Best Biographies of British Prime Ministers

From London’s inimitable mayor, Boris Johnson, the story of how Churchill’s eccentric genius shaped not only his world but our own. [Johnson] clearly admires his subject, and his book has a boyish, innocent quality that is also an essential part of Mr. Johnson’s political appeal.”. — The Wall Street Journal “Buoyant, quick-witted and vastly entertaining.” —The Economist. Johnson has painted his portrait of Churchill with light, learning, and good sense, a wise aggregation of present and past.” — The Weekly Standard “Fascinating . “A characteristically breathless romp through the life and times of our greatest wartime leader, Winston Churchill . Johnson’s distinctive writing style is unlike any other used in the countless books that have been written on Churchill . It reads at times like a mixture of Monty Python and the Horrible Histories.” — The Telegraph (4 stars). “An interesting study of a truly fascinating historical figure . The book amuses and educates in equal measure with a deftness of touch and lightness of learning that is beyond most people. Its stress on the importance of political bravery, and doing what is morally right, rather than what the polls and press dictate, is a timeless message.” — The Jewish Chronicle. Like Sir Winston—who somehow published 43 books (and won the 1953 Nobel Prize for Literature) while not busy leading the defeat of Hitler—Mr. Despite the heavy subject matter, The Churchill Factor is a light and quick read . helps keep the book moving, challenging readers with occasional get-out-your-dictionary words and rewarding them with the odd belly laugh.” — Globe and Mai l. “Like all Johnson’s work [ The Churchill Factor ] is beautifully written, particularly as, in this case, he rises to the linguistic standards set by his subject . “Churchill’s own energy—his indefatigable pursuit of excitement, glory, place and power—demands a writer of fizz and passion to do history justice. It would be a fascinating read [even] without the Johnson Factor—[but] Boris is a superb, accessible writer, with an easy, good-humoured touch. “While there are many accounts of Winston Churchill and his political savvy, one would be remiss to ignore this sprightly written volume. Johnson’s history of Churchill is well crafted, amply researched, and a pleasure to read.” — Library Journal. “Reading about Churchill is always a delight, and Johnson is an accomplished, accessible writer.”. — Kirkus Reviews. Educated at Oxford, he began his career as a journalist, writing for The Times and The Telegraph (for whom he still contributes a regular column), and working his way up to editor of The Spectator.

From the “most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America” ( Wall Street Journal ), an elegant, concise, and revealing portrait of Winston Churchill In Churchill , eminent historian Paul Johnson offers a lively, succinct exploration of one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history. In this enthusiastic yet first-rate biography, veteran British historian Johnson ( Modern Times ) asserts that Winston Churchill (1874–1965) was the 20th century's most valuable figure: No man did more to preserve freedom and democracy.... An ambitious, world-traveling soldier and bestselling author, Churchill was already famous on entering Parliament in 1899 and within a decade was working with Lloyd George to pass the great reforms of 1908–1911. As First Lord of the Admiralty, he performed brilliantly in preparing the navy for WWI, but blame—undeserved according to Johnson—for the catastrophic 1915 Dardanelles invasion drove him from office. Johnson delivers an adulatory account of Churchill's prescient denunciations of Hitler and heroics during the early days of WWII, and views later missteps less critically than other historians. He concludes that Churchill was a thoroughly likable great man with many irritating flaws but no nasty ones: he lacked malice, avoided grudges, vendettas and blame shifting, and quickly replaced enmity with friendship. Biographers in love with their subjects usually produce mediocre history, but Johnson, always self-assured as well as scholarly, has written another highly opinionated, entertaining work. vivid prose and [with] consistent intelligence and urbanity.” —Jon Meacham, Slate.com "[If] you appreciate clarity, authority, and verve in historical writing, you will understand why I gulped down [ Churchill ] and now declare it the most exciting biography I read in 2009." Rich with anecdote and quotation, Paul Johnson's Churchill illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before."

With fresh perspective and insights based on decades of studying and teaching Churchill, Larry P. Arnn explores the greatest challenges faced by Churchill over the course of his extraordinary career, both in war and peace—and always in the context of Churchill’s abiding dedication to constitutionalism. In his lively Churchill’s Trial, Arnn artfully reminds us that Churchill was not just the greatest statesman and war leader of the twentieth century, but also a pragmatic and circumspect thinker whose wisdom resonates on every issue of our times. In Churchill’s Trial Arnn has rendered great service not only to an incomparable statesman but to us, for the magnificent currents that carried Churchill through his trials are as admirable, useful, and powerful in our times as they were in his. Churchill’s Trial , a masterpiece of political philosophy and practical statesmanship, is the one book on Winston Churchill that every undergraduate, every graduate student, every professional historian, and every member of the literate general public should read on this greatest statesman of the twentieth century. Larry P. Arnn is the president of Hillsdale College.