Winston Churchill; An Informal Study of Greatness (1952)

Winston Churchill: An Informal Study of Greatness, by Robert Lewis Taylor, tells the history of the former British Prime Minister from his childhood to just before his death. It becomes clearly obvious that Taylor is a fan of the war-time leader. So am I, but I am also a realist and there are a few occasions within the pages where Churchill’s errors are either glossed over, or quickly set aside.

A recent movie, Churchill, A historical drama about British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's 96 hours before the D-Day landing in World War II, seems to lean in the opposite direction; portraying the leader as a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown, unable to make any decisions. When I had finished the book, I thought, okay, it almost sounds like someone promoting Churchill for another run at politics. The movie left me feeling the opposite; that like a recent movie about Margaret Thatcher, there was far too much focus and exaggerations of negative issues in her life.

As usual, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Although Taylor’s book shows a great deal of research, I can’t get past the obvious fandom in his writing. I would still recommend the book, with a caveat that the reader look further into the details.

Reviewed by Daniel L Little on April 19 2018 – www.daniellittle.com ( )

An undeniably great read regarding Winston Churchill, his life and the impact he has had on Great Britain and the world.

Robert Taylor's book, traces Churchill's life from before he was born until 1952 (the year the book was written). He spends far less time on WWII than I thought he should, and much more on things that occurred before the war - the events that shaped his life - the elections, his adventures as a journalist, his experiences in WWI that were pivotal in Great Britain winning that war.

Even after WWII, Taylor spends a lot of time on what Churchill did after the - painting, occasionally entertaining,etc.

Fascinating information from a fascinating man - I found myself telling my wife about a quip, or story from the book more times than she would care to hear about. Taylor's writing is engaging and very readable.

However, minor points taken off due to Taylor's obvious fanboy devotion attempts to transform Churchill's boorish behavior (and there was some of that certainly - especially in regards to women or political opponents) into something quaint and reasonable. Nevertheless, a worthy read and something that will keep you up very late into the night. ( )