Name: A History of British Prime Ministers (Omnibus Edition)
ISBN: 978-1-137-33804-4

Overview

Authors:

Dick Leonard

Dick Leonard

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Keywords

British history
Politics
Prime Minister
Churchill
history
Israel
Neville Chamberlain
parliament
politics
reform
revolution
Thatcher
work
us politics

About this book

Fifty-two men and one woman have held the post of Prime Minister during the past three centuries - from Sir Robert Walpole to David Cameron. In this omnibus edition, which includes Eighteenth-Century British Premiers, Nineteenth-Century British Premiers, A Century of Premiers, plus new and updated chapters on Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron, Dick Leonard recounts the circumstances which took them to the top of the ‘greasy pole’, probes their political and personal strengths and weaknesses, assesses their performance in office and asks what lasting influence they have had. The author also recounts fascinating and often littleknown facts about the private lives of each of the Prime Ministers, for example who was suspected of being the illegitimate half-brother of George III, who was assassinated in the House of Commons, who spent his evenings prowling the streets of London, trying to ‘reform’ prostitutes, which two premiers, one Tory one Labour, were taught by the same governess as a child, and who was described by his own son as ‘probably the greatest natural Don Juan in the history of British politics’?

Reviews

“Magnificent” (Sir Anthony Seldon, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buckingham)

“A tour de force” (Keir Starmer QC, MP)

“The prime-ministerial trilogy was deservedly successful. The biographical sketches were stylish, insightful, witty and fairminded. The whole ensemble threw unexpected light on the evolution of high politics in Britain.” (David Marquand, New Statesman)

“Leonard's survey provides the best general account we have of the fifty-two men and one woman who have held the office of Prime Minister. As such, it is a considerable achievement, which should appeal to a wide readership.” (Roland Quinault, History Today)

About the author

Dick Leonard is an historian, journalist and author and a former Labour MP. For many years he was Assistant Editor of The Economist, and headed their office in Brussels, where he was later also correspondent of The Observer. He also worked for the BBC, and contributed regularly to leading newspapers across the world. His publications include The Economist Guide to the European Union, Elections in Britain, A Century of Premiers: Salisbury to Blair; Nineteenth Century British Premiers: Pitt to Rosebery and Eighteenth Century British Premiers: Walpole to the Younger Pitt.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: A History of British Prime Ministers (Omnibus Edition)
Book Subtitle: Walpole to Cameron
Authors: Dick Leonard
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan London
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-33804-4Published: 25 March 2014
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-137-57438-1Published: 25 March 2014
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XIV, 881
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations

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