Mountbatten: A Biography

by Richard Hough

A biography of one of this century's most famous and most colorful figures, Lord Louis Mountbatten, is told through his own words and the author's comments and details every important event and aspect of his dramatically full official and private lives

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Royalty

302 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Richard Alexander Hough was a British author and historian specializing in naval history. As a child, he was obsessed with making model warships and collecting information about navies around the world. In 1941, he joined the Royal Air Force and trained at a flying school near Los Angeles. He flew Hurricanes and Typhoons and was wounded in action.

After World War II, Hough worked as a part-time delivery driver for a wine shop, while looking for employment involving books. He finally joined the publishing house Bodley Head, and then Hamish Hamilton, where he eventually headed the children’s book division.

His work as a publisher inspired him to turn to writing himself in 1950, and he went on to write more than ninety books over a long and successful career. Best-known for his works of naval history and his biographies, he also wrote war novels and books for children (under the pseudonym Bruce Carter), all of which sold in huge numbers around the world. His works include The Longest Battle: The War at Sea 1939-45, Naval Battles of the Twentieth Century and best-selling biographies of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and Captain James Cook. Captain Bligh and Mr Christian, his 1972 account of the mutiny on the Bounty, was the basis of the 1984 film The Bounty, starring Anthony Hopkins and Mel Gibson.

Hough was the official historian of the Mountbatten family and a longtime student of Churchill. Winston Churchill figures prominently in nine of his books, including Former Naval Person: Churchill and the Wars at Sea. He won the Daily Express Best Book of the Sea Award in 1972.

Reviews

[Mr Allan Goldie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like some other key world events.....I remember the day in 1979 when Lord Mountbatten was murdered by the IRA. It was horrific and a sad loss. I found this book when sorting out some books of my late mother-in-law and decided I needed to read this biography. I was not disappointed. I learned so much about his life from reading this and how he was such a great man and related to Queen Victoria and the last Russian Tzar before he too was murdered along with his family. He was greatly respected by the Queen and especially Prince Charles. I love history and loved reading this historic account of Lord Mountbatten......such a great man.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading a really bad book about General Slim, I became interested in what appeared to be the true hero of Burma WWII. Mountbatten was an incredibly, complex, gifted, individual with great wealth, no humility, and unquestionable bravery. Hough was able, through numerous interviews and a personal relationship to Mountbatten, to describe the good, the bad, and the extraordinary facets of Mountbatten. I am a sucker for the British monarchy and was particularly struck by the interviews with the royal family. A side note, General Slim came off more as a hero in this book's few references than he did in the entire biography I read. One sentence in the book was telling, he did not want his biography written in his own life because he had "never made a mistake" and people would think he had stood over the shoulder the author because of all his achievements.

[BarbaraW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good the author put a description of his death as a forward. Got that out of the way and taken with sadness. Well done portrait. Author had good access to info and his folksy writing style is very appealing to me. That the subject is closely related to Tsar Nicholas made the read even more interesting.

[Barnabas Rex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of his life. Taking into account lots of peoples perspectives and interactions with him. Well balanced and informative.

[John Hayward · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best biographies I've read in a long time, giving insight into both the personal influences and the broader context of world events that shaped the subject's character and career.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting biography covering Mountbatten's military career, seeing action in both World Wars. Lord Mountbatten was the last Viceroy of India and finally ended his military career in the post of First Sea Lord. As a great-grandson of Queen Victoria, his influence on current members of the Royal Family is interesting to read. He was assassinated, along with his teenage grandson, in 1979 by the IRA. As someone that knew nothing of his life prior to reading this biography, I found it quite fascinating learning about Mountbatten's life. The information about the World Wars and the Royal Family make this an worthwhile read.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography, rich in detail but never boring. The details about royal entanglements in the early 20th century were a nice compliment to the recent Royal Wedding coverage. In addition to Mountbatten's story I found myself especially enjoying the brief biographical snippets of Prince Philip.

[William Shep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Standard but good biography of a royal who was a top commander in World War II and last British Viceroy of India. A liberal in politics he was cruelly murdered, along with his young grandson, by Irish terrorists in 1979.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a man. Going deep into his childhood this book is like an exclusive chat with Mountbatten himself. Loving to talk about his life and his work and home life you get a good look behind the scenes.