What do you think?
Rate this book
Churchill The Life: In His Own Words and Picture
The life and times of the great statesman as he saw it.
At 52nd Street and Madison Avenue in New York City sits Chartwell Books, the only bookshop in the world specializing in books, articles and memorabilia of Winston Churchill. Further south in Manhattan is the Morgan Library and Museum where in 2012 a record 70,000 visitors viewed the multimedia exhibition Churchill: The Power of Words.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill's death, and coincidentally the 70th anniversary of V-E Day. This stunning book commemorates the life of Britain's greatest leader and the best friend the United States ever had.
Eight sections narrate Churchill's monumental life and achievements:
* Youth 1874-1903: Unhappy son of a British duke and American mother; student; father's death
* Early Military Career 1898-1916: Soldier; war reporter; escaped prisoner; author; husband and father
* Early Political Career 1899-1922: Decorated soldier; parliamentarian; government minister
* The First World War: Political defeat and blunders; American lecture tour; government minister
* Rising through the ranks: Political legacy of the Great War; government minister; painter; farmer
* The Second World War: Prime Minister; V-E Day
* Post-War Years: Political defeat; "Iron Curtain" Speech; daughter's suicide; death of second daughter
* Legacy: Statesman; historian; Honorary Citizen of the United States; Nobel Prize Laureate, final days.
Author and chronicler Max Arthur includes:
* Previously unpublished photographs of artifacts in the Churchill Archive Centre
* Family pictures and private correspondence
* Telegrams, drafts of speeches, press cuttings and official papers
* Ephemera, like an early report card that describes him as "very bad--in constant trouble to everybody"
* Pictorial timelines
* Public correspondence and historical items given to him
* Fascinating and exhaustingly researched captions and quotes.
At 52nd Street and Madison Avenue in New York City sits Chartwell Books, the only bookshop in the world specializing in books, articles and memorabilia of Winston Churchill. Further south in Manhattan is the Morgan Library and Museum where in 2012 a record 70,000 visitors viewed the multimedia exhibition Churchill: The Power of Words.
This year is the 50th anniversary of Winston Churchill's death, and coincidentally the 70th anniversary of V-E Day. This stunning book commemorates the life of Britain's greatest leader and the best friend the United States ever had.
Eight sections narrate Churchill's monumental life and achievements:
* Youth 1874-1903: Unhappy son of a British duke and American mother; student; father's death
* Early Military Career 1898-1916: Soldier; war reporter; escaped prisoner; author; husband and father
* Early Political Career 1899-1922: Decorated soldier; parliamentarian; government minister
* The First World War: Political defeat and blunders; American lecture tour; government minister
* Rising through the ranks: Political legacy of the Great War; government minister; painter; farmer
* The Second World War: Prime Minister; V-E Day
* Post-War Years: Political defeat; "Iron Curtain" Speech; daughter's suicide; death of second daughter
* Legacy: Statesman; historian; Honorary Citizen of the United States; Nobel Prize Laureate, final days.
Author and chronicler Max Arthur includes:
* Previously unpublished photographs of artifacts in the Churchill Archive Centre
* Family pictures and private correspondence
* Telegrams, drafts of speeches, press cuttings and official papers
* Ephemera, like an early report card that describes him as "very bad--in constant trouble to everybody"
* Pictorial timelines
* Public correspondence and historical items given to him
* Fascinating and exhaustingly researched captions and quotes.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published October 30, 2015
4 people are currently reading
392 people want to read
About the author
Max Arthur
85 books41 followersMax Arthur is an author who specialises in first-hand recollections of historical events. He has worked closely with the Imperial War Museum to bring together two books in the Forgotten Voices series, Forgotten Voices of the Great War and Forgotten Voices of the Second World War. Prior to becoming a writer, he served with the Royal Air Force and for some years was an actor.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 20, 2017
Outstanding read on this unique individual.
January 24, 2019
It is worth to read it, as it contains a lot of information and great photos.
February 8, 2016
CHURCHILL THE LIFE: An Authorized Pictorial Biography by Max Arthur, is exactly the type of biography I enjoy the most. I am not one to read biographies, auto or not, as I tend to find them much too detailed for my taste. I want to read about a person, to understand them and their times a bit better, but I do not need to delve into every thing that happened in their entire life. Give me the highlights with just a smidgeon of background so I can settle the accounting into the proper timeline of the person’s life, and let me go from there. I find minute-by-minute accounts of a person’s life taxing and, at times, utterly unbelievable. I can hardly remember what I had for lunch ten days ago let alone a picnic on a hillside in the valley of the Rhine forty yeas ago.
Which brings me to this lavishly illustrated synopsis of the great man’s life. This book serves as a sparkling introduction to Churchill’s career for the newcomer and a pictorial history to broaden a well-read viewer’s understanding of the man. Chock-a-block crammed with both photos and copies of some important documents, THE LIFE tells the tale of his birth, his troubled times at boarding school (remember teachers, even the most troubling of youths can emerge from their young chrysalis as a staunch butterfly), his early military career and his rise in British politics.
Throughout the book key moments of his life and times are illustrated with enlightening photographs of the man, his family, and the key peoples of his time. From young Army officer to WWII Prime Minister and every stop in between, it is all here in a concise and orderly fashion.
But consider this book a mere introduction into one of the 20th century’s leading statesmen. While this satisfies my need for learning about Churchill, do not let this be your last stop on the learning train, for there are many more tales to discover as well as a wealth on details into how he thought and lived which are not explored here.
The selection of photographs and writings are a commendable set and Mr. Arthur’s keen eye and sense of editing are to be noted as he has produced a biography that is eloquent and terse simultaneously.
I won this work though the Goodreads program and it will be a valued addition to my collection.
Which brings me to this lavishly illustrated synopsis of the great man’s life. This book serves as a sparkling introduction to Churchill’s career for the newcomer and a pictorial history to broaden a well-read viewer’s understanding of the man. Chock-a-block crammed with both photos and copies of some important documents, THE LIFE tells the tale of his birth, his troubled times at boarding school (remember teachers, even the most troubling of youths can emerge from their young chrysalis as a staunch butterfly), his early military career and his rise in British politics.
Throughout the book key moments of his life and times are illustrated with enlightening photographs of the man, his family, and the key peoples of his time. From young Army officer to WWII Prime Minister and every stop in between, it is all here in a concise and orderly fashion.
But consider this book a mere introduction into one of the 20th century’s leading statesmen. While this satisfies my need for learning about Churchill, do not let this be your last stop on the learning train, for there are many more tales to discover as well as a wealth on details into how he thought and lived which are not explored here.
The selection of photographs and writings are a commendable set and Mr. Arthur’s keen eye and sense of editing are to be noted as he has produced a biography that is eloquent and terse simultaneously.
I won this work though the Goodreads program and it will be a valued addition to my collection.
January 25, 2024
This well presented book presented some stunning photographs I hadn't seen before and many well known pictures and the stories behind them. However I was slightly frustrated by the many omissions along the story of this great man's life. Perhaps I have just read too many biographies of the Churchill family.
February 22, 2016
A very nice Coffee Table book about Churchill. Interesting book with a lot of pictures. Very informative and enjoyable reading
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews