William John Shepherd

This excellent commentary notes how Gallipoli, the great millstone of failure, was hung round Churchill’s neck, while the Norway campaign, first great failure of the Second World War, was blamed almost entirely upon Chamberlain. Churchill loyally defended the Prime Minister and, in a display of character, tried to take responsibility. But Chamberlain was wrongheaded and arrogant, while Churchill displayed wit and respect for democracy.

Britain was truly overstretched trying to deter Far East attacks with inexperienced troops and second-rate weaponry. That was because all the best soldiers and materials were sorely needed in war against Germany and Italy. And they were spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Churchill was very well aware of this. Yet he sent the battleships Prince of Wales and Repulse to Singapore hoping to cow the Japanese. They would act, he said, as “a vague menace.” It is hard to consider such actions—however doomed—efforts to signal British weakness.

For an archivist and curator of books such as this writer, Stiles has crafted an exquisite work. It will delight both the connoisseur and the casual reader of Churchill or British history. A noted physician and collector of Churchilliana, Stiles offers an heirloom volume: every Churchill cartoon in Punch, Britain’s famed magazine of humor and satire. Over 600 drawings span nearly a century from 1899 to 1988.

Reguer shows how Churchill created modern Iraq, Jordan and Palestine after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War.

Morris offers a more accurate quotation book than most, but that is a fairly low bar, and we are disappointed by how many he gets wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with the “brief life,” which serves an important educational purpose. Hanson falls short, while accepting many myths.

Eden by Charlwood: “The morning had been golden; the noontime was bronze; and the evening lead. But all were solid, and each was polished until it shone after its fashion.”

All the works concerning Winston S. Churchill since 1905, with annotations on content, quality and links to reviews.