Step by Step 1936-1939. by CHURCHILL, Winston S - 1942

London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd,, 1942. First Macmillan edition, first impression, of this prescient collection of articles against appeasement, originally published just before the outbreak of the Second World War, here republished for a wartime audience. This copy is from the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill's articles were syndicated throughout Europe from 1936 to 1939. His attack on appeasement and calls for Britain to prepare for conflict ran counter to the near-unanimous support for appeasement and peace among the British establishment and led to his exclusion from high office throughout these years. He was vindicated by the German invasion of Poland, and his committed stance earned him the enduring respect of allied opinion as he took on the mantle of Britain's wartime leader. Macmillan's edition was the first to be published with Churchill as Prime Minister. Reflecting Britain's alliance with the Soviet Union, two anti-Soviet speeches were omitted: "Enemies to the Left" and "The Communist Schism". Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. 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. Octavo. Original blue cloth, spine lettered in gilt. With dust jacket. Price-clipped jacket a little sunned and rubbed: a fine copy in near-fine jacket. Cohen A111.3a.