The last lion, Winston Spencer Churchill : Alone, 1932-1940

In this powerful biography, the middle volume of William Manchesters critically acclaimed trilogy, Winston Churchill wages his defining campaign: not against Hitlers war machine but against his own reluctant countrymen. Manchester contends that even more than his leadership in combat, Churchills finest hour was the uphill battle against appeasement. As Parliament received with jeers and scorn his warnings against the growing Nazi threat, Churchill stood aloneonly to be vindicated by history as a beacon of hope amid the gathering storm. Praise for The Last Lion: Alone Manchester has such control over a huge and moving narrative, such illumination of character . . . that he can claim the considerable achievement of having assembled enough powerful evidence to support Isaiah Berlins judgment of Churchill as the largest human being of our time. The New Yorker Memorable. San Francisco Chronicle Stirring . . . As Manchester points out several times, its as if the age, having produced a Hitler, then summoned Churchill as the only figure equal to the task of vanquishing him. The years Alone are the pivotal years of Churchills career. The Boston Sunday Globe The best Churchill biography [for] this generation . . . Even readers who know the basic story will find much that is new. Newsweek A triumph . . . equal in stature to the first volume of the series. Newsday Vivid . . . history in the grand manner. The Washington Post Compelling reading. The Times (London) ALONE is the second volume in William Manchester's projected three-volume biography of Winston Churchill. In it Manchester challenges the assumption that Churchill's finest hour was as a wartime leader.

During the years 1932-1940, he was tested as few men are. Pursued by creditors, he remained solvent only by his writing. He was disowned by his party, dismissed by the establishment as a warmonger and twice nearly lost his seat in Parliament. Churchill stood alone against Nazi aggression and the British policy of appeasement.

Manchester brings new insight to this complex, fascinating period of history without ever losing sight of Churchill the man--a man with limitations--but a man whose vision was global and whose courage was boundless.

The long-awaited second volume of the best Churchill biography reveals the true portrait of this ambitious world leader. Discussion centers on the alarm he sounded about the terrible plot being hatched inside Hitler's deranged mind. Two 8-page photos inserts.

Vol. 3: "Spanning the years 1940 to 1965, The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm begins shortly after Winston Churchill became prime minister--when Great Britain stood alone against the overwhelming might of Nazi Germany. In brilliant prose and informed by decades of research, William Manchester and Paul Reid recount how Churchill organized his nation's military response and defense, convinced FDR to support the cause, and personified the 'never surrender' ethos that helped win the war. We witness Churchill, driven from office, warning the world of the coming Soviet menace. And after his triumphant return to 10 Downing Street, we follow him as he pursues his final policy goal: a summit with President Dwight Eisenhower and Soviet leaders. And in the end, we experience Churchill's last years, when he faces the end of his life with the same courage he brought to every battle he ever fought." Vol. 1: "When Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874, Imperial Britain stood at the splendid pinnacle of her power. Yet within a few years the Empire would hover on the brink of catastrophe. Against this backdrop, a remarkable man began to build his legacy. From master biographer William Manchester, The Last Lion: Visions of Glory reveals the first fifty-eight years of the life of an adventurer, aristocrat, soldier, and statesman whose courageous leadership guided the destiny of his darkly troubled times--and who is remembered as one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century." Vol. 2: "In this powerful biography, the middle volume of William Manchester's critically acclaimed trilogy, Winston Churchill wages his defining campaign: not against Hitler's war machine but against his own reluctant countrymen. Manchester contends that even more than his leadership in combat, Churchill's finest hour was the uphill battle against appeasement. As Parliament received with jeers and scorn his warnings against the growing Nazi threat, Churchill stood alone--only to be vindicated by history as a beacon of hope amid the gathering storm." In this powerful biography, the middle volume of William Manchester's critically acclaimed trilogy, Winston Churchill wages his defining campaign: not against Hitler's war machine but against his own reluctant countrymen. Manchester contends that even more than his leadership in combat, Churchill's finest hour was the uphill battle against appeasement. As Parliament received with jeers and scorn his warnings against the growing Nazi threat, Churchill stood alone - only to be vindicated by history as a beacon of hope amid the gathering storm The second volume of Manchester's biography of the great British statesman covers a period of failure in Churchill's life, when he was disowned by his party, dismissed by the establishment as a warmonger and twice nearly lost his seat in Parliament, only to rise again to national prominence when Britain faced the threat of Nazi aggression THE FIRST olive moments of daylight, anticipating the imminent appearance of the sun over the English Channel, disclose a wide, misty, green plain descending to the South Downs and the sea.