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Churchill Paperback – October 26, 2010

by Paul Johnson (Author)

172 customer reviews

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From the “most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America” (Wall Street Journal), an elegant, concise, and revealing portrait of Winston Churchill

In Churchill, eminent historian Paul Johnson offers a lively, succinct exploration of one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history. Winston Churchill's hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Johnson’s analysis casts new light on his extraordinary life and times. Johnson illuminates the various phases of Churchill's career—from his adventures as a young cavalry officer in the service of the empire to his role as an elder statesman prophesying the advent of the Cold War—and shows how Churchill's immense adaptability and innate pugnacity made him a formidable leader for the better part of a century. Johnson's narration of Churchill's many triumphs and setbacks, rich with anecdote and quotation, illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before, and is sure to appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In this enthusiastic yet first-rate biography, veteran British historian Johnson (Modern Times) asserts that Winston Churchill (1874–1965) was the 20th century's most valuable figure: No man did more to preserve freedom and democracy.... An ambitious, world-traveling soldier and bestselling author, Churchill was already famous on entering Parliament in 1899 and within a decade was working with Lloyd George to pass the great reforms of 1908–1911. As First Lord of the Admiralty, he performed brilliantly in preparing the navy for WWI, but blame—undeserved according to Johnson—for the catastrophic 1915 Dardanelles invasion drove him from office. Within two years, he was back at the top, where he remained until the Depression. Johnson delivers an adulatory account of Churchill's prescient denunciations of Hitler and heroics during the early days of WWII, and views later missteps less critically than other historians. He concludes that Churchill was a thoroughly likable great man with many irritating flaws but no nasty ones: he lacked malice, avoided grudges, vendettas and blame shifting, and quickly replaced enmity with friendship. Biographers in love with their subjects usually produce mediocre history, but Johnson, always self-assured as well as scholarly, has written another highly opinionated, entertaining work. B&w photos. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

Praise for Churchill by Paul Johnson:

"Johnson . . . give[s] the reader the definite sense of having known Churchill, or at least of having hung out with him for a bit . . . Churchill lets you spend some time in the man's company, and who wouldn't want that?"
—New York Times Book Review

"Johnson’s distillation of life lessons from Churchill’s stories career [is written in] . . . vivid prose and [with] consistent intelligence and urbanity.”
—Jon Meacham, Slate.com

"[If] you appreciate clarity, authority, and verve in historical writing, you will understand why I gulped down [Churchill] and now declare it the most exciting biography I read in 2009."
—Jesse Kornbluth, Huffington Post

"Johnson clearly shares and revels in Churchill's generosity of spirit and limitless intellectual energy. He has produced a book that is a joy—and a worthy tribute to both of them."
—Washington Times

"You read Johnson to be provoked and entertained, and on both these scores his biography, like its subject, succeeds wonderfully."
—The American Conservative

"With deft narrative skill and keen insight, Johnson masterfully sketches the phases of Churchill's life . . . Along the way, Johnson gives us wonderful insights into Churchill's character . . . Rich with anecdote and quotation, Paul Johnson's Churchill illustrates the man's humor, resilience, courage, and eccentricity as no other biography before."
—National Review

"Paul Johnson is the most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America."
—Wall Street Journal

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Product details

Paperback: 192 pages
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (October 26, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0143117998
ISBN-13: 978-0143117995
Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.5 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 172 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #140,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Leaders & Notable People > Presidents & Heads of State > U.K. Prime Ministers
- #341 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > European
- #364 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Europe > Great Britain

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172

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Top customer reviews

Half-page Management

ByJohn W. PearsonVINE VOICEon February 17, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

We're pretty North American-centric here in the U.S. Watching the Winter Olympics reminds us that we Yanks are hardly the center of the universe. Plus, I've always felt a tad guilty that my reading list had never included anything on Winston Churchill. No more guilt.

Paul Johnson's 166-page chronicle of Churchill's amazing life and leadership has received excellent reviews. The page count also works. The author's masterful scan of Churchill's 90 years (1874 to 1965) includes insightful detail, laugh-out-loud sidebars and absolutely relevant commentary on leadership and politics, war, success and failure (lots of failure).

If you're under 40, don't skip this book--thinking it irrelevant to our Twitter times. Churchill was a member of Parliament for 55 years, 31 years as a government minister, and almost nine years as prime minister. He served in the trenches of (and reported from) 15 battles, was awarded 14 campaign medals, "had been a prominent figure in the First World War, and a dominant one in the Second."

And get this: he published nearly 10 million words, including his 880-page book, The World Crisis: 1911-1918. His five-volume War Memoirs book deal in 1947 paid him $2.23 million ($50 million in today's dollars). And in his spare time, Churchill painted over 500 canvases. In 1953, he received the Nobel Prize for Literature.

He overcame family challenges. His cousin noted, "Few fathers had done less for their sons. Few sons had done more for their fathers." Yet the author writes, "Among all the twentieth-century ruling elites, the Churchills must be judged to have had the most successful marriage."

In the epilogue, the author includes five specific ways that leaders can learn from Churchill. Number 2: "There is no substitute for hard work." Yet, this giant of a world leader "also manifestly enjoyed his leisure activities," including his painting, which created a sanctuary-like retreat for his mind and body. He worked 16-hour days (often with full working mornings in bed--to conserve energy). "The balance he maintained between flat-out work and creative restorative leisure is worth study by anyone holding a top position."

