Disraeli [Paperback]

Robert Blake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1987

First published in 1966, Robert Blake's biography of "Disraeli" remains not only unchallenged but one of the supreme political biographies of the last one hundred years. Disraeli's story is an extraordinary one. Born in 1804, the grandson of an immigrant Italian Jew, he became leader of the Conservative Party and was twice Prime Minister (1868 and from 1874 to 1880). Famous for the 1867 Reform Act, his purchasing of the Suez Canal and his diplomatic triumphs at the Congress of Berlin, he was also the creator of the political novel and in Sybil wrote the major "Condition of England" work of fiction. He was an outsider, a nationalist, a European, Romantic and Tory and, in Michael Foot's words 'He was without any rival whatever, the first comic genius who ever installed himself in Downing Street'. To say Robert Blake does justice to all this and more merely hints at the scale of his achievement; the reviews speak more eloquently. 'One of the very great political biographies ...' John Vincent, "Observer". ' ...This new book is by far the best. It is outstanding. Robert Blake is a great historian - sympathetic, exhaustive and with a light touch withal. He has not attacked; he has defended. He has portrayed, with delicacy and penetration, the most exciting and, in a curious way, the most modern of all Victorian statesmen. A great book' - Harold Macmillan. 'An outstandingly successful biography ...Disraeli has never been brought so vividly to life, and his consistent champagne-like sparkle, equalled only by that of Churchill, but unsurpassed by any statesman, invests these 800 colourful pages with a beguiling attribute of timelessness' - Sir Philip Magnus, "Daily Telegraph". ' ...it is his emotional identification with his subject that makes this such a remarkable and sensitive work ...a wholly satisfying biography' - Robert Rhodes James, "Spectator". 'A huge, scholarly and remarkably readable work which makes us revise vast tracts of our assumptions about nineteenth-century politics' - Sir Michael Howard, "Sunday Times". ' A book that people will still be reading in fifty years time and long after' - "Times Literary Supplement".

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Robert Blake's biography is a triumph and may justly be pronounced a classic," beamed LJ's reviewer (LJ 2/1/67). Blake is triumphant on two levels: he sets the record straight on his subject's true political leanings, and he puts Disraeli's "unusual literary career into critical and historical perspective." A solid purchase for any biography collection.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Blake (1916-2003) was the pre-eminent Tory historian of his day. In addition to his masterpiece, his biography of Disraeli, his books include Bonar Law: The Unknown Prime Minister, The Conservative Party from Peel to John Major and a volume in the Paladin History of England, (a series which he edited), The Decline of Power, 1915-1964. These and Disraeli's Grand Tour are all being reissued in Faber Finds. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 819 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers (1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881842966
• ISBN-13: 978-0881842968
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,203,236 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Blake Does Not Disappoint, July 10, 2000

By 

KTuttle18 (Des Moines, IA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disraeli (Lost Treasures Series) (Paperback)

Robert Blake's study of Benjamin Disreali, twice Prime Minister and prolific novelist, is one of the best I've read. Both Disreali's personal life and political career are handled with respect, and there is no unnecessary conjecture to mislead the reader. The resulting biography is both fascinating and informative, advancing chronologically from Disreali's parentage to his death and detailing the aspects of his personality and the extraordinary good luck that enabled him to rise so far in the British political system. Throughout, the reader is offered anecdotes from acquaintances, excerpts from letters, and portions of the speeches that gave Disreali his reputation as a matchless orator. Particularly touching are the stories illustrating the friendship he and his sister shared, and the mannerisms which characterized his personality. Overall, Robert Blake displays great knowledge of both Disreali and the politics that he loved so much. Therein lies the book's only fault, from an amateur's perspective; at times the references to the system can confuse a reader not fully familiar with British politics. However, any admirer of this great statesman cannot afford to miss reading this work, which already shows signs of becoming a necessary reference. Any historian, amateur or not, could easily view this volume as indispensable.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dizzy he was not, March 24, 2003

By 

M. A Newman (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disraeli (Clarendon Biographies) (Paperback)

During the high tide of the Victorian era, the political life of the nation was dominated by two men, Disraeli and Gladstone. Gladstone is an obvious choice for one of the top statesmen of the era, he was elected four times to the premiership. Disraeli was not quite so fortunate. However, given the short period of time that he was in office he accomplished a great deal. He brought the tories back from the dead, passed a reform bill and managed to acquire the Suez Canal. At the Congress of Berlin, Disraeli's command of the situation even impressed Bismark (not exactly a slouch in these sorts of things). Not bad from a rather foppish young man who specialized in "Silver Fork" novels (a fictional version of lifestyles of the rich and famous in the 19th century).

Blake's book is the best one on the subject of Benjamin Disraeli. The complex story of the novelist turned politican is brought out in all of its facets. Disraeli was probably one of the most interesting people to be prime minister (after perhaps Churchill and Walpole) and Blake's book shows the reader how he did it.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Biography, June 14, 2002

By 

A. Keenmind - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disraeli (Lost Treasures Series) (Paperback)

Blake's Disraeli is not only flawless in its interpretation of Disraeli but also in its style. It is a work by which all other biographies must be judged. Simply put, it is the perfect biography.