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Rating: 
Summary: A quirky and engaging guide to all of Churchill's books.
Review: A Connoisseur's Guide is a quirky and engaging tour of all the editions of Churchill's key texts. Before a debate over my use of "quirky" in an endearing manner, let it be known to all that Langworth is the major American dealer in books by and about Churchill and as such has a unique view of Churchill as filtered through his work. Others regularly handle Churchill material (including the author of this piece, who, in the spirit of full disclosure, it should be noted is praised in the acknowledgments and cited authoritatively in the text), but none take into stock and send back out Into the world a fraction of the books, pamphlets and magazines that pass through Langworth's hands. Indeed, in his introduction he claims "one purpose" he had in compiling the Guide was to forestall the question most frequently put to him by novice buyers: "What exactly am I holding in my hands?" With this Guide in hand, the answer might still require one more call to Langworth; but once the aspirant grasps the bibliographic language with which he narrates this textual tale, home-schooling should quickly replace classroom instruction. The Guide is put together with admirable clarity, even simplicity. For each text, from The Story of the Malakand Field Force in 1898 to the posthumous ephemeral publications, Langworth first provides an eminently readable redaction, along with some solid background of each book's place in the canon. In these preambles Langworth's voice resonates eloquently, providing a sense that we are being guided by a generous, avuncular Diogenes with knowledge of all things Churchillian. Following his introductory remarks, Langworth deploys excerpts from both contemporary and modern commentators; his use of supporting and dissenting opinions offers a novel approach to understanding how a text was greeted upon publication and how it continues to be perceived. Throughout Langworth relies on the bibliographical research of the late Frederick Woods, who devoted decades to tracing Churchill's works, and whose bibliography, to date, has not been superseded. Langworth states that his goal is to amplify, not expand upon, Woods's early work, and in this, I think he is too humble: he clarifies innumerable pockets of obfuscation transmitted by Woods (one need only read his lucid discussion of The Malakand Field Force to see how far we've come). He also, however, occasionally nudges up against the hubristic: definitionally, Woods is the text with which Langworth is bantering, and insomuch as the preponderance of readers will not be familiar with Woods, his frequent taglines "see Woods" and "Woods incorrectly" seem a bit bullying. Maybe I'm being too pedantic, but the paragraphs devoted to the physical components of the books are similar enough in both format and language to Woods to have generated a feeling that Langworth, now and again, set up his predecessor only to knock him down. Most readers, I suspect, will breeze through the technical patches on book production, press-runs and binding variants and will be rewarded with the concluding categories with which the description of each edition ends. The first of these is labeled "Comments" and in it Langworth incorporates the substantial anecdotal knowledge he has gathered in his decades of handling Churchill books. In these passages he demonstrates the extent to which he has attained true "connoisseurship," that state of grace to which all collectors of objects aspire, and he communicates his wisdom with the ease bred of confidence. For example, in describing the Times Book Club issue of Lord Randolph Churchill he notes: "nicely if not elaborately bound (it lacks the gilt coat of arms) it is an adequate if not dramatic looking set of books." And about the first edition of India:: "softbound copies on the market today outnumber hardbound copies at least twenty to one...." These are, to my mind, truths that could only be proffered succinctly and elegantly after years of study and reflection. In a late interview, the American novelist Bernard Malamud suggested that "clear writing is clear thinking," and in those pithy observations, in which Langworth shares his clear thinking in clean writing, the Guide earns a place on the list of essential reference works devoted to Churchill as author. The Guide is sturdily produced; the photographs are attractive. I wish a number of the more compelling, early books had been shot in color, though some appear on the color dust jacket. To those of us who esteem Churchill's accomplishments, this work offers one more reason to stand in reverence: the titles and text roll across seven decades with clarity and logic. The Guide both elevates and entertains-and you can't ask for much more for your money, can you?
Rating:
Summary: A quirky and engaging guide to all of Churchill's books.
