The Churchill War Papers: Never Surrender (Vol. 2) [Hardcover]

Winston Churchill (Editor), Martin Gilbert (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Churchill War Papers | Publication Date: September 17, 1995

In the first eight months of his prime ministership, Winston Churchill surmounted more crises than many leaders face in an entire career: a fast-disintegrating ground war in Europe as the German blitzkrieg overran Holland, Belgium, and France, and drove the British army to retreat and evacuate at Dunkirk; the consolidation of the German occupation of Norway and Denmark; an ongoing state of emergency at home as Britain struggled to modernize its army, navy, and air forces at breakneck speed; and the pivotal weeks of the Battle of Britain, the "finest hour" when Britain stood fast against the unremitting onslaught of the German Luftwaffe.

This extraordinary book brings these months before us in the diaries, memoranda, letters, telegrams, cabinet minutes, and speeches of Churchill and his closest colleagues. It puts us at Churchill's side in some of the most tumultuous events of world history and offers an unparalleled view of his leadership qualities and his flaws, as he organizes the war effort, bolsters morale, bullies those who stand in his way, schemes to outstrategize his own generals, and works tirelessly to involve the United States in the fight against Fascism. This is truly history as it was lived, in the war whose outcome formed the modern world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Much more than a beacon of morale and unbending resolve, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was intimately involved in day-to-day policymaking in the effort to defeat Hitler, as revealed by this second installment of his war papers. Through diary entries, memoranda, cabinet minutes, telegrams, letters and speeches, we watch as Churchill tries to convince Vichy France to turn its back on the Axis, proposes military initiatives, stamps out negative and defeatist attitudes among top officials and attempts to prevent Mussolini from joining in the war. Here we see Churchill coping with the ever-present threat of German invasion, the slow pace of American aid and the pounding of the Blitz. Filled with secret government documents, this volume reveals the peril Britain was in during his first eight months as prime minister. Oxford historian Gilbert, who is Churchill's authorized biographer, has assembled a major historical source.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The indefatigable Gilbert, Winston Churchill's official biographer, continues his engrossing compilation of documents, official and private, chronicling Churchill's progress through the war years. This volume begins as Churchill becomes prime minister. Through contemporary letters and memos, speeches (including all of Churchill's cabinet minutes), and diary excerpts, he brings vividly to life the dark days of the Battle of Britain in 1940. Defeat seemed near at hand, and German invasion was an ever-present threat. We see Churchill firmly taking the helm, micromanaging as he imposes his will and eloquent as he rallies his nation but confiding, "I cannot say that I have enjoyed being Prime Minister very much so far." Essential for larger World War II collections.?Nancy C. Cridland, Indiana Univ. Libs., Bloomington
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 1322 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; First edition (September 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393037460
• ISBN-13: 978-0393037463
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 2.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,118,403 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection for Churchill specialists, January 7, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Churchill War Papers: Never Surrender (Vol. 2) (Hardcover)

Never Surrender is yet another volume in what already is the longest biography in the world. (At least according to the good people at the guiness book of world records. ) It is a collection of all the speeches and papers of Winston Churchill during the most critical phase of his Prime Ministry, and perhaps the most critical phase of World War Two. In this volume we get to witness Churchill's reaction to Dunkirk, the fall of France, and the Battle of Britain, and we also get to witness Churchill's heroic response to them. In this volume we see Churchill at his absolute best.

The offical biography is written by Martin Gilbert, a task he assumed after Randolf, Winston Churchill's son, died. The bigraphy consists of eight biographic volumes, and each volume has a few volumes of relevant documents to support it. Never Surrender is one of the document volumes which support the biographic volume "Finest Hour: 1939-1941" which is perhaps the finest volume of the entire biography. With all biogrphic volumes and the supporting books, The entire biography now stands at 23 volumes. Roughly 7-10 more are expected.

Never Surrender is probably the finest supporting volume of the entire set. It covers possibly the most important moment in British history, and it is a fine read in itself thanks to the usual outstanding work of Gilbert. The book is not for everyone, only those well versed in Churchill lore, and also keep in mind the book is not a narrative, but more like a collection of letters. But to anyone truly interested in Chuchill, or this era of English history, the book is nearly a must-have.

5.0 out of 5 stars a book of historic importance, November 24, 2008

By 

Gilbert Michaud (canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Churchill War Papers: Never Surrender (Vol. 2) (Hardcover)

this book by sir martin gilbert cover the first months of churchill as prime ministeR THE FALL OF FRANCE AND THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN . IN minute details .