Here; in his own words; are the fascinating first thirty years in the life of one of the most provocative and compelling leaders of the twentieth century: Winston Churchill.As a visionary; statesman; and historian; and the most eloquent spokesman against Nazi Germany; Winston Churchill was one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century. In this autobiography; Churchill recalls his childhood; his schooling; his years as a war correspondent in South Africa during the Boer War; and his first forays into politics as a member of Parliament. My Early Life not only gives readers insights into the shaping of a great leader but; as Churchill himself wrote; “a picture of a vanished age.†To fully understand Winston Churchill and his times; My Early Life is essential reading.
#344042 in Books 1998-12-29 1998-12-29Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 7.98 x .98 x 5.16l; 1.04 #File Name: 0679772693496 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Byzantium soup; condensed but not dehydratedBy Michael SandmanIt's not easy for an author to put 1;000 years of history into 1;000 pages of text and still provide enough detail so that the reader comes away with more than a simple chronology. This book manages the task well. It is a condensation of Norwich's three volume history of Byzantium; and he gives us a good overview of Byzantine history and culture. By necessity; it's a top-down view that focuses mostly on the history of the rulers rather than on the history of the ruled. The strong points: Norwich manages to present the high points of what could have been a mind-numbing pageant. He has a wry sense of humor. He brings in some of the cultural and architectural elements and does well at explaining arcane religious quarrels that roiled society. He evaluates the intelligence and competence of the many players and rather than giving us just the dry facts he speculates that this or that sudden and unexplained fatal illness was probably parricide or fratricide or plain old homicide. And the useful maps and family trees at the beginning of the book help the reader find his or her way through the maze of places and emperors. The weak points: What's missing here is a better job of proving context. Norwich does well enough at linking the history Byzantium with major events in the West; but he does a less effective job of linking it to the contemporanius history of the Arabs. And he links it in only the sketchiest way to events in the Persian empire. The lack of context is particularly noticeable if you compare the book to Jason Goodwin's "Lords of the Horizon" on the Ottoman empire; or Bernard Lewis' "The Middle East"; both of which provide excellent historical context. So he gets four stars and not five -- but the book is enjoyable and very well written.46 of 46 people found the following review helpful. Read the long one!By Alice JohnsonI began reading the Short History of Byzantium but soon became both frustrated and tantalized by the skipping-along-in-history that was necessary in order to condense a three-voume work into one. I have just purchased Volume I and am really enjoying it. I compared some passages between the two versions and found that; as I suspected; a lot of the material that made this history interesting and coherent had been left out in the condensation. It shouldn't take too much longer to read the whole thing; and you'll understand and remember a lot more.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Skillfully abridged version!By DRI thoroughly enjoyed Norwich's abridged version of his massive three volume series. Norwich clearly has complete command of his subject and draws the reader into the very scenes and intrigue he masterfully describes for us. If the thought of the longer series is a bit daunting; you will absolutely appreciate this fine entry.
