[Churchill, Winston] Churchill, Winston S. Typed Letter, signed

Churchill Writes to his Publisher Concerning his Soon-to-be Published Book and Inquires About Censorship in Nazi Germany

"If there were any possibility of a publication in Germany, I might be willing to consent to some excisions in view of the strict censorship which prevails in that country"

Chartwell, Westerham, Kent, August 12, 1937. One sheet, 9 7/8 x 7 3/8 in. (251 x 187 mm). Typed letter on Churchill's Chartwell headed stationery, signed by Churchill, to his British publisher, Thornton Butterworth, regarding the publication of Churchill's book Great Contemporaries: "My dear Mr. Butterworth,/I am very much obliged to you for so successfully/negotiating the sale of the American book rights. On receipt of/the advance payable on signing the contract I should be very/glad if you would debit my account with you in respect of the/English volume rights with £ 100, as I realise you have made a/very special exertion in this matter. I now invoke your services/in respect of the French rights. Payot the usual publisher/definitely does not desire them./I also sent you yesterday a letter about the German/rights. Perhaps you will also look after this. If there were/any possibility of a publication in Germany, I might be willing/to consent to some excisions in view of the strict censorship/which prevails in that country. It is probable however that/the non-German German-speaking countries would constitute the/bulk of the sales, and they would of course appreciate exactly/the parts that the German censors would veto./Yours sincerely,/Winston S. Churchill"; Butterworth's "Received 13 Aug 1937" ink stamp at top. Creasing from original folds. In mat with portrait of Churchill, and in frame, 17 x 24 in. (432 x 610 mm).

Churchill writes to his longtime British publisher, Thornton Butterworth, regarding the upcoming publication of his collection of biographical essays, Great Contemporaries. Churchill writes concerning the book's American and French rights, and concludes by inquiring about its publication, and possible censorship, in Nazi Germany. Great Contemporaries is comprised of essays Churchill had written for a variety of magazines between the years 1929-36, and includes pieces on George Bernard Shaw, T.E. Lawrence, Joseph Chamberlain, Kaiser Wilhelm III, Arthur James Balfour, George V, John Morley, Alfonso XIII, Leon Trotsky, among others. The collection also featured Churchill's essay on Adolf Hitler, Hitler and his Choice (1935), that was presumably on his mind when writing this letter about censorship in Germany.

Great Contemporaries was published six weeks later, on October 4, 1937, and was followed by additional printings in October, November, and December of that same year.