The State of the Nation, A Broadcast by The Prime Minister The Rt. Hon. Winston S. Churchill, Saturday, 22nd December, 1951: Churchill's first address to the British people after regaining the office of Prime Minister

London: Conservative and Unionist Central Office, 1951. First edition. Pamphlet. This is the first edition, only printing of Churchill's first address to the British people after regaining the Office of Prime Minister. Having done so much to win the war, Churchill faced frustration of his postwar plans when his wartime government fell to Labour in the General Election of July 1945. He would remain Leader of the Opposition until the General Election of late October 1951, which returned the Conservative Party to Parliamentary majority and Churchill to Downing Street for his second and final Premiership at the age of 77.

Churchill's first broadcast to the British people on the state of the nation took place 8 weeks after the election, on 22 December 1951. Here is the first edition, only printing of the pamphlet publication of this 20 minute broadcast speech. The pamphlet is notable not only for being the first broadcast address of Churchill's second premiership, but also for its striking, vivid blue front cover with a portrait of Churchill in the center. The pamphlet is bound in paper wraps, wire-stitched, measures 8.5 x 5.5 inches, and is 8 pages in length.

Condition is near-fine, truly excellent, particularly for so perishable an item. The covers remain bright, clean, and firmly attached with no losses and sharp corners. The binding staples are intact with minimal corrosion. We note only trivial creasing to the nonetheless sharp lower corners and miniscule abrasion to the blank upper rear cover. The contents are mildly age-toned - as is inevitable with the thin, cheap paper - but are otherwise perfect with no spotting and no markings of any kind.

Reference: Cohen A260, Woods A133.