He knew the value of face time. He forced himself "to travel long distances, often in acute discomfort and danger, to meet the top statesmen face-to-face where his persuasive charm could work best."

Speaking of charm, the writing enticed me page after page. Churchill's famed oratory: 111 words per minute, "with Gladstone's 100 as the standard." After touring Africa, he wrote My African Journey (completed on his honeymoon): "...full of schemes for industrializing Africa and harnessing the Nile." His politics: "Churchill was carried forward by intellectual conviction, but his reverence for tradition acted as a brake."

He ribbed others, including the Labour Party leader, Clement Attlee. "Yes, he is a modest man, but then he has so much to be modest about." And this: "An empty taxi drew up outside the House of Commons, and Mr. Attlee got out."

He popularized (if not invented) the terms "cold war" and "iron curtain." Dependent on U.S. help to win World War II, he became a student of FDR and wrote more than 1,000 letters to him. With pen and cigar (up to 12 a day) he was a brute force writing factory. He documented all verbal orders in writing, and his results-driven memos began with the famous headline, "Action This Day."

"So did the endless series of brief, urgent queries: `Pray inform me on one half-sheet of paper, why...' Answers had to be given, fast." (This from Johnson's insightful list of 10 ways that Churchill saved Britain. Number 4: "a personal example of furious and productive activity.")

All of this, and more, in just 166 action-packed pages. This is a fantastic book!

0Comment 14 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A "condensed comprehensive" biography

ByDr.Stanley Toompason May 17, 2012

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Your initial response may be that the title of my review is an oxymoron! But this oustanding "brief" but "thourough" text is indeed a "condensed comprehensive" biography.
Arguably the most quoted man of the 20th century, Churchill's legend begs us to learn about him. This book is an excellent starting point in that journey. For me it was perfect. It satisfied my craving to expand my knowledge base without being bogged down in detail. Churchill lived 90 years. The most diverse and course-altering in world history. From my American viewpoint, I found it interesting that as a young man in his twenties, he converses with Teddy Roosevelt, and as an octogenarian, Richard Nixon! Here is a unique perspective; Churchill was born less than a decade after Lincoln was assassinated, yet died a couple of years after Kennedy's assassination! This book is a "keeper" and a very satifying read.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A MUST READ...CHURCHILL

ByRob W.on July 30, 2015

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Every page, indeed every sentence has purpose and effect. I learned more about Churchill in 152 pages than in ANY other book on same subject. Paul Johnson is known as a giant in history writing; but he is new to me. This book is an example of the way words well placed convey so much without blather, Mr. .Johnson has several other smaller books that are also gems; think Presidents Washington & Eisenhower as his other short masterpieces. This book is a keeper in my library. This small book arrived in excellent condition; there is so much material here...the read is wonderful.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Was very good & I learned a lot about this great man

ByVerdna J. Kelleyon August 7, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Was very good & I learned a lot about this great man. I would highly recommend this book to someone who likes history but doesn't have time to read long, detailed biographies.

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Delightful book

ByViviantiaon May 5, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is my first Churchill biography and I felt the book did a great job to introducing who he was. Sometimes I felt some depth was missing, but again I don't think is the aim of the book. I enjoyed it a lot.

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Five Stars

ByRoAnnon June 14, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Very interesting, well-written book!

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Excellent Survey of a Great Life

Bycharles petersonon February 6, 2010

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Looking for an efficient and well written biography of Sir Winston? This is it.

The author is clearly a fan, but he does not hesitate to point out a number of Churchill's flaws including his early opportunism in getting involved in battles, collecting medals from them and using his experiences and credentials to become a renowned correspondent. He also addesses the criticism that Churchill may have overdone the bombing of German cities....Dresden in particular. Finally, he observes that once out of office, Churchill used his wartime documents to spin the history, make millions on the memoires and then donate the papers in a tax advantaged arrangement to generate still more millions for his estate.

Churchill's life is covered as thoroughly as possible in less than 200 very readable pages. Warts and all, Churchill is portrayed (quite correctly) as one of the greatest leaders of all times.

This excellent biography contains more useful information per page than any I have read. It is a perfect starting point for anyone who wants to know about this great man.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

so much information packed in such a small volume. ...

ByLynda J.on March 9, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

so much information packed in such a small volume. written with an energy that keeps one charged. oh, do we need this man now!!!

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Two Stars

too lazy a book...

Published 1 month ago by Fernao Lara Mesquita

Good

Informative. Engaging. A pleasure to read. Left me wanting more.

Published 6 months ago by Timothy G Becker

Five Stars

Nice book

Published 6 months ago by Ana Da Costa

Five Stars

A must read.

Published 7 months ago by Amazon Customer

Very good, as always from Paul Johnson

All Paul Johnson books are good. This one very quick read.

Published 7 months ago by John J. Valentine

I like that I didn't get bogged down in details

Very informative and quick read. I like that I didn't get bogged down in details, but just enough info to understand more about this great man and leader.

Published 7 months ago by Sandra

Five Stars

wonderfully written

Published 9 months ago by Margaret P. Young

Perfect Churchill

Great biography about a remarkable historical figure. The author was a young man in England during Churchill's time.Read more

Published 9 months ago by Craig K.

Paul Johnson has put together a very nice, well written

I've been putting of reading much on Churchill because I was afraid it would involve getting into a thousand page tome.Read more

Published 9 months ago by Maui Boy

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