Churchill at War: His "Finest Hour" in Photographs 1940-1945

Rating:
Summary: Excellent visual presentation, excellent narrative
Review: As the author or co-author of the bulk of the official biography of Sir Winston S. Churchill, few people can be said to approach Sir Martin Gilbert in their knowledge of the man and his life. Here, in conjunction with the Imperial War Museum, Gilbert has produced a wonderful visual record of "His 'Finest Hour' in Photographs."

The book is divided up by years, with each year receiving a brief narrative introduction. It is not a photographic history of the war, and there are few photos of Churchill "off duty" -- to the extent he ever was in those years. But what it sets out to be, it achieves extremely well.

Looking through this volume, I was impressed by the quality of (most of) these photos, and especially impressed by the sharpness and clarity with which they are reproduced here. I admit I have a particular distaste for photo-books with few or insufficient captions, and so I was very pleased to see that Gilbert gives each photo a thorough description, including not only what Churchill is doing in the image, but also naming other key people in the image and often even giving the date on which the photo was taken.

I think this would be an excellent addition to the shelf (or coffee table) of any member of the vast legion of Churchillians around the globe. I have no hesitation in recommending it for the gift list for the Churchillian in your life.


Rating:
Summary: Excellent visual aid to other Churchill books
Review: I purchased this book from Amazon, and am very happy with it. Winston Churchill has been one of my favorite world leaders since college days. And if Martin Gilbert isn't familiar with Winston, who could be? Combine that with photos from the Imperial War Museum, and you have an excellent picture book.
Through the years, and several books on my shelf about Churchill, the one missing was one offering a continuum of photos of the WWII years. Sort of a formal, yet informal, thumbnail rendering of activities with which Winston was involved. As an American, it is interesting to see Winston pretty much as the British photographers viewed him. I have this volume lying on top of his 6-volume history of WWII. It goes hand-in-hand with that study. As time passes, and I age, Winston's importance to me only grows greater.
Difficult to imagine WWII Britain with any other leader.