Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Audible sample
Churchill: A Life Hardcover – January 1, 1991
Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.
View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.
Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.
Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
- Print length1066 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHenry Holt and Company
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1991
- Dimensions6.5 x 2 x 9.75 inches
- ISBN-10080500615X
- ISBN-13978-0805006155
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product details
- Publisher : Henry Holt and Company (January 1, 1991)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 1066 pages
- ISBN-10 : 080500615X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0805006155
- Item Weight : 3.63 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 2 x 9.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #308,789 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #317 in Historical British Biographies
- #1,690 in Political Leader Biographies
- #2,719 in World War II History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Learn more about Sir Martin at www.martingilbert.com
Subscribe to Sir Martin’s Newsletter & Book Club
http://www.martingilbert.com/sir-martins-book-club-newsletter/
Follow and share Sir Martin’s legacy:
https://twitter.com/SirMartin36
https://www.facebook.com/sirmartingilbert
Sir Martin Gilbert CBE is the official biographer of Winston Churchill and a leading historian on the Twentieth Century, who, in his 88 books has shown there is such a thing as "true history".
Apart from the seven Churchill Biographies, accompanied by seventeen Churchill documents, a lifetimes work; his other major works includes Churchill a Life,The First World War, The Second World War,The Holocaust,Israel A History, History of the Twentieth Century and his nine pioneering atlases which harness cartography to history.
Born in London in 1936 to Jewish parents, Peter and Miriam Gilbert whose own parents came as refugees from Czarist Russia, he was sent with his parents to Cornwall in 1939 when the Second World War broke out. In the spring of 1940, Martin was evacuated with thousands of children to safety in Canada and returned from Toronto after four years in 1944 as a seven year old boy with his parents and baby sister. They were later evacuated, to Wales, where they were when the war ended. He attended Highgate School for ten years from 1945 to 1955.From 1955 to 1957, Martin did his National Service and in 1957, received a Demyship to Magdalen College, Oxford, graduating in 1960 with first-class honours in modern history.
Two years were spent as a Research Scholar at St Antony's College, Oxford where Gilbert was approached by Randolph Churchill to assist his work on a biography of his father, Sir Winston Churchill. That same year, 1962, Gilbert was made a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and he spent the next few years combining his own research projects in Oxford with being part of Randolph's research team in Suffolk, working on the first two volumes of the Churchill biography. When Randolph died in 1968, Gilbert was commissioned to take over the task, completing the remaining six main volumes of the biography.
In 1995, he was awarded a Knighthood "for services to British history and international relations and in 1999 Merton, Oxford, awarded Sir Martin Gilbert a DLitt, " for the totality of his published work."
Researching and exploring, lecturing and teaching, Sir Martin had many travels to major cities throughout the United States and Canada. His travels through Europe included lectures in Lisbon, Cracow, Skopje, Kaunas, Prague, Geneva, and Paris, among others. In each place he visited old friends, made new ones, and was constantly making notes of personal experiences or eye-witness accounts he could weave into his books.
"I returned from New York to Liverpool by ship in April 1944. Since then, having been a mini-part of history, I have never stopped travelling in search of history."
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the biography excellent and a good starting point for understanding Churchill. They describe it as an enjoyable read with good pacing and prose. The book provides interesting information about Churchill's life and remarkable intellect. Readers appreciate the detailed look at his early life through photos. However, opinions differ on the length - some find it too long, while others consider it a worthwhile read.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers find the biography of Churchill insightful and engaging. They find it provides a comprehensive overview of his life, making it an excellent starting point for understanding the great statesman. The book captivates readers with its stories and events, portraying Churchill as an amazing individual with a sympathetic perspective.
"...the most voluminous work on Churchill, but excellent starting point to understand Winston Churchill...." Read more
"...'s incredible life from childhood, supplying a steady stream of memorable anecdotes and constant good humor that punctuates the text and makes the..." Read more
"...of the book; however, when reading the book, I was captivated by the stories and events that made up Mr. Churchill’s days...." Read more
"...He personifies the quality of courage, resoluteness, defiance, hard work, compassion, fight for what you believe in, fight to the finish and most..." Read more
Customers find the book's pacing good. They appreciate the author's excellent prose and articulate writing style. They find the biography thorough and wide-ranging in scope, providing ample quotations from Churchill's public speeches.
