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8vo., First Edition, with a full-page plan; strongly bound in contemporary red buckram, backstrip lettered in gilt, uncut, ORIGINAL WRAPPERS PRESERVED, a near fine copy. A PRESENTATION COPY FROM SIR JOHN (LATER VISCOUNT) SIMON TO MAJOR A W H JAMES WITH THE FORMER'S SIGNED HOLOGRAPH INSCRIPTION ON FRONT WRAPPER. A FINE AND RELEVANT A.L.s FROM SIMON TO JAMES IS MOUNTED ON REAR ENDPAPER. The letter is written from HQ, Royal Flying Corps, where Simon served briefly on Lord Trenchard's staff during WWI. Major James has noted the context in a neat hand on inner wrapper: 'Immediately after the trial John Simon came out to HQ, RFC, France, and was attached under instruction to my squadron, No. 6, at Abeele. I had known Simon when I was at Cambridge, and he and Ernest Burge had a hunting box at Huntingdon. John Simon, whom I got to know very well later, in the same mess at HQ. RFC, and later in the H. of C [House of Commons] was intrigued to meet someone who knew his client, Malcolm, well. John Allsebrook Simon, KC, 1st Viscount Simon (1873-1954) is one of only three British politicians to have served as Home Secretary, Foreign Secretary [under Churchill] and Chancellor of the Exchequer. In the sensational trial of Lieutenant [Douglas] Malcolm of the Royal Artillery for the murder of Anton Baumberg [Count de Borch], Simon led the Defence. After the summing-up by the Judge [Justice McCardie] the Jury retired and after twenty-five minutes' absence returned a verdict of 'Not Guilty'. RARE, AND IN THIS CASE CONTEXTUALLY UNIQUE. Seller Inventory # 23168
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