CHURCHILL, Winston S.

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Five typed letters signed to Newman Flower of Cassell, concerning the writing and publication of his works. A group of letters from Churchill to the head of Cassell, revealing the endemic frustrations of publishing one of the firm's most valuable yet demanding authors. Walter Newman Flower (1879-1964) acquired Cassell in 1927. In 1932, he contracted with Churchill for A History of the English-Speaking Peoples, providing for an advance of £5,000 and completion of the work between 1937 and 1939. In 1936, Flower wrote to Churchill asking whether the book could be completed in 1937.Churchill replies on 7 August 1936 ruling this out: "It will not be possible for me to complete this work before April 1939. I have been very much ridden in upon by politics owing to the need of urging this country to rearm". Churchill was then in the political wilderness, opposing appeasement and urging rearmament against the threat posed by Hitler and Mussolini. Nevertheless, he assured Flower that "a great deal of work has been done upon the English Speaking Peoples. Not only has the ground been surveyed, and the whole plan made out, but I have a very large mass of material which has been carefully collected under my supervision covering every chapter". He added: "I have spent over £2,500 of the advance upon this work of preparation and I am greatly impressed with the possibilities". Flower eventually extended the deadline to the end of 1939, but the outbreak of war caused further delay, Cassell acc

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