"...You learn very quickly that he was a prodigious writer from his correspondences to friends and family, especially, his mother who he was devoted to..." Read more
"...covers of Churchill, this carefully composed, organized and articulated work covers the entire story of Churchill's incredible life from childhood..." Read more
"...Although the book was rather long, I enjoyed that the author used precise details and added quotations from letters to, about, and from Mr. Churchill..." Read more
"...The book was long (1100 pages) and sometimes a dry read, but I don't see how it could've been shortened, and it would've been helpful if the lesser-..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the characters and the chronological structure. Readers also mention that it's a worthwhile read, with an interesting storyline.
"...not light reading but I found the work both captivating and compelling and difficult to put down over the eight or nine days of reading...." Read more
"...and makes the usual drab early years much more entertaining and enjoyable...." Read more
"...of Mr. Churchill and I would recommend this book as a good read for the intellectual reader that enjoys history and factual information." Read more
"...I thoroughly enjoyed this book, although I felt I didn't get to know Churchill as well as I did after reading William Manchester's two-volume..." Read more
Customers find the book provides excellent insight into Churchill's thoughts and actions. They find it interesting and easy to read, especially for history enthusiasts. The author brings out Churchill's foresight and perseverance through the use of detailed information.
"...Certainly not light reading but I found the work both captivating and compelling and difficult to put down over the eight or nine days of..." Read more
"...British author and historian Sir Martin Gilbert, who renders an intelligent, eminently readable, and carefully culled one-volume overview of his..." Read more
"...sense of a student outlook, I would say that this book would be perfect for students who need to have extensive knowledge of Mr. Churchill and I..." Read more
"...It reveals the life of Churchill and shows many aspects of him that many do not know of...." Read more
Customers enjoy this biography of Churchill. They find it an insightful account of his life, covering his youth, education, and military service. The book resurrects Churchill's image as an outstanding statesman who kept the nation united during wartime.
"...by the top current Churchill biographer, it gives you his life from birth to boarding school, the military to parliament..." Read more
"...of one of the twentieth century's true Titans The book encompasses Churchill’s youth, education and early military career, his journalistic work,..." Read more
"...He fervently championed a unity which would be called United States of Europe. He was probably gave inspiration for such a union...." Read more
"...It spends a good deal of time on his early life, including his failures in school, as well as his successes...." Read more
Customers find the book provides a good overall image of Churchill. They appreciate the detailed look at his life with maps, illustrations, and photos. The book is described as an excellent presentation about one of the greatest figures of the 20th century.
"...Unlike some of the other recent covers of Churchill, this carefully composed, organized and articulated work covers the entire story of Churchill..." Read more
"...Gilbert tells Churchill's story in an elegant and straightforward manner...." Read more
"Very detailed look at Mr Churchills life. Author to his credit provides the information but keeps his opinions out...." Read more
"...This is a great book about one of the greatest figures of the 20th Century." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's length. Some find it interesting and enlightening, while others feel it's dry and spends too many pages on unimportant aspects. Overall, opinions are mixed on whether the book is a one-day read or a daunting task at over 1000 pages.
"...Although the book was rather long, I enjoyed that the author used precise details and added quotations from letters to, about, and from Mr. Churchill..." Read more
"This is a long book and requires a little patience to read and finish...." Read more
"...The book was long (1100 pages) and sometimes a dry read, but I don't see how it could've been shortened, and it would've been helpful if the lesser-..." Read more
"...an interest in Mr Churchill - a great source but be warned very detailed at 1066 pages, not a one day read." Read more
Customers have different views on the book's pace. Some find it brisk, considering its size, and engaging. Others feel it drags on and takes a while to finish.
