The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Volume I: Visions of Glory 1874-1932

By: William Manchester

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Length: 41 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

Winston Churchill is perhaps the most important political figure of the 20th century. His great oratory and leadership during the Second World War were only part of his huge breadth of experience and achievement. Studying his life is a fascinating way to imbibe the history of his era and gain insight into key events that have shaped our time.

In political office at the end of WWI, Churchill foresaw the folly of Versailles and feared what a crippled Germany would do to the balance of power. In his years in the political wilderness, from 1931 to 1939, he alone of all British public men, continually raised his voice against Hitler and his appeasers. For over 50 years, he was constantly involved in, and usually at the center of, the most important events of his age. It was, however, his obduracy on matters of principle, his fortitude in the face of opposition, and his perseverance in standing alone that defined him.

©1983 William Manchester (P)1990 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Manchester is not only a master of detail but also of 'the big picture'....I daresay most Americans reading The Last Lion will relish it immensely." ( National Review)
"[Manchester] can claim the considerable achievement of having assembled enough powerful evidence to support Isaiah Berlin's judgment of Churchill as the largest human being of our time." (Alistair Cooke)

Engrossing Story of a Great Man Brilliantly Told

Not only a biography, William Manchester vividly sets the stage of the Victorian England that Churchill grew up in. His young life is just as engrossing as his WWII years, and taught me so much that I did not know. Also have to say that it is BRILLIANTLY narrated by Frederick Davidson, who has a great voice and an even better Churchill impression. I am on to volume 2 and am pretty disappointed that it was not the same narrator, I loved Frederick Davidson so much. I am just getting started so hopefully it will get better, but I can't imagine anyone doing a better Churchill.

Epic — Like Churchill

What does Frederick Davidson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Davidson's narration is truly epic befitting the larger than life book and man therein portrayed. He sang the songs of Churchill's youth. He mimicked the great politicians wonderfully; I really felt as if Lloyd George were speaking, for instance. I am in awe of his ability to deal with the diversity of people and accents found in this history. Unfortunately, his performance shined to such a degree that I found the other two volumes wanting.

Any additional comments?

Winston Churchill has been a particular fascination for me and, while William Manchester is not Churchill's official biographer, I committed myself to the series. Unfortunately, Manchester died during the third and final part. It is not nearly as good as the first and second. Manchester's brilliantly paints a full picture of the milieu in which young Winston was born and grew up, helping us understand the towering political figure he became.

The Last Lion, Winston Spencer Churchill, Vol.1 'Visions of Glory'

As a Historian ,solely by academic trading, William Manchester's Biography of Churchill is the most thorough, joyful, humane and worthwhile Biography I have read. Mr. Manchester's three volumes stacked on each other may appear daunting, pedantic, self indulgent and deter a reader. Shockingly, I only wish I could participate in a long question and answer forum, to hear his , as I believe he was the most enlightened Churchillian scholar. The first Volume, does stand out, in this trilogy of Biography's, as the most inspired. Separate and alone, any of the three volumes would stand alone as the finest I have read.

I happily and regrettably began, as a naive Historian,with Volume II and then Volume III. How wrong I was. The first Volume reaches back into Victorian England with both scholarship and a post Freudian understanding. This era, is seemingly paralyzed , by a parade of master English writers. Wether it is the Dickensian harshness or Thomas Hardy's impressionistic Beaty the Victorian era 1837-1901 who were by the Dickens's social commentary, or Mr. Manchester writes and weaves through this era of stereotypes

Excellent

Well written, wonderful narrator, an interesting exciting and informative book to be read over and over again.

Engaging and informative

This was a wonderful book, conveying the character of this amazing individual and the historical events of each era. The narrator was fantastic and kept me engaged from beginning to end. Well-written text!

Superb

Great writing and narration. The research it took to write Churchill’s biography is thorough and impressive.

Superb Story and Reader

This, the initial volume of William Manchester's masterful three-volume biography of Churchill, finds the perfect reader in Frederick Davidson in this audio book. Highest recommendation!

