It is impossible to understand the Second World War without understanding Winston Churchill, the bold British Prime Minister who showed himself to be one of the greatest statesmen any nation has ever known. This lengthy biography is a single-volume abridgment of a massive, eight-volume work that took a quarter-century to write. It covers Churchill's entire life, highlighting not only his exploits during the Second World War, but also his early belief in technology and how it would revolutionize warfare in the 20th century. Churchill learned how to fly a plane before the First World War, and was also involved in the development of both the tank and anti-aircraft defense. But he truly showed his unmatched mettle during his country's darkest moments: "His finest hour was the leadership of Britain when it was most isolated, most threatened, and most weak; when his own courage, determination, and belief in democracy became at one with the nation," writes Gilbert. There are several wonderful books available on Churchill, but this is probably the best place to start.


From Publishers Weekly
Author of an eight-volume official biography of Winston Churchill, Gilbert here distills his vast knowledge into a lucid, comprehensive and authoritative life of the man considered by many to have been the outstanding public figure of the 20th century. Photos. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Book News, Inc.
In 1988, British historian Gilbert completed the eighth and final volume of the official biography of Churchill (1874-1965). Now, drawing on his 25 years of research and his privileged access to Churchill's personal, political, and secret archives, he presents a single-volume biography of the great statesman that melds the hard facts of the public life and the intimate details of the private man. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.


Review
"Mr. Gilbert's job was to bring alive before his readers a man of extraordinary genius and scarcely less extraordinary destiny. He has done so triumphantly."-Hugh Brogan, The New York Times Book Review

"A richly textured and deeply moving portrait of greatness."--The Los Angeles Times

"By far the most lucid, comprehensive, and authoritative account of Churchill that has been offered in a single volume. It furnishes a crown to Gilbert's already prodigious labors."--Philip Ziegler, The Telegraph (London)

"It would seem impossible to distill the eight volumes of Churchill's authorized biography into a single volume, even one of a thousand pages. But that is what Martin Gilbert has done, and the result does not seem pinched at all. It is of course a grand story."--The Washington Post Book World

"The most scholarly study of Churchill in war and peace ever written . . . essential diplomatic history and enlightening personal history."--Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times



Book Description
Distilled from years of meticulous research and documentation, filled with material unavailable when the earliest books of the official biography's eight volumes went to press, Churchill is a brilliant marriage of the hard facts of the public life and the intimate details of the private man. The result is a vital portrait of one of the most remarkable men of any age as well as a revealing depiction of a man of extraordinary courage and imagination.

ANNOTATION

After publishing the eighth and final volume of Churchill's official biography in 1988, Martin Gilbert was finally free to devote himself to his own one-volume account of this compelling life. The result is a brilliant marriage of the hard facts of the public life and intimate details of the private man--a vital portrait of one of the most remarkable men of any age. Photographs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

About the Author

Martin Gilbert is a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford. He is well known as the official biographer of Churchill, and as a chronicler of the Holocaust and of Jewish history. He was knighted in 1995.

SYNOPSIS

This edition of the highly acclaimed, one-volume Churchill: A Life, is a story of adventure. It follows Winston Churchill from his earliest days to his moments of triumph. Here, the drama and excitement of his story are ever-present, as are his tremendous qualities in peace and war, not least as an orator and as a man of vision.Martin Gilbert gives us a vivid portrait, using Churchill's most personal letters and the recollections of his contemporaries, both friends and enemies, to go behind the scenes of some of the stormiest and most fascinating political events of our time, dominated by two world wars, and culminating in the era of the Iron Curtain and the hydrogen bomb.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Author of an eight-volume official biography of Winston Churchill, Gilbert here distills his vast knowledge into a lucid, comprehensive and authoritative life of the man considered by many to have been the outstanding public figure of the 20th century. Photos. (Oct.)

Booknews

In 1988, British historian Gilbert completed the eighth and final volume of the official biography of Churchill (1874-1965). Now, drawing on his 25 years of research and his privileged access to Churchill's personal, political, and secret archives, he presents a single-volume biography of the great statesman that melds the hard facts of the public life and the intimate details of the private man. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

A stupendous book. He has told the truth. — Taylor