1980s Blue Cloth Hardcover Octavo, Barry Phelps's Power and the Party: A History of the Carlton Club, 1932-1982, Author Signed - 1 Book

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Phelps, Barry. Power and the Party: A History of the Carlton Club 1832-1982.

London: The Carlton Club in conjunction with … Read more Phelps, Barry. Power and the Party: A History of the Carlton Club 1832-1982.

London: The Carlton Club in conjunction with Macmillan Publishers, LTD., 1983. Scarce first edition. Gift inscribed front free endpaper and signed on the title page, both by the author. The inscription reads, 'Bryan', 'One of the select few clever enough to appreciate my wit and witty enough to enjoy my book!' 'Barry'. Facsimile signed introductions by Margaret Thatcher and Lord Plummer. 8vo; 103 pp. Publisher's blue cloth binding, text illustrated with 6 black and white plates, light damp-stained fore-edge. Printed by the Wembley Press, LTD. Near fine.

Provenance: Bryan Michael Deece Cassidy (1934-2023), a conservative member of the Greater London Council. Cassidy concentrated his political energies on the Junior 'Carlton Club' (CC) as vice chairman. He presided over blue-chip dinners at the club: e.g. Mrs. Thatcher was the guest of honor, June 1972. (The Telegraph Obituaries, 16 August 2023) Cassidy deduced as the apparent gift recipient, implied by the inscription's familiar tone together with presumed CC inner circle association.

About the CC: This book proves that the political power and influence of the Carlton Club, from its inception in 1832 and well into the twentieth century, was far greater than hitherto realised. For its thirty-five years the Club itself was, in every way, the ruling executive body and headquarters of the Conservative Party. Even after the formation of the Conservative Central Office the Carlton remained the crucible from which emerged Tory policies and Tory Leaders. This is not only an absorbing story of the perpetual pursuit of power but also a lively and interesting one full of amusing anecdotes.
Founded in 1832, following the massive reform majority in the 1831 General Election, by Tory Peers, MPs and others, in order to improve the organization and effectiveness of the party. Membership election procedures: nomination and election only. (Phelps) See less