Detailed, long, but never uninteresting

There is hardly anyone alive who doesn’t know of Sir Winston Churchill. But, the man that we know is the man who became Britain’s Prime Minister at almost the lowest point of the nation and empire, when victory over Nazi Germany was anything but assure. This is the first of a 3-volume set detailing his life. This volume alone, at almost 1,000 pages, is far larger than most books, which attests to the detail that the author gives into these first 58 years of Churchill’s life. Churchill’s father was Lord Randolph Churchill, a man who was gifted but unstable and who died, likely of complications from Syphilis, though possibly from a brain tumor, when Winston was 21. Winston had not known that his father was ill until just before his death. His mother was an American, known for her beauty and her promiscuity, including with the future king, the Prince of Wales. He was born at the height of the British Empire, then spanning the globe and ruling over almost a quarter of the world. As was common at that time among the upper class, Winston was turned over to the care of a nanny and from that point seldom saw either of his parents. As soon as he was old enough to go to school, he was sent to a boarding school, and wrote his parents almost daily with few letters in reply. When most boys went home for the holidays, or traveled with parents, Winston was left at school, pleading with his parents to let him join them. He begged them to attend events that he was involved in. In one letter to his mother, he writes pleadingly, “...at least pretend that you love me.” He was athletic and seemed to have no fear at all and, as a result, often was involved in accidents and injuries, which he took in stride and without complaint. He didn’t like to kill anything, even insects. He was always in trouble at school and was not a diligent student. But, he adored his parents, in spite of all this. He wrote a biography of his father in later life and he tried to model his own career after him. His poor grades destined him to a military career, and was posted to Bangalore. He then used his downtime there to read voraciously, and thus educated himself. He loved the English language and revelled in learning new words and how to use them. He began writing newspaper and magazine articles. He determined to use his military career to get himself into politics and foll ow his father. He showed his bravery on the battlefield in India and in the Boer War in South Africa where he was taken captive. He later escaped and walked nights to get into Portuguese territory. He also fought in Cuba and Sudan. He was elected to the House of Commons and quickly rose to a cabinet position. He couldn’t be “politic” and spoke with sarcasm and wit that didn’t make friends, even with those who would agree with him. He rose and fell many times and became the Lord of the Admiralty and proposed an attack on Istanbul early in WW I. The attack started off well but naval commanders feared risking their ships and pulled back, resulting in a failed invasion and a tremendous loss of life. We now know that the Ottoman leaders had already given up any hope of holding the British off, and had already begun to evacuate Istanbul. Historians believe that it would have quickly ended the war, saving thousands of lies. Churchill was blamed and was removed from his position and made a pariah to the public. Winston then volunteered to fight in the trenches in France. When the war was over, he pushed for less punishing reprisals against Germany, as he put it, to be “magnanimous in victory. But, the sentiment was against him and thus the stage was set for the humiliation of Germany, the rise of Hitler, and WW II. He lost his seat in parliament but later regained it. He was involved in the creation of Iraq and Jordan and the creation of Israel. He established the Royal Air Force. He negotiated the independence of the Irish Free State. He became the Chancellor of the Exchequer and led Britain into an economic crisis when he put the country’s currency back under the gold standard and mishandled a coal strike, leading to the loss of his parliament seat again. By the end of the 20’s, he had become a pariah which is where this book ends. While the book is very long, it never bogs down into uninteresting detail. It is well-researched and organized such that it is more than a biography, but a view of one man’s effect on history. It shows the maturation of a man from a brash, overconfident young man, with little tact, but great wit and sarcasm coupled with a grasp of how to use language to influence people to a man who learned from his mistakes and, though humbled, retained that confidence in what is right and the will to speak out when it was unpopular to do so. It makes me eager to read the next two volumes. 

A Must-Read

This book brilliantly transports the reader into Churchill's life and times, providing insight into both the great man and the context in which he grew up and developed into the figure we all know. The narrator does a fantastic job, and the writimg is superb.

Surprisingly good

Started slowly and then became addictive. I can’t wait for vol. 2! I discovered much about WC I had never known despite being a WW2 enthusiast.