Gimson's Prime Ministers: Brief Lives from Walpole to Johnson

(Hardback)

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An illuminating account of the lives of Britain's Prime Ministers, illustrated by Martin Rowson. A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A concise, sharp-witted and illuminating account of the lives of Britain's prime ministers from Walpole to May, illustrated by Martin Rowson. For the reader who has heard of such giants as Gladstone and Disraeli, and has drunk in a pub called the Palmerston, but has only the haziest idea of who these people were, Gimson's Prime Ministers offers a short account of them all which can be read for pleasure, and not just for edification. With Gimson's wonderful prose once again complemented by Martin Rowson's inimitable illustrations, this lively and entertaining aide-memoire and work of satirical genius brings our parliamentary history to life as never before. PRAISE FOR GIMSON'S PRIME MINISTERS- 'The most engaging and insightful account of PMs to have been published' Arthur Seldon, Standpoint 'Learned witty and wise, and splendidly illustrated' Tibor Fischer 'Hugely enjoyable' Tom Holland Gimson's Kings and Queens is also available.

Reviews

Gimson's Prime Ministers is a crisp and stylish account of every one of them -- Charles Moore * Spectator *
Masterly -- Craig Brown * Daily Mail *
Hugely enjoyable... has the added bonus of glorious illustrations -- Tom Holland
Andrew Gimson's Prime Ministers is the best general book on British politics I've ever come across. Learned, witty and wise, and splendidly illustrated by Martin Rowson, with great snippets for dinner parties. Take Henry Pelham, prime minister from 1743 to 54: "He lived without abusing his power and died poor." -- Tibor Fischer
The secret of prime ministers is that they are weak. This is a conclusion of Andrew Gimsons wonderful portraits in his new book -- John Rentoul * The Independent *
Really valuable -- Daniel Finkelstein * The Times Red Box Podcast *
If you associate Lord Salisbury more with a pub than with politics, here is Andrew Gimson to the rescue... This spirited blend of politics and anecdote is wonderfully complemented by Martin Rowson's Georgian-style caricatures. Tony Blair's tombstone teeth embedded in Iraq are unforgettable -- Zenga Longmore * Spectator *
Pacy and entertaining. It is a perfect refresher of British political history, deserving of a place in the discerning readers downstairs loo alongside Gimsons excellent earlier volume on Kings and Queens, which was, like this one, beautifully illustrated by the cartoonist Martin Rowson. -- Theo Barclay * Daily Telegraph *
A cracking read -- Andrew Pierce * LBC *
A gem of a book...a constant delight -- Julia Langdon * The Tablet *
It could hardly be done better. His pen portraits of our 54 prime ministers are lucid, pithy and perceptive... a galloping good read -- Peter Lilley * Standpoint *
The most engaging and insightful account of PMs to have been published -- Arthur Seldon * Standpoint *

Author Bio

Andrew Gimson is the author of Boris- The Rise of Boris Johnson, published by Simon & Schuster in 2006 and described as 'brilliant', 'scintillating' and 'an effervescent delight'. He writes for a wide range of newspapers and magazines, and is a contributing editor to ConservativeHome.com. He lives in London.