About the Author

Former Home Secretary, Chancellor of the Exchequer and President of the European Commission, Roy Jenkins is currently Chancellor of Oxford University and President of the Royal Society of Literature. His biography of Gladstone was the winner of the Whitbread Biography Award.

Reviews

"There is no doubt that he has surpassed himself. This is the biography of the year." Robert McCrum, Observer; "This is a first class, well-sustained work of history and a masterpiece of biography "Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph; "Lord Jenkins of Hillhead is an outstanding biographer...it has the narrative power, sweep and sparkle of the author in his prime." John Grigg, Times

"There is no doubt that he has surpassed himself. This is the biography of the year." Robert McCrum, Observer; "This is a first class, well-sustained work of history and a masterpiece of biography "Andrew Roberts, Sunday Telegraph; "Lord Jenkins of Hillhead is an outstanding biographer...it has the narrative power, sweep and sparkle of the author in his prime." John Grigg, Times

A British politician and author of over a dozen books, Jenkins (Gladstone) begins with an important question: given the extensive literature on Winston Churchill, is there anything left to add? Although Jenkins admits that he has not discovered any new factual information, this does not disqualify him from supplying useful insights into Churchill's career. As a veteran politician and administrator, Jenkins is well placed to evaluate Churchill's strengths and weaknesses as a cabinet-level official. For example, Jenkins asserts that Churchill's micro-management at the admiralty during the early months of World War I contributed to disaster, while his leadership at the Ministry of Munitions near the end of the war helped maintain a high level of production. Jenkins's coverage of World War II eschews facile generalizations and provides a detailed picture of Churchill's role as wartime leader, in particular his ability to hold things together during the period of 1940-41, when less confident men would have given up. Churchill fans will enjoy reading this book, while academics will likely stick to Norman Rose's Winston Churchill: The Unruly Giant (LJ 6/15/95). Recommended for larger libraries. Fred Krome, Jacob Rader Marcus Ctr. of the American Jewish Archives, Cincinnati Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.