Product Description

One of the glorious triumvirate of World War II and founder of the strong Anglo-American friendship that is still apparent today, Winston Churchill stands out in history as a man who led his country through one of its most difficult times, with all of the steadfastness of a fierce and loyal bulldog. Churchill was already recognized as the most diversely gifted man in British politics before, at the ripe old age of 66, he suddenly emerged as a figure of world importance. Becoming Prime Minister on the very day in 1940 that Hitler invaded France and the Low Countries, he braced the British people to continue fighting and even to counterattack the, up to that point, all-victorious Germans. A clever and confident statesman, with an obvious love for the people he served, for years Churchill's character went unchallenged and his inspiring leadership left him above criticism. Recently, however, his record has come under attack. In Churchill: A Study in Greatness, one of Britain's most distinguished historians makes sense of this extraordinary man, and his long, controversial, colorful, contradictory and heroic career.
Geoffrey Best illuminates both his strengths and his weaknesses, looking past the many received versions of Churchill, in a biography that balances the private and the public man and offers a clear insight into what made him truly great.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #146457 in Books
• Published on: 2003-05-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Review
"a rich portrait, presenting the man's great virtues and small vices in the right proportions and restoring him to his proper place as a giant of the twentiet century." –W. F. Deedes
-- Review

Review

"Reminds us that is still possible, at a time when irony and cynicism are so much the fashion, to pay tribute to greatness without being hagiographical."--New Republic
"Splendid.... A marvel of densely researched scholarship expertly sifted and presented with misleading ease in an elegant prose style."--The Washington Times
"An astonishingly fresh and original study that renders all previous short biographies out of date."--Times Literary Supplement
"We are all worms. But I do believe I am a glow-worm."--Winston Churchill
"Excellent."--New York Review of Books

About the Author

Geoffrey Best is one of Britain's most distinguished historians. His many books include War and Law since 1945, Humanity in Warfare, and Mid-Victorian Britain. He has been a Visiting Fellow at Harvard and at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington D.C., and is currently a Senior Member of St. Antony's College, Oxford.

Customer Reviews

a great achievement
this book by geoffrey best will rank as one of the greatest book ever written about churchill full of wise summations and not too long thi work is recommended by the churchill society . for sure one of the very best one volume work

Equilibrada
Best nos presenta una panorámica de la vida de Churchill. Algunos capítulos están mas inspiradoa que otros. Trata de mostrar una perspectiva imparcial del personaje aunque claramente se comprueba que le admira grandemente, pero no tanto como a su esposa Clementine. La extensión de la parte que corresponde a la segunda guerra mundial es mucho mas amplia (quizás la mitad del libro). Casi no responde las preguntas o dudas sobre asuntos controversiales que existen sobre la vida de este personaje.

Como se comprende, al escribir sobre Churchill es necesario mostrar una parte de la hisoria de GB y del mundo pero esta se queda corta a veces para ayudar a comprender a cabalidad la circunstancias que rodearon a los hechos.

En general el texto es bueno, muy bien redactado, fácilmente comprensible. Algunos artículos mas inspirados que otros pero todos interesantes.

Excellent read on the Man of the 20th Century
A very readable book that provides balanced and insightful coverage of the whole of Churchill's life. I would highly recommend this book either to those who have not previously read much about Churchill or equally to those who have read other Churchill biographies or war histories and wish to take a fresh look. Of particular value is the way that the author take the occasional opportunity to dispel certain myths and revisionist ideas about Churchill.