"...Although it clocks in at almost 1,000 pages, it moves quickly and is extremely interesting...." Read more
"...version (instead of the six novel full version) and there are a few slow spots, but if anyone ever thinks that they aRE DOING WONDERFUL THINGS, READ..." Read more
"...Fascinating and troubling reading." Read more
"Not a quick read. I've always wanted to know more about WC...." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 23, 2014September 22, 2014
A review of the book “Churchill: A Life” by Martin Gilbert by Anthony T. Riggio
I bought this book from Amazon in the Kindle format. I did not know the heft and size of this book but I love history and biographies of great people who have positively impacted on Man’s accomplishments.
Winston Churchill was a figure of immense importance to the history of the West. His life covered the most important time periods of the 19th and 20th century. He was born of privileged parents and his education was pretty much formulated for him by his Randolph who was a member of British parliament. His father was a sometimes irritant to the majority in parliament but was highly principled in his beliefs. Randolph sent Winston to Harrows school as opposed to Eaton, where the most privileged attended. There was a belief that he did not have the academic power, thus the lesser of the principle schools most influential people sent their boys.
As a consequence of this thinking, Winston’s father sent him to the military school, similar to West Point, rather than the classical school of choice, Oxford. Winston was an average student and had an aversion to exams thus his grades fluctuated from fair to good. You learn very quickly that he was a prodigious writer from his correspondences to friends and family, especially, his mother who he was devoted to even though the reality even though she was somewhat distant to him always travelling and never in attendance of his immediate needs. His father was also preoccupied by the demands of government.
During the Boer war, he was an officer and saw combat. His penchant for both innovation and independent thought was manifest during this period and would accent his career in politics and leadership. He began his writing career in earnest and commenced work on a biography of his father as well as a number of multi-volume works and auto biographies.
As his political career progressed he was not always full of successes; there were failure too from which he learned and developed in his statesmanship.
Churchill was a budding political force prior to the Great War (WWI) and his leadership in the Admiralty led to both successes and some perceived failures. Many of his decisions were hampered by Army, Navy and Parliamentary conflicting ideas.
He recognized the great evil Hitler posed as he was coming into power in Germany and tried to herald these thoughts to a Great Britain weary of war and desirous of peace. In some cases that desire was detrimental to later deficiencies when World War II commenced.
Throughout this period he developed a very close relationship with Franklin Delano Roosevelt before and after he became the Prime Minister of England. This association with the United States was the principle reason why England survived the early onslaught of the Germans during the 30’s and early 40’s. Churchill’s forward visions of the War and its aftermath were of great benefit to England and the free world allies. He saw the Soviet Union as the world next threat and provided statesman guidance to both FDR and Truman.
Wayne Gilbert’s biography is probably not the most voluminous work on Churchill, but excellent starting point to understand Winston Churchill. The world is also the beneficiary of his (Churchill’s) prodigious auto biography and multi volume works on both WWI and WWII. I thought Gilbert’s work was well written and gave the readers great insight into the history of Europe during these times. I believe “Churchill, A Life” by Martin gilbert is an excellent primer for future studies on Churchill.
I purchased this book on Kindle and was initially intimidated by the fact that my Kindle said, at the beginning of the book that there were 40 hours left until completion of the book. I checked the hard bound page count at 1047 pages. Certainly not light reading but I found the work both captivating and compelling and difficult to put down over the eight or nine days of reading.
Even though this book was originally published in 1991, my maturity level was not at that point until recent times. I gave this book five (5) stars and would highly recommend it to those who love history.
- Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2000No one short of Winston himself is more of an established authority on Winston Churchill than noted British author and historian Sir Martin Gilbert, who renders an intelligent, eminently readable, and carefully culled one-volume overview of his imposing eight volume history of Churchill that took over 25 years to finish. Unlike some of the other recent covers of Churchill, this carefully composed, organized and articulated work covers the entire story of Churchill's incredible life from childhood, supplying a steady stream of memorable anecdotes and constant good humor that punctuates the text and makes the usual drab early years much more entertaining and enjoyable.
