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 CHURCHILL,
WINSTON.
Address by
the Prime Minister Mr. Winston Churchill Delivered in the House of
Commons, Tuesday, June 4, 1940"We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender…” FIRST EDITION of one of the most influential speeches of the century: Winston Churchill's triumphant "we shall not fail" speech of June 4, 1940. On June 4, 1940, during the tragic collapse of France, Churchill delivered the first and arguably the most famous of his stirring orations during the difficult summer of 1940. “That fateful summer, the climax of his whole long life, was measured out and given shape, like the intervention of choruses in a Greek play, by these Churchillian orations… They not only matched the mood of the moment but have survived six decades etched in the memory of many who were young at the time and are old now. They were an inspiration for the nation, and a catharsis for Churchill himself. They raised his spirits and thus generated even more energy than was consumed in their composition. He was obviously and rightly pleased with his 4 June effort and its reception… Wedgewood wrote to Churchill… ‘That was worth 1000 guns & [was] the speech of 1000 years.’” (Roy Jenkins, Churchill). New York: British Library of Information, 1940. Small octavo, original wrappers; housed in custom half-leather box. First edition, issued within days of the deliverance of the speech. Woods A55(a). A few creases; a little toning to edges. Rare. $2200.
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