Synopses & Reviews
An acclaimed historian presents a revelatory look at the greatest statesman of the twentieth century
For eminent historian Paul Johnson, Winston Churchill remains an enigma in need of unraveling. Soldier, parliamentarian, Prime Minister, orator, painter, writer, husband, and leader—all of these facets combine to make Churchill one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history.
In Churchill, Johnson applies a wide lens and an unconventional approach to illuminate 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, Johnson shows how Churchill’s immense adaptability combined with his natural pugnacity to make 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.
Winston Churchill’s hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Paul Johnson’s lively, concise biography will appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike.
Review
"It turns out that while Wikipedia can ably trace the arc of Churchill's life, Johnson...can give 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
"Paul Johnson is the most celebrated and best-loved British historian in America."
-Wall Street Journal
"[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
Johnson's story arc is written in fluid prose that beautifully reveals the tension of achievement of Churchill's life."
-Dallas Morning News
"The book's most original offering is--in characteristically vivid prose and a consistent intelligence and urbanity--Johnson's distillation of life lessons from Churchill's storied career."
-Jon Meacham, Slate.com
Review
Review
“An admirably concise view of a remarkable life whose influence remains central to the foundations of Western thought.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“[Johnson’s] genuine love of the demos makes him an all-too-rare figure in today’s chattering classes.” First Things
Review
“Spectacular...a delight to read.”
The Wall Street Journal
Review
“Johnson writes more concisely than most scholars and brings to his prose a wealth of anecdote and asides unknown to most academics. His Socrates comes alive not through arguments over Platonic dating or Pythagorean influence, but by wit and allusion to Jane Austen novels, Samuel Johnson, John Maynard Keynes, firsthand remembrances of Winston Churchill's speeches and Richard Dawkins. A valuable overview.” Washington Times
Review
“Robust.” The New Republic
Review
“With effortless erudition, Paul Johnson brings to life the world of the great philosopher.”
Women's Wear Daily
Review
“A succinct, useful exploration of life in ancient Athens and of the great philosopher’s essential beliefs.” Kirkus Reviews
Review
“A wonderfully readable account of life in Athens, its political quarrels, and its failures. As good as a murder mystery, Johnson’s narrative is exciting.” Library Journal
Review
“Enlightening.... Johnson disentangles centuries of scarce and questionable sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man whose ideas still shape the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul.” History Book Club
Review
“Johnson is an accomplished historian and writer with a fluid, unpretentious style and an honest voice. These gifts, which have made his 12 previous books enjoyable and popular, are no less evident in Socrates.” The Washington Independent Review of Books
Review
“This snappy biography goes down easy while offering a full portrait of Socrates—the man, the thinker, the celebrity—and the world he lived in.”
Z�calo Public Square
Review
“Delivered in his typically robust, confident manner, this work reconfirms Johnson as one of the most popular of popular historians.” Booklist
Review
Praise for Socrates by Paul Johnson: “An admirably concise view of a remarkable life whose influence remains central to the foundations of Western thought.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[Johnsons] genuine love of the demos makes him an all-too-rare figure in todays chattering classes.”
—First Things
“Johnson writes more concisely than most scholars and brings to his prose a wealth of anecdote and asides unknown to most academics. His Socrates comes alive not through arguments over Platonic dating or Pythagorean influence, but by wit and allusion to Jane Austen novels, Samuel Johnson, John Maynard Keynes, firsthand remembrances of Winston Churchill's speeches and Richard Dawkins. A valuable overview.”
—Washington Times
“Robust.”
—The New Republic
“With effortless erudition, Paul Johnson brings to life the world of the great philosopher.”
—Women's Wear Daily
“A succinct, useful exploration of life in ancient Athens and of the great philosophers essential beliefs.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“A wonderfully readable account of life in Athens, its political quarrels, and its failures. As good as a murder mystery, Johnsons narrative is exciting.”
—Library Journal
“Enlightening.... Johnson disentangles centuries of scarce and questionable sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man whose ideas still shape the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul.”
—History Book Club
“Johnson is an accomplished historian and writer with a fluid, unpretentious style and an honest voice. These gifts, which have made his 12 previous books enjoyable and popular, are no less evident in Socrates.”
—The Washington Independent Review of Books
“This snappy biography goes down easy while offering a full portrait of Socrates—the man, the thinker, the celebrity—and the world he lived in.”
—Zócalo Public Square
“Spectacular...a delight to read.”
—The Wall Street Journal
Synopsis
"Spectacular . . . A delight to read."
--The Wall Street Journal
From bestselling biographer and historian Paul Johnson, a brilliant portrait of Socrates, the founding father of philosophy
In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of Socrates, who is often hailed as the most important thinker of all time. Johnson provides a compelling picture of Athens in the fifth century BCE, and of the people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.
