The ‘Sword of Honour Trilogy’

Lot 112
28.09.2023 13:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 47 880
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1016456
Lot 112 | The ‘Sword of Honour Trilogy’
Estimate value
£ 12 000 – 18 000
The ‘Sword of Honour Trilogy’

Evelyn Waugh

WAUGH, Evelyn (1903-1966). The ‘Sword of Honour Trilogy’, comprising: Men at Arms. London: Chapman & Hall, 1952 [and:] Officers and Gentlemen. London: Chapman & Hall, 1955 [and:]

Unconditional Surrender. London: Chapman & Hall, 1961.



An important association set of first editions of the ‘Sword of Honour Trilogy’ in dust-jackets, all with presentation inscriptions by Waugh to his close friend and former commander Major-General Sir Robert Laycock (1907-1968), the dedicatee of Officers and Gentlemen.



The inscriptions read: Men at Arms: ‘To Bob “who every man in arms would wish to be” from Evelyn with undiminished loyalty’; Officers and Gentlemen: ‘Dear Bob, A copy is in the hands of Sangorski being bound for you. They take their time. So will you accept this token volume? I hope nothing in it makes you repent your kindness in allowing me to dedicate it to you. Evelyn’ (for this specially bound copy see lot 114); Unconditional Surrender: ‘For Bob, who wrote page 38, with love to Angie from Evelyn, October 1961.’ Unconditional Surrender contains pencil markings probably by Laycock, comprising a small pencil cross in the margin against a description of Mr Crouchback’s life in retirement [page 88], a line alongside a paragraph of text about the officer’s club [page 93] and page numbers on verso of final free endpaper ‘93 88’. Davis 26, 30 and 34.



3 volumes, octavo. Original blue cloth (each with light scattered spotting to endpapers, Unconditional Surrender with large stain on divisional title affecting a few adjacent leaves and margins of others; some corners and edges bumped, spine ends slightly rubbed; gilt faded on spines of first two works; Unconditional Surrender with slight cockling to cloth on upper cover); original dust-jackets (some marks, Men at Arms chipped at head of spine fold and with tear to head of lower panel; minor wear to spine ends of other two works); housed together in a blue quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Major-General Sir Robert Laycock (1907-1968; presentation inscription on front free endpaper of each volume, Laycock’s armorial bookplate in the first two volumes).

Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
28.09.2023 – 28.09.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

When the Going was Good
When the Going was Good
£1 600
Ninety-Two Days
Ninety-Two Days
£1 600
Love Among the Ruins
Love Among the Ruins
£6 000
Scoop and 5 others
Scoop and 5 others
£3 200
A Handful of Dust
A Handful of Dust
£5 000
Brideshead Revisited
Brideshead Revisited
£25 000
Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) and others
Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) and others
£100
Officers and Gentlemen
Officers and Gentlemen
£6 000

Related terms