Sir Winston S. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values."
Over a 64-year span, Churchill published over 40 books, many multi-volume definitive accounts of historical events to which he was a witness and participant. All are beautifully written and as accessible and relevant today as when first published.
During his fifty-year political career, Churchill served twice as Prime Minister in addition to other prominent positions—including President of the Board of Trade, First Lord of the Admiralty, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Home Secretary. In the 1930s, Churchill was one of the first to recognize the danger of the rising Nazi power in Germany and to campaign for rearmament in Britain. His leadership and inspired broadcasts and speeches during World War II helped strengthen British resistance to Adolf Hitler—and played an important part in the Allies’ eventual triumph.
One of the most inspiring wartime leaders of modern history, Churchill was also an orator, a historian, a journalist, and an artist. All of these aspects of Churchill are fully represented in this collection of his works.
The fourth of Churchill's grandly ambitious four-volume A History of the English-Speaking Peoples begins with the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars-and ends with the Boer War of 1902. In it, Churchill makes an impassioned argument for the crucial role played by the English-speaking people in exporting not just economic benefits, but political freedom.Written in Churchill's characteristically compelling style, this volume is the only one in the series to benefit from Churchill's own personal experience as a soldier and a wartime journalist during the Boer War. It provides fascinating reading for those interested in world history and England's impact on it.
This collection of speeches cover the period from 1951 to 1952, when Churchill once again stepped into the role of Prime Minister after his defeat in the General Election of 1945. During his first premiership, Churchill had been a renowned wartime leader. In his second, Churchill’s clear priority was the preservation of peace.
These speeches demonstrate a commitment to this path. Churchill tried heroically to negotiate a settlement with Russia during this time, but he was ultimately unable to prevent the conditions that would later give rise to the Cold War. He also held deep regrets over Britain’s failure to prevent violence and death in India during the transition of power and Britain’s withdrawal in the region. These speeches demonstrate perhaps a more introspective Churchill, but one as fiery, brilliant, and human as he was during his wartime years.
The second volume of Winston Churchill's six-volume definitive historical and autobiographical account of World War II, Their Finest Hour picks up where The Gathering Storm left off--with the fall of France to Hitler's forces and Britain's stand as the lone defender against the Nazi war machine. Britain was virtually alone in its definitive stand against Hitler for eight months. Through internal memoranda, personal correspondence, and other contemporary documents, Churchill reveals hidden aspects of the war--such as how much Britain really knew about Germany's plans for invasion and Hitler's attack on Russia; secret negotiations with Spain, the conflicts within the French resistance movement; and an intelligence leak that led to failure in West Africa. As both a witness and a shaper of history during this volatile time, readers can ask for no better guide than Winston Churchill.
