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First and limited deluxe edition of the monumental Legion Book; one of only one hundred numbered copies printed for private distribution by the Prince of Wales and signed by a remarkable array of British writers and artists, as well as four prime ministers. Quarto, original publisher's full deluxe pigskin over boards elaborately decorated in blind and gilt, top edge gilt, tissue-guarded color frontispiece, engraved title-page vignette, illustrated with 16 captioned tissued-guarded plates in various techniques (some signed by the artist) and 32 collotypes. One of one hundred numbered copies printed for private distribution by the Prince of Wales and with five pages signed by each of the 89 contributing writers and illustrators as well as four prime ministers (three British Prime Ministers: David Lloyd George, Stanley Baldwin, and Ramsay MacDonald, and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau) including: Winston Churchill (who was not yet a Prime Minister), Rudyard Kipling, P.G. Wodehouse, Eric Gill, Stanley Spencer, Charles Ricketts, W. Heath Robinson, Laura Knight, William Nicholson, Paul Nash, David Low, Rebecca West, John Lavery, Max Beerbohm, Vita Sackville-West, Hilaire Belloc, Mark Gertler, Edith Sitwell, Jacob Epstein, W.H. Davies, and Aldous Huxley among others. This is number 84. The Legion Book was created at the request of H.R.H. The Prince of Walesâ "who would later become King Edward VIII and, following his abdication, the Duke of Windsorâ "as a fundraising initiative for the British Legion. All profits from its sales were intended to support the organization. The book features contributions from 85 distinguished British writers and artists including Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling, P.G. Wodehouse, Aldous Huxley, Vita Sackville-West, G.K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, Augustus John, Eric Kennington, and John Nash. It was compiled and edited by James Humphrey Cotton Minchin (1894â "1966), a veteran who served with the Cameronians and the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War. While the trade version saw several reprints, a special edition of 600 numbered copies was also produced. Of these, 500 bore the editorâ s signature, but â the first 100 were reserved for H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, sponsor of the volume, in his gift.â According to the note at the conclusion of the Table of Contents, â Five pages of contributorsâ signatures appear after the Dedication, with additional signed pages opposite Collotype No. 3 and Collotype No. 20.â Every contributor signed the book, with the sole exception of John Singer Sargent, who died in 1925, before the project was completed. In near fine condition with toning to the extremities of the front panel and front hinge. Housed in the original publisher's custom folding cloth clamshell box. An exceptional example of this rare signed limited edition. Formed in the aftermath of a war that had shattered a generation, the Royal British Legion emerged in May 1921 as a unified voice for the countless veterans left woundedâ "physically, mentally, and economicallyâ "by the First World War. The staggering cost of the conflict, with nearly 3.2 million British Empire casualties, exposed the inadequacy of postwar support. A fully disabled veteran received just 30 shillings a week, and any claim had to be made within seven years of discharge. In response to such injustice, several ex-servicemenâ s groups came together to create the Legion, not merely as a charity, but as an advocate for those who had borne the brunt of industrialized warfare. From its inception, the Legion fought for fair pensions, better employment opportunities, and meaningful support for both former service members and their familiesâ "laying the groundwork for a broader movement of remembrance, welfare, and national responsibility that continues to this day.
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