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The Second World War (book series)
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The Second World War (book series)
The Second World War is a history of the period from the end of the First World War to July 1945, written by Winston Churchill. Churchill labelled the "moral of the work" as follows: "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill". These had been the words which he had suggested for the First World War memorial for a French municipality. His suggestion had not been accepted on that occasion.
Churchill compiled the book, with a team of assistants, using both his own notes and privileged access to official documents while still serving as Leader of the Opposition; the text was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary. Churchill was largely fair in his treatment, but wrote the history from his personal point of view. He was unable to reveal all the facts, as some, such as the use of Ultra electronic intelligence, had to remain secret. From a historical point of view the book is therefore an incomplete memoir by a leading participant in the direction of the war.
The book was a major commercial success in Britain and the United States. The first edition appeared in six volumes; later editions appeared in twelve and four volumes, and furthermore there is also a single-volume abridged version.
Churchill received the first offer for his War Memoirs from a US newspaper syndicate, King Features, at 6.36pm on the day of his resignation as Prime Minister. He initially declined as it would have meant losing his tax status as a "retired author" which exempted his earnings from previous books from the then 90% rate of income tax.
Churchill was eventually tempted in November 1945 by a suggestion from Marshall Field III of the Chicago Sun that he donate his papers to a family trust (thus reducing the impact of high inheritance tax on his children), after which he would only be taxed on his income as "editor" of any book written using them. By February 1946 Churchill's tax advisors had drawn up a detailed plan along these lines. He returned to England in late March from the US, where he had delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at Fulton, Missouri. In early April he had more meetings with solicitors and tax advisors. On 3 May 1946 Churchill met with Henry Luce and Walter Graebner of Time Life.
Lord Camrose and Emery Reves negotiated further finance deals. Churchill (who despite his large literary earnings throughout his life had been perennially short of money) wanted payment up front, and received £40,000 from Cassells (double what they paid for the History of the English Speaking Peoples which was begun the 1930s but not finished until the 1950s). He probably could have made more had he made a deal for royalties rather than a lump sum. However, lucrative deals were also signed for publication by Houghton Mifflin in the United States, serialisation in Life magazine, The New York Times, in Camrose's The Daily Telegraph in the UK and the Murdoch Press in Australia. Volume 1 was serialised in 80 magazines across the world, and was published in 50 countries in 26 languages. Along with other deals for the publication of his personal papers Churchill appears to have secured around £550,000 (approximately £24.4 million at 2025 prices). The books made him a rich man for the first time in his life. At the time the salary of the Prime Minister was £10,000 (~£374,000 in 2025) and that of the Leader of the Opposition £2,000,(~£74,785 in 2025).
However Walter Graebner of Life became concerned that insufficient progress was being made over the summer of 1947, during which time Volume One advanced from "Provisional Semi-Final" to "Provisional Final". He bought Churchill a new poodle to replace Rufus who had been run over at the Conservative Party Conference and persuaded his employer to pay for the first of several "working holidays" in the Mediterranean, at a time when British people were only permitted to take £35 out of the country because of exchange controls. The New York Times agreed to share the cost, but Houghton Mifflin declined. After the last of Churchill's expenses-paid working holidays in 1951 (Walter Graebner's suggestions of a final one in 1952 were rejected both by his US Head Office and by Downing Street, as Churchill was Prime Minister again by then), Time Life executives calculated that these had cost $56,572.23 of which Time Life had paid around $35,000 and the New York Times the rest; on the whole they judged this to have been a good investment to get a major writing project finished.
Cassells (who had paid Churchill £40,000 for the entire series) made £100,000 profit from the first volume alone. By 1953 the first five volumes had sold 1.75 million copies in the UK, 1.76 million in the USA and 77,000 in Canada. By April 1954 the six volumes had sold 2.2 million copies in the USA and another 2 million in Britain and the Empire.
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The Second World War (book series)
The Second World War is a history of the period from the end of the First World War to July 1945, written by Winston Churchill. Churchill labelled the "moral of the work" as follows: "In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill". These had been the words which he had suggested for the First World War memorial for a French municipality. His suggestion had not been accepted on that occasion.
Churchill compiled the book, with a team of assistants, using both his own notes and privileged access to official documents while still serving as Leader of the Opposition; the text was vetted by the Cabinet Secretary. Churchill was largely fair in his treatment, but wrote the history from his personal point of view. He was unable to reveal all the facts, as some, such as the use of Ultra electronic intelligence, had to remain secret. From a historical point of view the book is therefore an incomplete memoir by a leading participant in the direction of the war.
The book was a major commercial success in Britain and the United States. The first edition appeared in six volumes; later editions appeared in twelve and four volumes, and furthermore there is also a single-volume abridged version.
Churchill received the first offer for his War Memoirs from a US newspaper syndicate, King Features, at 6.36pm on the day of his resignation as Prime Minister. He initially declined as it would have meant losing his tax status as a "retired author" which exempted his earnings from previous books from the then 90% rate of income tax.
Churchill was eventually tempted in November 1945 by a suggestion from Marshall Field III of the Chicago Sun that he donate his papers to a family trust (thus reducing the impact of high inheritance tax on his children), after which he would only be taxed on his income as "editor" of any book written using them. By February 1946 Churchill's tax advisors had drawn up a detailed plan along these lines. He returned to England in late March from the US, where he had delivered his "Iron Curtain" speech at Fulton, Missouri. In early April he had more meetings with solicitors and tax advisors. On 3 May 1946 Churchill met with Henry Luce and Walter Graebner of Time Life.
Lord Camrose and Emery Reves negotiated further finance deals. Churchill (who despite his large literary earnings throughout his life had been perennially short of money) wanted payment up front, and received £40,000 from Cassells (double what they paid for the History of the English Speaking Peoples which was begun the 1930s but not finished until the 1950s). He probably could have made more had he made a deal for royalties rather than a lump sum. However, lucrative deals were also signed for publication by Houghton Mifflin in the United States, serialisation in Life magazine, The New York Times, in Camrose's The Daily Telegraph in the UK and the Murdoch Press in Australia. Volume 1 was serialised in 80 magazines across the world, and was published in 50 countries in 26 languages. Along with other deals for the publication of his personal papers Churchill appears to have secured around £550,000 (approximately £24.4 million at 2025 prices). The books made him a rich man for the first time in his life. At the time the salary of the Prime Minister was £10,000 (~£374,000 in 2025) and that of the Leader of the Opposition £2,000,(~£74,785 in 2025).
However Walter Graebner of Life became concerned that insufficient progress was being made over the summer of 1947, during which time Volume One advanced from "Provisional Semi-Final" to "Provisional Final". He bought Churchill a new poodle to replace Rufus who had been run over at the Conservative Party Conference and persuaded his employer to pay for the first of several "working holidays" in the Mediterranean, at a time when British people were only permitted to take £35 out of the country because of exchange controls. The New York Times agreed to share the cost, but Houghton Mifflin declined. After the last of Churchill's expenses-paid working holidays in 1951 (Walter Graebner's suggestions of a final one in 1952 were rejected both by his US Head Office and by Downing Street, as Churchill was Prime Minister again by then), Time Life executives calculated that these had cost $56,572.23 of which Time Life had paid around $35,000 and the New York Times the rest; on the whole they judged this to have been a good investment to get a major writing project finished.
Cassells (who had paid Churchill £40,000 for the entire series) made £100,000 profit from the first volume alone. By 1953 the first five volumes had sold 1.75 million copies in the UK, 1.76 million in the USA and 77,000 in Canada. By April 1954 the six volumes had sold 2.2 million copies in the USA and another 2 million in Britain and the Empire.