CHURCHILL, Winston S.

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Europe Unite. First edition, first impression, a superb presentation copy, inscribed by Churchill to his wife on the front free endpaper, "To Clemmie from Winston 1950"."My most brilliant achievement", Churchill reportedly remarked, "was my ability to persuade my wife to marry me" (cited in Fishman, p. 327). Clementine first met Winston at a ball in 1904, but his social awkwardness left a poor impression. In March 1908, the pair met again at a dinner party. Three women had rejected Winston's marriage proposals, and Clementine likewise had three failed engagements. Their relationship developed fast, and by September they were married. "Clementine was twenty-three, he nearly thirty-four and already a cabinet minister. Unable to bring money to the marriage, Clementine brought something much more valuable for a husband obsessed with political life: a shrewd political intelligence. She supplied balance at two levels: her more equable nature ensured that she moderated the depth of his depressions, and her good judgement helped to ward off political mistakes" (all following quotes are from ODNB unless otherwise specified).Through Winston's life, Clementine was his rock. He certainly did not provide a quiet life in return. "In the last sentence of his My Early Life (1930) he wrote that 'I married and lived happily ever afterwards'. A happy marriage it may have been in many respects for him, but Clementine assiduously concealed the fact that it was less so for her. She was by temperam

• Printing: first

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