Churchill at War: His "Finest Hour" in Photographs 1940-1945 - Hardcover

Gilbert, Martin

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393058786 ISBN 13: 9780393058789

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2004

Synopsis

Wonderfully revealing images of a great and photogenic leader in a time of war.

Churchill at War combines official Churchill biographer Sir Martin Gilbert's authoritative text with almost 200 photographs from the remarkable archive of London's Imperial War Museum to create an unprecedented portrait of Churchill throughout World War II. Whether deep in conversation with world leaders, sharing a joke with dock workers, inspecting bomb-damaged cities, rallying his troops in the theaters of war, picnicking with his generals on the banks of the Rhine, visiting the ruins of Berlin, or celebrating the victory over Germany, Churchill's charisma, strength of character, sense of humor, sensitivity, and love for his country shine out from these images. Churchill at War is an insightful glimpse into the wartime life of the man whose friendship with Franklin D. Roosevelt led to the closest-ever Anglo-American relationship, and whose tireless commitment to defeating Nazism was to prove an inspiration for millions over the decades both at home and abroad. 196 b/w photographs.

About this title

About the Author

Sir Martin Gilbert, the distinguished official biographer of Churchill, is a fellow at Merton College, Oxford. His impressive body of work includes Churchill: A Life, The Holocaust, and The Second World War: A Complete History. In 1995, he was knighted for services to British history and international relations, and in 2009, he was appointed to the British Government’s Iraq War Inquiry. He lives in London.

From Publishers Weekly

Culled from the archive of London’s Imperial War Museum, the 200-plus black-and-white photos collected in this volume show the direct way in which Churchill mobilized England during WWII—showing up at factories and scenes of bomb devastation, striding purposefully and generally projecting an air of forceful dignity, resolve and fellow feeling. Gilbert has been Churchill’s official biographer for more than 35 years, and has written six volumes of the biography (as well as publishing 11 volumes of Churchilliana). He evinces a deep understanding of Churchill’s own intentions during the years of the "finest hour," and of the inspirational effect they had on a gravely threatened country. Gilbert’s captions are informative: "On 20 November 1942, while watching an infantry training in the South Eastern Area, and having seen a squad go over a battle course, Churchill showed his own agility—ten days before his sixty-eighth birthday—by walking up one of the greased logs on the course, using his stick." And his summaries of each of the six years covered here judiciously set the stage for the sets of photos that follow. The layout is perfunctory, but Churchill in purposeful action remains oddly electrifying.
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Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0393058786
• ISBN 13: 9780393058789
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160