The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill [Hardcover]

Richard Langworth (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2009

Charismatic, erudite, and often controversial, Winston Churchill was one of the most inspiring leaders of the twentieth century, and one of its greatest wits. His much-celebrated sense of fun and mischief has led to many of his jokes and ripostes becoming almost as well known as his famous wartime speeches. Gloriously comprehensive, The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill includes all Churchill's most famous quips and witticisms, and even an appendix of quotes falsely attributed to Churchill. The only book of its kind to be sanctioned by the Churchill estate and to track down each quotation to its source, it captures the great statesman at his most eloquent, witty, and engaging and makes a great gift for the holidays and special occasions year-round.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard M Langworth has been editor since 1982 of The Churchill Centre's journal Finest Hour and its other publications, and author of A Connoisseur's Guide to the Books of Sir Winston Churchill. He founded The Churchill Centre in 1968, was its president from 1990 to 1999, and has been chairman of its Board of Trustees since 2000. Using computer technology, he draws upon a groundbreaking database of Churchill quotes and literature. He currently lives in Moultonborough, New Hampshire and Eleuthera, Bahamas. In 1998 he was invested by the Queen as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to Anglo-American understanding. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: PublicAffairs (December 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1586487906
• ISBN-13: 978-1586487904
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #473,871 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #68 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( C ) > Churchill, Winston
  • #94 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > U.K. Prime Ministers

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He had great wit and great courage and he helped save the free world, April 1, 2010

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Definitive Wit of Winston Churchill (Hardcover)

There are a number of collections of the Wit of Churchill. This one calls itself the definitive collection. It has twelve chapters: Thrusts and parries, Maxims and reflections, Stories and Jokes, Churchillisms, Great communicator, People, Britain,Empire and Commonwealth, Nations, War, Politics and Government, Education ,Arts and Science, Personal.It has a small appendix on 'Red Herrings'.
I eagerly bought this book in part because in the back of my mind are a number of remarkable quotations by Churchill, including those of the Great War Speeches. Those utterances were not simply 'remarks' but were world- shaping historical events. The hero Churchill who rallied the British at their darkest hour and made it into their finest hour is one of the great human heroes. One of his quotations here is in praise of Courage, the first of all virtues and no one in those dark days exemplified and inspired it more than him.
Nonetheless despite my great admiration for him and the power of his language at the most critical historical times I was somewhat disappointed in the tenor and quality of many of the quotations here. Perhaps even a great man must be allowed his trivia. But should it be gathered in the collection of his most notable utterances? Is it possible that his truly memorable and great utterances are not in the thousands or even the hundreds, but rather in the tens?
I too do not think isolating utterances and presenting them on a wide variety of problems, people and situations really helps us understand Churchill's view on a particular matter.
But enough crabbing.This book does contain many gems from one of mankind's greatest heroes. Here are a few gems from a book in which there are no doubt more than I have noticed.

"Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities because, as has been said,it is the quality which guarantees all others."

"Death is the greatest gift God has made to us"

"Meeting jaw to jaw is better than war"

"It is always more easy to discover and proclaim general principles than to apply them."

"Fearthought is futile worrying over what cannot be averted or will probably never happen."

"But you ought to let the Jews have Jerusalem; it is they who made it famous."

"In war,Resolution. In defeat, Defiance. In victory,Magnaminity. In peace,Goodwill."

"All wisdom is not new wisdom."

"One always measures friendships by how they show up in bad weather."

"The power of man has grown in every sphere , except over himself."