Review: A Connoisseur's Guide is a quirky and engaging tour of all the editions of Churchill's key texts. Before a debate over my use of "quirky" in an endearing manner, let it be known to all that Langworth is the major American dealer in books by and about Churchill and as such has a unique view of Churchill as filtered through his work. Others regularly handle Churchill material (including the author of this piece, who, in the spirit of full disclosure, it should be noted is praised in the acknowledgments and cited authoritatively in the text), but none take into stock and send back out Into the world a fraction of the books, pamphlets and magazines that pass through Langworth's hands. Indeed, in his introduction he claims "one purpose" he had in compiling the Guide was to forestall the question most frequently put to him by novice buyers: "What exactly am I holding in my hands?" With this Guide in hand, the answer might still require one more call to Langworth; but once the aspirant grasps the bibliographic language with which he narrates this textual tale, home-schooling should quickly replace classroom instruction. The Guide is put together with admirable clarity, even simplicity. For each text, from The Story of the Malakand Field Force in 1898 to the posthumous ephemeral publications, Langworth first provides an eminently readable redaction, along with some solid background of each book's place in the canon. In these preambles Langworth's voice resonates eloquently, providing a sense that we are being guided by a generous, avuncular Diogenes with knowledge of all things Churchillian. Following his introductory remarks, Langworth deploys excerpts from both contemporary and modern commentators; his use of supporting and dissenting opinions offers a novel approach to understanding how a text was greeted upon publication and how it continues to be perceived. Throughout Langworth relies on the bibliographical research of the late Frederick Woods, who devoted decades to tracing Churchill's works, and whose bibliography, to date, has not been superseded. Langworth states that his goal is to amplify, not expand upon, Woods's early work, and in this, I think he is too humble: he clarifies innumerable pockets of obfuscation transmitted by Woods (one need only read his lucid discussion of The Malakand Field Force to see how far we've come). He also, however, occasionally nudges up against the hubristic: definitionally, Woods is the text with which Langworth is bantering, and insomuch as the preponderance of readers will not be familiar with Woods, his frequent taglines "see Woods" and "Woods incorrectly" seem a bit bullying. Maybe I'm being too pedantic, but the paragraphs devoted to the physical components of the books are similar enough in both format and language to Woods to have generated a feeling that Langworth, now and again, set up his predecessor only to knock him down. Most readers, I suspect, will breeze through the technical patches on book production, press-runs and binding variants and will be rewarded with the concluding categories with which the description of each edition ends. The first of these is labeled "Comments" and in it Langworth incorporates the substantial anecdotal knowledge he has gathered in his decades of handling Churchill books. In these passages he demonstrates the extent to which he has attained true "connoisseurship," that state of grace to which all collectors of objects aspire, and he communicates his wisdom with the ease bred of confidence. For example, in describing the Times Book Club issue of Lord Randolph Churchill he notes: "nicely if not elaborately bound (it lacks the gilt coat of arms) it is an adequate if not dramatic looking set of books." And about the first edition of India:: "softbound copies on the market today outnumber hardbound copies at least twenty to one...." These are, to my mind, truths that could only be proffered succinctly and elegantly after years of study and reflection. In a late interview, the American novelist Bernard Malamud suggested that "clear writing is clear thinking," and in those pithy observations, in which Langworth shares his clear thinking in clean writing, the Guide earns a place on the list of essential reference works devoted to Churchill as author. The Guide is sturdily produced; the photographs are attractive. I wish a number of the more compelling, early books had been shot in color, though some appear on the color dust jacket. To those of us who esteem Churchill's accomplishments, this work offers one more reason to stand in reverence: the titles and text roll across seven decades with clarity and logic. The Guide both elevates and entertains-and you can't ask for much more for your money, can you?
Rating:
Summary: Essential reference for collectors and fans alike
Review: I'm a member of The Churchill Center, of which Mr Langworth is a director, and for years, I've been an occasional customer of his Churchillbooks business. I've emailed or written him a few times over the years, and so I like to think that -- through my pesky and amateurish questions -- I bear a little tiny bit of the responsibility for the publication of this excellent book. Because now that I have this, I won't have to bother Mr Langworth in person any more. I'm sure he rests more easily knowing this.The 'Connoisseur's Guide' is, without exaggeration, the Book of the Century about the books written by The Man of the (Twentieth) Century. From Sir Winston's rarest and most obscure titles to Book-of-the-Month-Club volumes owned by millions, Mr Langworth has catalogued, evaluated, and given us his excellent personal insights and opinions about them. For each title, including posthumous collections, the Guide gives us a bit of history, excerpts from contemporaneous reviews, and a listing of every known imprint and variant, including translations into other languages. I'm not, either by temperament or financial status, a collector of fine volumes. I just love to read Sir Winston. And I have found this Guide to be every bit as useful to me as I believe it must be for the most high-end of Churchillo-bibliophiles. Mr Langworth is to be commended for the remarkable amount of work that went into compiling this comprehensive Guide. It is a volume that belongs on the shelf of any student of Churchilliana.
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