Description:

Winston Churchill TLS to Editor Re: "Marlborough: His Life and Times"-- his Ancestor's Biography

A 1p typed letter signed by Winston Churchill (1874-1965), future British Prime Minister, as "Yours sincerely, / WS Churchill" at center. Churchill has additionally penned the salutation "Dear Sir," at top. April 30, 1933. [Chartwell, Kent, England.] Typed on watermarked stationery with "Chartwell, Westerham, Kent" letterhead. Expected wear including flattened transmittal folds, scattered foxing recto and verso, and a few stray pencil marks near the edges. A diagonal in green ink slashed through the typed paragraph was presumably made by the letter recipient, Churchill's editor, C.C. Wood. Else near fine. 8" x 10."

Churchill wrote this letter to Charles C. Wood (1875-1959), the chief copy editor at his publishing house, George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd. Churchill worked closely with Wood during the composition of and editing process of Churchill's monumental historical biography, "Marlborough: His Life and Times" (London: George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd., Vols. I-IV, 1933-1938). Churchill's ambitious work chronicles his lineal ancestor, John Churchill, 1st first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722). "Marlborough: His Life and Times" was published in four volumes: Volume I in 1933; Volume II in 1934; Volume III in 1936; and Volume IV in 1938. This letter relates to Volume I (covering the earliest period of Marlborough's life up until 1702), which was published six months later, in October 1933. In the letter, Churchill explains his rationale when quoting historical documents and correspondence encountered during his research.

In part:

[in Churchill's hand] "Dear Sir,

[typed] I am most carefully considering of course the question of modernising the old letters and documents. Up to the present I am modernising (sic) Marlborough's letters and those of the Duchess where quoted, but I am not modernising (sic) old documents which are cited in the text for the purpose of creating atmosphere. It may be that a further revision will be necessary later on…

[in Churchill's hand] Yours sincerely,
WS Churchill."

The Author's Note that Churchill inserted in each "Marlborough" volume restates Churchill's major points of this letter, indicating that Churchill followed the same procedure right through to publication. The "Note" reads: "In quoting from old documents and letters the original text has been preserved wherever it is significant. Letters of Marlborough and Sarah which enter directly into the narrative have been modernized in spelling, grammar, and punctuation so far as is convenient to the reader. But the archaic style and setting have been preserved, and occasionally words are left in characteristic spelling…" Thus Churchill remained faithful to the idea of "creating atmosphere" wherever possible, but where it mattered--excerpting the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, for example--Churchill prioritized modern usage.

John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, had started his court service as a page during the reign of Charles II and ended it as Master-General of the Ordnance of the English army under George I. Serving under five sovereigns, Marlborough distinguished himself most notably during the War of the Spanish Succession. A handsome and charming soldier-diplomat, Marlborough was one of the most influential figures of the age. His wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough (1660-1744) had a decades-long close friendship with the future Queen Anne I, and in this capacity, she too was extremely instrumental. Winston Churchill was named after Marlborough’s father and was the nephew of the 8th Duke of Marlborough. He wrote this history of his famous ancestor to refute earlier criticisms of Marlborough leveled by the historian Thomas Babington Macaulay, and "to recall this great shade from the past, and not only invest him with his panoply, but make him living and intimate to modern eyes" (Vol I. preface, "Marlborough.")

Charles C. Wood had joined the publishing firm of George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd., in 1912. He served as chief copy editor of Churchill’s "Marlborough." In 1948, Churchill hired the retired Wood to proofread his massive multi-volume work, "The Second World War." Wood joined Churchill’s staff of secretaries, research assistants, and advisors, becoming “an essential member of the team…no error escaped his eye.” Wood was as abrasive as Churchill was demanding, and Churchill once called Wood “indefatigable, interminable, intolerable.” The exacting process of proofreading both "The Second World War" and "A History of the English-Speaking Peoples" was called “wooding."

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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