Great contemporaries : Churchill reflects on FDR, Hitler, Kipling, Chaplin, Balfour, and other giants of his age

Insightful biographical sketches of major historical figures of the twentieth century, from the incomparable British statesman. Winston S. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on the strength of “his mastery of historical and biographical description.” Nowhere is that mastery more evident than in Great Contemporaries—which features Churchill’s profiles of many of the major figures of his time. These short biographies cover political and cultural personalities ranging from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Lawrence of Arabia, and Leon Trotsky to Charlie Chaplin, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and George Bernard Shaw. This edition includes five previously uncollected essays and a number of photographs, plus an enlightening introduction and annotations by noted Churchill scholar James W. Muller. Written in the decade before Churchill became prime minister, these essays focus on the challenges of statecraft at a time when the democratic revolution was toppling older regimes based on tradition and aristocratic privilege. Churchill’s keen observations take on new importance in our own age of roiling political change. Ultimately, Great Contemporaries provides fascinating insight into these subjects as Churchill approaches them with a measuring eye, finding their limitations at least as revealing as their merits.

Churchill Sizes Up the Giants of His Age, Offers Wisdom for Our Own

Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature on the strength of “his mastery of historical and biographical description.” Nowhere is that mastery more evident than in Great Contemporaries(1937), which features Churchill’s brief lives of those he called “Great Men of our age.”

 

ISI Books is proud to publish a brand-new, illustrated edition of this neglected classic. Great Contemporaries profiles towering figures ranging from Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Lawrence of Arabia, and Leon Trotsky to Charlie Chaplin, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and George Bernard Shaw. This edition—the first in twenty years—includes five essays that have never appeared in any previous version, some thirty black-and-white photographs, and an enlightening introduction and annotations by noted Churchill scholar James W. Muller.

 

Written in the decade before Churchill became prime minister, the essays in Great Contemporaries focus on the challenges of statecraft at a time when the democratic revolution was toppling older regimes based on tradition and aristocratic privilege. Churchill’s keen observations take on new importance in our own age of roiling political change.

 

Ultimately, Great Contemporaries provides fascinating insight into the statesman’s perspective. Churchill’s objective is clear: he tries to learn from these giants what makes a man great. He approaches his subjects with a measuring eye, finding their limitations at least as revealing as their merits.

 

This handsome new edition of Great Contemporaries brings back Churchill’s unmatched insights and unforgettable prose for a new generation of readers and leaders.

Insightful biographical sketches of major historical figures of the twentieth century, from the incomparable British statesman. Winston S. Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature on the strength of “his mastery of historical and biographical description.” Nowhere is that mastery more evident than in Great Contemporaries —which features Churchill’s profiles of many of the major figures of his time. These short biographies cover political and cultural personalities ranging from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Lawrence of Arabia, and Leon Trotsky to Charlie Chaplin, H. G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and George Bernard Shaw. This edition includes five previously uncollected essays and a number of photographs, plus an enlightening introduction and annotations by noted Churchill scholar James W. Muller. Written in the decade before Churchill became prime minister, these essays focus on the challenges of statecraft at a time when the democratic revolution was toppling older regimes based on tradition and aristocratic privilege. Churchill’s keen observations take on new importance in our own age of roiling political change. Ultimately, Great Contemporaries provides fascinating insight into these subjects as Churchill approaches them with a measuring eye, finding their limitations at least as revealing as their merits. "Great Contemporaries is a collection of 25 essays about eminent personalities, whom Churchill evaluates with humour and understanding. These characters range from the good to the evil, the foolish to the wise, including political heavyweights (Balfour, Hitler, Trotsky, Roosevelt, Asquith); military commanders (General Haig, Lawrence of Arabia) and non-political Britons (Baden-Powell, King George V). With hindsight this book implies Churchill's absorption of these lessons in leadership and greatness, ready for the moment when he himself was to step forward as a great leader in his own right."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Written in the decade before Churchill became prime minister, these brilliant portraits of the giants of his age offer wisdom for our own. This brand-new illustrated edition of Great Contemporaries profiles towering figures ranging from Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, Lawrence of Arabia, and Leon Trotsky to Charlie Chaplin, H.G. Wells, Rudyard Kipling, and George Bernard Shaw With his keen powers of observation and knack for the telling anecdote, Churchill not only traces the character of his subjects but also puts his finger on what makes a man great. To be sure, not all the figures profiled here are equally great, and Churchill finds their limitations at least as revealing as their merits Hitler and his choice George Nathaniel Curzon Philip Snowden Clemenceau King George V Lord Fisher and his biographer Charles Stewart Parnell "B.-P." Roosevelt from afar Additional essays in this edition H.G. Wells Charlie Chaplin Kitchener of Khartoum King Edward VIII Rudyard Kipling. Great Contemporaries provides fascinating insight into the lives of those he called "Great Men of our age". He approaches his subjects with a measuring eye, finding their limitations at least as revealing as their merits in his search to discover what makes a man great