As ashamed as I am to admit that I know very little about this great man, I do wish to know more. I’d like to read about him, and I’m sure some of you can recommend the definitive Winston Churchill biography. I’m inclined to go with Manchester’s “The Last Lion” series (although sadly, I guess there never will be a third volume) but I await your suggestions.
Martin Gilbert is his official biographer and has published an abridged version of the eight volume official Churchill biography, “Winston Churchill - A Life” which is probably the most complete biography of good old W.L.S.C. available (if you’re nor up for the actual unabridged Gilbert mastodon work). Gilbert tells it pretty much as it is and any conjecture or analysis is up to the reader. It is definitely the place to start learning about the man and his work since it focuses on facts and events.
Another interesting read is Winston’s autobiography “My Early Life” covering his youth and the heroic years as a war correspondent, military hero and the budding political career, and his epic six volume “The Second World War” accounting not only his own but all the history of the terrible conflict. Note that these two works and his “History of the English Speaking Peoples” largely contributed to his winning of the Nobel Prize in literature and I promise you that nary a dull moment is to be found in any of them. He remains to this day an author of historic works that is hard to rival, especially when talking about his own history.
I envy you; I wish that I could be about to embark on this exploration of one of the most fascinating men in history for the first time! You have many hours of riveting and exciting read ahead of you.
Sparc