Synopsis
The definitive life of Jesus from the bestselling author of A History of Christianity. Few figures have had such an influence on the world as Jesus of Nazareth. Paul Johnson's brilliant and powerful reading of Jesus' life at once captures his transfiguring message and his historical complexity. With a superb historian's command of his subject, a masterly writer's love of language, and a believer's passion, Johnson presents a lucid and deeply moving biography of a man whose life changed the course of history. Jesus offers readers a succinct yet lively account of the man who inspired one of the world's great religions and whose lessons still guide us today.
Synopsis
A brilliant portrait of the Greek philosopher who personified philosophy.
Socrates was undeniably one of the greatest thinkers of all time, yet he wrote nothing. Throughout his life, and indeed until his very last moment alive, Socrates fully embodied his philosophy in thought and deed. It is through the story of his life that we can fully grasp his powerful actions and ideas.
In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man living in Athens in the fifth century b.c., and how what this man thought still shapes the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul. Johnson provides a compelling picture of the city and people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.
Synopsis
In an ideal pairing of author and subject, the magisterial historian Paul Johnson offers a vivid look at the life of the strategist, general, and dictator who conquered much of Europe. Following Napoleon from the barren island of Corsica to his early training in Paris, from his meteoric victories and military dictatorship to his exile and death, Johnson examines the origins of his ferocious ambition. In Napoleon's quest for power, he sees a realist unfettered by loyalty or ideology; in his violent legacy, a model for the totalitarian regimes of the twentieth century. Napoleon is dramatic testimony to a single individual's ability to work his will on history.
Synopsis
From the bestselling author and acclaimed historian, a powerful portrayal of the life of Jesus Is Jesus relevant to us today? Few figures have had such an influence on history as Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings have inspired discussion, arguments, even war, and yet few have ever held forth as movingly on the need for peace, forgiveness, and mercy. Paul Johnson's brilliant reading offers readers a lively biography of the man who inspired one of the world's great religions and whose lessons still guide us in current times.
Johnson's magisterial and revered book A History of Christianity is a masterpiece of historical writing on religion; and in his new book he returns to focus on a central figure in one of the world's dominant religions. Johnson's intelligent and conversational style, as well as his ability to distill complex subjects into succinct, highly readable works, make this book the ideal match of a major historian with a major subject. The result is an accessible biography and an insightful analysis of how Jesus is important in the present era.
Synopsis
An acclaimed historian presents a revelatory look at the greatest statesman of the twentieth century
For eminent historian Paul Johnson, Winston Churchill remains an enigma in need of unraveling. Soldier, parliamentarian, Prime Minister, orator, painter, writer, husband, and leader—all of these facets combine to make Churchill one of the most complex and fascinating personalities in history.
In Churchill, Johnson applies a wide lens and an unconventional approach to illuminate 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, Johnson shows how Churchill’s immense adaptability combined with his natural pugnacity to make 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.
Winston Churchill’s hold on contemporary readers has never slackened, and Paul Johnson’s lively, concise biography will appeal to historians and general nonfiction readers alike.
Synopsis
A brilliant portrait of the Greek philosopher who personified philosophy.
Socrates was undeniably one of the greatest thinkers of all time, yet he wrote nothing. Throughout his life, and indeed until his very last moment alive, Socrates fully embodied his philosophy in thought and deed. It is through the story of his life that we can fully grasp his powerful actions and ideas.
In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of a homely but charismatic middle-class man living in Athens in the fifth century b.c., and how what this man thought still shapes the way we decide how to act, and how we fathom the notion of body and soul. Johnson provides a compelling picture of the city and people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.
Synopsis
Spectacular . . . A delight to read.” The Wall Street Journal
From bestselling biographer and historian Paul Johnson, a brilliant portrait of Socrates, the founding father of philosophy
In his highly acclaimed style, historian Paul Johnson masterfully disentangles centuries of scarce sources to offer a riveting account of Socrates, who is often hailed as the most important thinker of all time. Johnson provides a compelling picture of Athens in the fifth century BCE, and of the people Socrates reciprocally delighted in, as well as many enlightening and intimate analyses of specific aspects of his personality. Enchantingly portraying "the sheer power of Socrates's mind, and its unique combination of steel, subtlety, and frivolity," Paul Johnson captures the vast and intriguing life of a man who did nothing less than supply the basic apparatus of the human mind.
About the Author
Paul Johnson’s many books, including A History of Christianity, A History of the Jews, Modern Times, Churchill, and Napoleon: A Penguin Life, have been hailed as masterpieces of historical analysis. He is a regular columnist for Forbes and The Spectator, and his work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and many others publications. He lives in London.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: The Corsican Background
Chapter Two: Revolutionary, General, Consul, Emperor
Chapter Three: The Master of the Battlefield
Chapter Four: The Flawed and Fragile Empire
Chapter Five: The Graveyards of Europe
Chapter Six: Elba and Waterloo
Chapter Seven: The Long Good-bye
Further Reading