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Palmerston
A figure described as “the last candle of the Eighteenth Century”, Lord Palmerston was the great statesman of his era.
He served in the War Office in the days of Empire, then in the Foreign and Home Offices before ascending to Prime Minister very late in his life, an office which he held twice.
A controversial figure still today, this is the biographical account of a man who shaped the future of the British nation and empire.
In ‘Palmerston’ Philip Guedalla praises the life of a man who met Metternich, Lincoln and Bismarck.
He refuses to cover him in a traditional biography in the “normal academic method”. Instead the writer, draws a portrait of the bygone era in well-researched prose that never dulls.
This detail-rich and historically aware account of Palmerston’s life is regarded as one of the best biographies on this eminent figure.
Philip Guedalla, born in 1889, died in 1944. At Oxford he was President of the Union Society; later he was called to the Bar and contested several Parliamentary elections as a Liberal. Having become interested in British relations with South America, he founded the Ibero-American Institute and was responsible for the Latin-American Division of the British Council. During the war he lectured in both North and South America, and broadcast frequently to South America. Among other distinguished books by him are The Second Empire, Palmerston, The Duke and The Hundred Years.
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He served in the War Office in the days of Empire, then in the Foreign and Home Offices before ascending to Prime Minister very late in his life, an office which he held twice.
A controversial figure still today, this is the biographical account of a man who shaped the future of the British nation and empire.
In ‘Palmerston’ Philip Guedalla praises the life of a man who met Metternich, Lincoln and Bismarck.
He refuses to cover him in a traditional biography in the “normal academic method”. Instead the writer, draws a portrait of the bygone era in well-researched prose that never dulls.
This detail-rich and historically aware account of Palmerston’s life is regarded as one of the best biographies on this eminent figure.
Philip Guedalla, born in 1889, died in 1944. At Oxford he was President of the Union Society; later he was called to the Bar and contested several Parliamentary elections as a Liberal. Having become interested in British relations with South America, he founded the Ibero-American Institute and was responsible for the Latin-American Division of the British Council. During the war he lectured in both North and South America, and broadcast frequently to South America. Among other distinguished books by him are The Second Empire, Palmerston, The Duke and The Hundred Years.
Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1926
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About the author
Philip Guedalla
134 books4 followersPhilip Guedalla was an English barrister, and a popular historical and travel writer and biographer. He was educated at Rugby and at Balliol College in Oxford, where he was the President of the Union. In 1913, he qualified as a barrister and practised for ten years, retiring to stand for Parliament five times as a Liberal candidate (he was never elected, however), and to write a series of travel books and historical biographies, often reflecting his interest in the Empires of both Napoleons. His final book, written at the height of the Second World War, was Mr. Churchill, A Portrait.
His wit and epigrams are well-known. He also was the originator of a now-common theory on Henry James, writing that "The work of Henry James has always seemed divisible by a simple dynastic arrangement into three reigns: James I, James II, and the Old Pretender".
His wit and epigrams are well-known. He also was the originator of a now-common theory on Henry James, writing that "The work of Henry James has always seemed divisible by a simple dynastic arrangement into three reigns: James I, James II, and the Old Pretender".
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April 17, 2018
This is a bafflingly bad book. It is all but useless if you want to learn anything about Lord Palmerston's life in particular or of 19th century British political history generally. The biographical details that are included don't seem to go much beyond what you might find reading the relevant wikipedia pages, and even those details are buried in the midst of interminable verbiage.
A typical paragraph involves a long series of allusions to other events that were going on while Palmerston was doing much of nothing. These events themselves are not explained or put into context, but rather are referred to elliptically.
This style persists even when describing incidents in Lord Palmerston's life that were quite interesting. For example, Lord Palmerston spent several decades as Secretary at War (not to be confused with Secretary of War), where he was in charge of the financial state of the army, dealing with pensions, etc. It doesn't sound like exciting stuff, and it mostly wasn't. But there was one incident during this period that might make for high drama. A deranged retired soldier, upset at being denied a pension, tries to assassinate Lord Palmerston as he walked up the stairs to the War Office. Luckily, Lord Palmerston was only grazed by the shot, and when he discovers that the man was insane, he pays for his legal defense.
That, at least, is something to work with. Yet here is how Guedalla describes the incident, sandwiched in the middle of a (lengthy) paragraph that covers several other matters:
"The world went on. The Prince approached the dreadful year in which a startled Whig acquainted Mr. Creevey that 'Prinny has let loose his belly, which now reaches to his knees.' It had its terrors for Lord Palmerston as well; since an officer, maddened perhaps by correspondence with the War Department, lurked on his office stairs and shot at him. The wound was slight; the escaping minister paid the cost of his assailant's defense; and whilst the impulsive critic went to Bedlam, Lord Palmerston pursued his departmental way."
That's it. The paragraph goes on to describe a debate in parliament over War Estimates and ends with Lord Palmerston taking a trip to France. What more can one say about a biographer who seems so indifferent to his own subject?
A typical paragraph involves a long series of allusions to other events that were going on while Palmerston was doing much of nothing. These events themselves are not explained or put into context, but rather are referred to elliptically.
This style persists even when describing incidents in Lord Palmerston's life that were quite interesting. For example, Lord Palmerston spent several decades as Secretary at War (not to be confused with Secretary of War), where he was in charge of the financial state of the army, dealing with pensions, etc. It doesn't sound like exciting stuff, and it mostly wasn't. But there was one incident during this period that might make for high drama. A deranged retired soldier, upset at being denied a pension, tries to assassinate Lord Palmerston as he walked up the stairs to the War Office. Luckily, Lord Palmerston was only grazed by the shot, and when he discovers that the man was insane, he pays for his legal defense.
That, at least, is something to work with. Yet here is how Guedalla describes the incident, sandwiched in the middle of a (lengthy) paragraph that covers several other matters:
"The world went on. The Prince approached the dreadful year in which a startled Whig acquainted Mr. Creevey that 'Prinny has let loose his belly, which now reaches to his knees.' It had its terrors for Lord Palmerston as well; since an officer, maddened perhaps by correspondence with the War Department, lurked on his office stairs and shot at him. The wound was slight; the escaping minister paid the cost of his assailant's defense; and whilst the impulsive critic went to Bedlam, Lord Palmerston pursued his departmental way."
That's it. The paragraph goes on to describe a debate in parliament over War Estimates and ends with Lord Palmerston taking a trip to France. What more can one say about a biographer who seems so indifferent to his own subject?
Displaying 1 of 1 review