The Works of WSC
A guide to the Churchill canon
Articles
Affiliated sites
For Churchill bibliophiles the appearance of this work has been one of the most eagerly awaited publishing events of the past several years. Twenty-five years in the crafting, this will surely stand as the definitive bibliography for the foreseeable future. Quite simply it blows away its predecessors in the breadth of its coverage.
First of all the technical details. The work spans three large volumes and 2,146 pages. Over 350 books and 1200 articles by WSC are itemised in exhaustive detail, along with a couple of thousand 'lesser' items. The three volumes are divided into seven sections thus:
Cohen's work, however, goes far beyond what would normally be expected from a bibliography. Typically one would not contemplate selecting such a work to curl up with for a good read in front of a warm fire. In this case you may well wish to do so. In addition to the exhaustive descriptions of several thousand items there is a substantial overlay of anecdotal background, which allows the book to be read as a fascinating narrative of Churchill's literary career. Behind the books we get a clear glimpse of Churchill urging his mother to negotiate a better publishing offer; we see myths dispelled, such as the story behind the Times Book Club edition of Lord Randolph Churchill; we get glimpses of the unintentionally humourous, when both Churchill and a television producer misremember the name of Savrola's villain; we get the twists of a mystery novel as we follow the strands to see how many copies of a work were really sold; and in the end we emerge with a far better understanding of the man. Anyone who would understand Churchill must first understand the source of his income - the income which allowed him to stay in politics.
With an introductory price of $990, The Bibliography is not an inexpensive offering by any stretch of the imagination. It is, however, indispensible to the true student or collector of Churchill's writings. Academic works are, sadly, not cheap and an enormous amount of effort and attention to detail has gone into this one. For those who flinch, let me expand a little on Mark Weber's comparison, made in his latest catalogue, to the three companion volumes to volume V of Gilbert's biography. Those three volumes appeared between 1979 and 1982 at an introductory price of £185 - an enormous sum at that time. They are now commanding ten times that, when you can find them.
In short, as a bibliographic website, we can only offer Ron Cohen the heartiest of congratulations for his accomplishment, and recommend this set unreservedly.
