MOVING CHURCHILL #5: Martin Gilbert Once More

As we continue to look toward our impending move, we look back at Sir Martin Gilbert once more, and his many book celebrations here at Chartwell Booksellers.

Following the first, on December 12, 1986, for the American publication of ROAD TO VICTORY: 1941-1945 — the seventh volume in what would ultimately be his 8-volume official Churchill biography — Sir Martin returned on November 8, 1989, for the publication of his THE SECOND WORLD: A Complete History, delivering a marvelous talk that you can listen to HERE.

 

On October 30, 1991, we celebrated with him the American release of CHURCHILL: A LIFE,  his new single-volume biography of Winston Churchill (not merely an abridgment of the official biography, as Sir Martin always insisted). You can watch his widow, Esther, Lady Gilbert, read a passage from it HERE, as part of our recent 40^th Readings at Chartwell Booksellers series.

 

In November 1997, Sir Martin stopped by to sign copies of  WINSTON CHURCHILL AND EMERY REVES CORRESPONDENCE, 1937-1964, a fascinating epistolary chronicle that he had edited of letters between Churchill and Reves, owner of the independent press service known as Cooperation, who forcefully placed Churchill’s pro-democracy articles in newspapers around the world during the years leading up to World War II, then acted as his agent following the war negotiating the publication of his War Memoirs and A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH-SPEAKING PEOPLES. Watch actor Stephen Weber read a passage from WINSTON CHURCHILL AND EMERY REVES CORRESPONDENCE, 1937-1964 for our 40^th Readings at Chartwell Booksellers series, HERE.

On February 20, 2003, Sir Martin delivered a fascinating dissertation on, what he called, “Mapping History” to mark the re-issue of his invaluable ATLASES OF HISTORY series. You can listen to it: HERE. As his lecture delineated, Sir Martin took great pleasure in drawing the maps for all of his books himself.

His final official visit to Chartwell Booksellers came on October 11, 2005 for a reception marking the publication of CHURCHILL AND AMERICA, including a rousing last lecture that you can listen to HERE.

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Sir Martin Gilbert passed in 2015. During his latter years, he derived satisfaction from the reissue of his magnum opus, the Official Churchill Biography. Companion volumes completing the series were ultimately compiled posthumously, utilizing Sir Martin’s notes. A fitting final tribute.

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From our impending-move Sale, a few more of these Martin Gilbert works:

CHURCHILL AND AMERICA
-Signed First American Edition-
Price: $250 / Sale: $125

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WINSTON CHURCHILL AND EMERY REVES CORRESPONDENCE 1937-1964
-Unsigned First American Edition-
Price: $95 / Sale: $45

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