The Works of WSC
A guide to the Churchill canon
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As unlikely as it may seem today, there was a time when Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (WSC) was only one of two Winston Churchills with a burgeoning literary reputation - and that he was, temporarily at least, the lesser known. Each Churchill was very much aware of the resulting confusion, and an amusing correspondence between the two ensued. ("Mr Winston Churchill presents his compliments to Mr Winston Churchill, and begs to draw his attention to a matter which concerns them both").
From a collector's perspective the existence of two Winston Churchills can be problematic, to say the least. There can be very few collectors who have not accidentally added a couple of volumes of the 'wrong' Churchill to their shelves. I will be among the first to admit having done so. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, while little read today, the American Churchill was, in his day, an extremelty popular author. Consequently copies of his books abound both in second hand shops and online auction sites.
Much needless chagrin can be avoided by following two simple rules of thumb when contemplating the purchase of a 'Churchill' volume. Firstly, WSC wrote only one novel - 'Savrola'. Any other book length fiction is by the American Winston Churchill. Secondly, as a result of the early confusion, all WSC's books after 1900 make use of his middle name or initial. If you buy a book by 'Winston S(pencer) Churchill' then the worst mistake you will make is to inadvertently acquire a work by his grandson who, unfortunately, in my opinion, also publishes as 'Winston S. Churchill'. ('Memories and Adventures' is a potentially very confusing case in point).
I offer the following as a quick safety checklist. To the best of my knowledge it represents the majority of the works of the American Winston Churchill. While it may not be exhaustive it certainly includes the commonest pitfalls for the beginning collector. Thanks go to Doug Russell for expanding on my first attempt at this list
And finally, for those of us who have ever fallen into the 'wrong Churchill' trap, we can take comfort from the fact that we have not embarassed ourselves quite as publicly as some. The Portuguese edition of 'Into Battle' (Sangue, Suor e Lagrimas) includes a bibliography which is, unfortunately, all too comprehensive, melding indiscriminately, as it does, the works of both Churchills. There's hope for the rest of us.
