The Story of the Malakand Field Force.: An Episode of Frontier War. With maps, plans, etc. This edition is intended for circulation only in India and the British Colonies.

London and Bombay: Longmans, Green, and Co.,, 1898. Colonial issue of Churchill's first book, from the library of his bibliographer First edition, colonial issue in cloth, of Churchill's first book, inscribed on the front free endpaper: "Harry S. Garratt, 3rd Bo[mbay] L[ight] Inf[antr]y, Malakand May 1898"; an apt provenance, as in July 1891, Harry Sumner Garratt (1868-1939) was seconded to the Staff Corps of the Malakand Field Force from the Bedfordshire Regiment. From the collection of Churchill's bibliographer Ronald Cohen. Churchill was correspondent for the Daily Telegraph on Sir Bindon Blood's punitive 1897 expedition against the Afghan tribesmen of the north-west frontier, during which he "took part in several skirmishes in which he came under fire and witnessed acts of barbarism by both sides" (ODNB). He consolidated his reports into book form on his return to Bangalore, and his account was published in March 1898. Copies were bound for colonial export in both cloth and in wrappers. The domestic and colonial issues were produced simultaneously, although naturally it would have taken longer for copies to arrive in the various colonial markets. Copies are found without (first state) or with (second state) an errata slip, here the latter. When the errata slip is present, it can be the same as the domestic issue or an Indian variant, here also the latter. "At least as desirable as the home issue, the clothbound colonial is a Victorian period piece, with its Longmans' trademark Colonial Library pictorial binding... the wrapper version, while much rarer today, is not as aesthetically delectable" (Langworth, p. 18). Provenance: Ronald Cohen, with his ownership inscription in pencil on the front free endpaper. Cohen's Bibliography of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill, published in three volumes in 2006, is the authoritative source for collectors, librarians, and dealers. Octavo. Original grey cloth, spine lettered in gilt, front cover with lettering and design in blue. Half-tone portrait frontispiece with tissue-guard, 6 maps, of which 2 folding and in colour. Pencilled ownership signature of one J. G. Brett dated 15 September 1924 to front free endpaper. Cloth a little soiled and cockled, contents a little toned. A very good copy. Cohen A1.2.c. Richard Langworth, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill, 1998.