He takes great pains to describe Churchill's daredevil antics early in life, a man more foolhardy than fool, a man with piercing intellect and a sardonic wit. According to Gilbert, young Winston was always good company, with an endless store of stories he spun with great relish and amazing recall. He had an early sense about the possibilities of technology, and could fly a British bi-plane even before the onset of WWI. He seemed to recognize the potential of such new weaponry to revolutionize warfare, and often took pains to tell anyone who would listen how much more dynamic such things as tanks and artillery could make the modern battlefield.
Of course, the events surrounding World War Two provided Churchill with the opportunity of a lifetime; the author argues he was exactly the right man to pull Britain out of its desperate doldrums and to jump fearlessly into the fray. For while he was no military genius, he was a singular statesman and leader, and he used his stirring orations to electrify the English populace and prepare them for the war of endurance he knew he struggle with Germany would certainly become. He threaded the delicate high wire of political negotiations with the Americans, and forged an unusually strong and open friendship with Franklin Roosevelt that was a dynamic factor in the Allied partnership.
As Gilbert writes so memorably, he summoned forth the mysterious stuff of greatness to assume leadership of Britain when it was most isolated, threatened, and weak. In such circumstances, his own bulldog-like resolve and legendary stubbornness made those who oppose him rue the day. No one in modern history was so singularly responsible for the rescue of the world from the clutches of evil incarnate (as personified by Hitler and Nazi Germany) than did Winston Churchill. This is a masterful biography written in a magisterial fashion by the single greatest authority on Churchill. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!
- Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2015As a high school student, I have seen through Martin Gilbert's book, the astonishing and unique life of Mr. Winston Churchill. Although the book was rather long, I enjoyed that the author used precise details and added quotations from letters to, about, and from Mr. Churchill. Many have said that such a character as Mr. Churchill would surely be a tedious subject to study because of his political life, however, through Martin Gilbert’s research on Mr. Churchill and how he made the reader feel as though they were apart of Mr. Churchill’s life. I did find myself rather weary of the length of the book; however, when reading the book, I was captivated by the stories and events that made up Mr. Churchill’s days. My favorite parts of the book included his early life as a troublesome child, and the life that he lived devoted to his wife Clementine. As the book was clearly written in chronological order, it made looking up information in the book easy. In the sense of a student outlook, I would say that this book would be perfect for students who need to have extensive knowledge of Mr. Churchill and I would recommend this book as a good read for the intellectual reader that enjoys history and factual information.
Top reviews from other countries
- M.E.Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2020
5.0 out of 5 stars Churchill
Excellent a great book packed with detail and really gets inside of the man. It goes far beyond the 2nd World war
-
Jocelino P. SoaresReviewed in Brazil on June 11, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Muito boa obra, bem escrita e muito bem traduzida.
Iniciei a leitura em poertuguês - 1º volume. Considero uma excelente biografia. Resolvi adquirir a edição em Inglês que tem a obra completa em um único volume e por umvalor mais baixo que o 2º volume em português.
-
ZanaReviewed in Germany on November 30, 2017
5.0 out of 5 stars Truly catchy
It is very hard to put this book down! I am now just starting the WW2 part, and was really amused by the book so-far. Great mix of facts, personal views from different sources, and british humor.
This is a must-read not only for Churchill admirerers
- Helen UptonReviewed in Australia on January 17, 2021
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthrallingly accurate historically and woven into a wonderful tale.
Highly readable
-
Cliente de AmazonReviewed in Mexico on May 24, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars CALIDAD
LIBRO EN INGLES. BUENISIMO. ME ENCANTO.
ES SUFICIENTE EL CONTENIDO PARA DARSE UNA IDEA MUY BUENA. Y SEGUN ENTIENDO, EL AUTOR DE ESTE ESCRITO ES LA MAXIMA AUTORIDAD EN LA VIDA DE CHURCHILL, POR LO QUE HAY GARANTIA DE VERACIDAD EN EL CONTENIDO.