The Unrelenting Struggle.

London: Cassell and Company Ltd,, 1943. Presented to his wartime private secretary Third edition, presentation copy, in the publisher's deluxe presentation morocco and signed by Churchill on the initial binder's blank, for John Peck, his wartime private secretary. Peck (1913-1995) joined the Civil Service in 1936. When Churchill became prime minister in May 1940, Peck was appointed as one of four private secretaries. He was the only private secretary to serve Churchill throughout the war. Peck briefly served Attlee following Churchill's defeat in the 1945 election, and was transferred to the Foreign Office in 1946. He held a number of subsequent roles, concluding as British Ambassador to Dublin from 1970 to 1973. For each volume of Churchill's war speeches, a small number were bound specially for presentation, with these rarely encountered in commerce. These presentation issues are seen on both first and subsequent impressions. Peck received a series of volumes signed and specially bound in the presentation bindings from Churchill; they are not otherwise marked as his. This third edition (properly a third impression of the first edition, though designated an edition on the copyright page) was published in December 1943; the first two impressions (each similarly stated as edition) were published in June and November 1942. Octavo. Original dark blue morocco, spine lettered in gilt, watered silk endpapers, top edge gilt. Housed in a burgundy cloth flat-back box by the Chelsea Bindery. With 3 half-tone photographic plates including frontispiece. Very light rubbing at extremities, contents a little toned as often else unmarked: a near-fine copy. Cohen A172.1d (Cohen does not note this deluxe issue).