisfying to handle and read than the English because of its superior paper stock'). Both Woods and Langworth refer incorrectly to the Australian printer as Halsted Press; this should read Halstead Press. [6 items].
Item #147449
Price (AUD):
$400.00