The Decisive Battles of the Western World and their Influence upon History.

London: Eyre & Spottiswoode,, 1954-56. First editions, first impressions of Fuller's new-fashioned Creasy, a work which initiated the post-war revival in his reputation. A title which is becoming decidedly uncommon, especially in the often embrittled jackets. Here with the prospectuses for the first and second, and the third volumes loosely inserted. In his preface Fuller speaks of his setting out in 1923 to collect data, "and this led in 1939-40 to the publication of two volumes on Decisive Battles. But as I was far from satisfied with the book as it then stood, when shortly after the second volume appeared the whole stock was destroyed by enemy action, in no way did I regret its loss, because it presented me with the opportunity to rewrite the work". This process has been described by Brian Holden Reid as "pruning the fascist encrustation" (ODNB). The rewritten and expanded version met with universal acclaim, The New York Herald Tribune commending Fuller's "superb gifts of analysis and judgement", the Sydney Morning Herald considering that it "cannot fail to be accepted as a valuable and original contribution to historical research", while The Spectator crowned him "the most eminent living writer on war". With mature consideration, in his precursor to Reid's ODNB piece Michael Howard described Decisive Battles as "the major work on which Fuller's reputation as a historian must rest … thenceforward he was able to bask in the sunshine of a prophet restored to honour in his own country" (Michael Carver in DNB). Three volumes, octavo. Original red cloth, lettered in gilt on the spines, plum top-stain. With striking typographical jackets printed in vivid red, reddish grey, and white on black. Maps and plans to the text. Very light shelf-wear, the occasional sunned area corresponding to minor losses from the jackets, endpapers differentially browned, contents clean, sound, bright and tight; jackets with typical foxing and browning, minor chipping and splitting, some pieces missing from the tails of the spines of volumes 1 and 2, and a small triangular chip from the front panel of 2, but no loss of text from any: a very good set. Think