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Churchill by Himself: The Definitive Collection of Quotations

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Richard Langworth has hit another grand slam with his new book, Churchill by Himself: The Definitive Collection of Quotations. This is an extraordinary work of scholarship that documents what Churchill said and didn't say. Like his previous work, A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Winston Churchill (unfortunately I lost mine in Katrina), Richard's meticulous attention to detail sheds pure white light on Churchill's quotations. It's about time someone cleared the air! The Bible, Shakespeare, Churchill, and perhaps Mark Twain with a dash of Teddy Roosevelt make up the lion's share of quotations used by business people and governmental speech makers. I'm no longer surprised how many quotations are attributed to Churchill which he never said or would have said. Now we can all get ground truth thanks to Richard Langworth.

Winston Churchill is one of the few men whose name stands a good chance of being spoken by men as long as freedom exists. At 66, Churchill was called upon to rally a nation, an empire, teetering on the abyss of defeat.

And Churchill rallied his nation, his empire and the free world with his words.

A gifted orator and writer, Churchill authored 15 million published words. In this book are collected about 350,000 of Churchill's words in 4,120 quotations.

The editor, Richard Langworth, has done extensive research to validate the words as Churchill's own. It turns out that many follow the maxim of attributing words to Churchill that he had nothing to do with.

Churchill spent 50 years in public life. He was a soldier, journalist, Member of Commons, Lord of the Admiralty, member of the opposition, Prime Minister, world renowned author and more.

I've been an admirer of Churchill all my life. Many of the quotations are familiar to me. Yet, as they are categorized here, they take on a new life, a new perspecive.

Langworth begins with "The Immortal Words", the words of Churchill that will live forever in the memories of free men everywhere. The pity is that these words are rarely taught in American public schools. We will lose what we do not cherish and this means both the words of Churchill and our freedom.

Langworth progresses through Maxims, Churchillisms ("I have nothing ot offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat"), 34 sections in all that allow the reader to sense the full of Churchill and his words.

This is as remarkable book not only for Churchill admirers and students, but for those who revel in the beauty of the English language.

Jerry

What a great job Langworth has done! By putting Churchill's quotations in a variety of context that help the reader understand this complex man, he has accomplished much more than any previous, quotation oriented text. Too much of the Churchill literature (while great) is too tough a slog for many readers today. (yes... sad but true) This book will bring the wit and wisdom of this great man to a much larger audience.

What an amazing book! Churchill's analysis is spot on, and in hindsight we see clearly how brilliant he was. If only our legislators were interested - there is plenty of advice for them in dealing with today's issues. This is a must read tome for those who want the full flavor of the events and consequences of WWII. The print is small, but well worth the effort.

Richard Langworth's utterly encyclopaediac knowledge of Sir Winston Churchill has never been better displayed than in this superb piece of scholarship. Churchill's genius with words and Langworth's genius at compilation complement each other magisterially. I have written five books about Churchill, and consider this to be the absolutely indispensable 'bible' for anyone interested in him.
Andrew Roberts

Richard Langworth has done a fantastic job of gathering together the accurate quotes of Sir Winston Churchill. I teach about Churchill constantly and this book certainly earns the acclaim that Winston Churchill's great-grandson Jack Churchill offered, "The bible of Churchill quotation"

This book is a 'must have' for any Churchill fan. No other quote book on the great man comes anywhere close to the depth and accuracy.

CHURCHILL BY HIMSELF: THE LIFE, TIMES AND OPINIONS OF WINSTON CHURCHILL IN HIS OWN WORDS.

It was a national tragedy (at least in the UK) when Barack Obama removed the bust of Churchill from the Oval Office. This book reminds us of everything Churchill was that "Dr. Utopia" is not: heroic *and* funny.

Certainly the only book about Winston Churchill I have ever seen that portrays him as a charming boulevardier a la Bertie Wooster. A must for every Churchill aficionado.

This book belongs in the library of every person interested in history, politics, literature and use of the English language. As a well-written, superb, accurate reference book this should be on every kindle of speakers, politicians, teachers, and for the rest of us, just for fun, fascinating reading.

Judged by modern standards the life of Winston Churchill is nearly incomprehensible. Known to most people for his leadership as Prime Minister of Great Britain during WW II, the significance of his life is better revealed by understanding the impact his thought and action had on not just the war but nearly all the great issues of his day. Who was Winston Churchill and how did he fashion himself into the greatest politician and statesman of the 20th century? Beyond that, how can study of his life and its accumulated wisdom help us today as we grapple with many of the same issues he did during his 50-year career in politics?

During his lifetime, Mr. Churchill wrote some 15 million published words. In his latest book, Churchill by Himself, author Richard Langworth has used his encyclopedic knowledge to cull this vast cannon and create a treasure trove of wisdom that is accessible to the reader with a casual interest in Churchill. In his introduction he explains that he wrote this book "to offer readers the most complete, attributed, annotated and cross referenced collection of Winston Churchill quotations, ripostes, aphorisms, sayings and reflections ever published." In this he has succeeded. Beginning with a collection of Mr. Churchill's most memorable and important remarks, called "The Immortal Words", the author goes on to document some 4120 separate examples of wit and wisdom that span the width and breadth of Churchill's life. Every example is painstakingly annotated by the author who, during his 25 years with The Churchill Centre's outstanding magazine, Finest Hour, has spent long hours researching the Churchill cannon to both authenticate the real and dispel the myriad of quotes falsely attributed to Churchill.

Mr. Langworth's other contribution to the book is to guide the reader through it with a series of introductory and explanatory remarks that give structure and context to Mr. Churchill's remarks. He is a gifted writer and in combination with his long experience with the subject matter he has given us a book that belongs in the library of anyone interested to knowing more about this great man or just looking for help in understanding and solving the problems of a complex world. Highly recommended.

Churchill must be the most frequently quoted politician of the twentieth century, but also one of the most misquoted. His memory has been overlaid by a thick varnish of apocryphal sayings, many of them repeated in good faith by historians and biographers. Even when he is accurately quoted, anthologies of his wit and wisdom often provide the reader with no source reference, date or context. It has all been very frustrating for students and admirers of Churchill but now at last Richard Langworth has come to the rescue with a magnificent work in which he gives us an impeccably sourced, scholarly anthology of Churchill's writings, speeches and sayings, together with a whole section devoted to `red herrings' or false attributions. Spanning the length and breadth of Churchill's life, and organised by topic, it sets out his views on just about everything from the two world wars to nations and personalities, politics and personalities, science and religion. Mainly serious, but very funny in places, it is not only an indispensable work of reference, but a literary and historical treat and a landmark in Churchill studies.