The Guardsmen by Simon Ball

The Guardsmen by Simon Ball

From the playing fields of Eton via the horrors of the Western Front to the pinnacle of political power in 20th-century Britain a brilliant collective biography of Harold Macmillan, Lord Salisbury, Oliver Lyttleton and Harry Crookshank.

‘I read every page, every line of this very long book with sustained interest and pleasure…It is a magnificent achievement…A product of superb scholarship and profound insight and written in a style both incisive and flowing, this is a book for every taste and for the politically minded of every age groupI cannot recommend it too highly.’ Peregrine Worsthorne, Spectator

‘“The Guardsmen” is a magnificent achievement. By following the careers of four friends and competitors through Eton, Oxford, the Guards, and into politics, it explores British political and social history in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century. It is a work of consummate scholarship, lightly borne, but above all rendered in a prose that is consistently deft and readable. Simon Ball is a historian at the height of his powers.’ Hew Strachan, Chichele Professor of the History of War, University of Oxford

‘Through skilfull stitching of threads from personal and official papers, Ball has woven a superb panoramic tapestry of 20th-century Conservative politics…Compelling.’ Sunday Times

‘“The Guardsmen” is an accomplished work. Simon Ball has command of his subject matter and demonstrates an assured touch with primary material that has not appeared in previous biographies and memoirs.’ Literary Review

‘“The Guardsmen” is good reading because political warfare is at its centre, and Ball skilfully evokes that inter-war world…A stylish book.’ Daily Telegraph

Simon Ball won an Open Exhibition to read history at Brasenose, Oxford. He studied for his Ph.D under David Reynolds at Christ’s College, Cambridge and was head of modern history at Glasgow University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780006531630
ISBN 10	0006531636
Title	The Guardsmen
Author	Simon Ball
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers
Year published	2005-08-01
Number of pages	592
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.