Sword and Pen: A Survey of the Writings of Sir Winston Churchill Hardcover – 1974

Winston Churchill lived a long and active life, but also found time to produce a vast body of writing. The author seems to have read all of Churchill's books, a significant achievement in itself. Mr. Weisberg offers a balanced appraisal of Churchill and his writings giving space to divergent views. The author notes that Churchill only wrote about what interested him and he did not write for professional historians. It is important to remember that Churchill wrote for a living and made quite a lot of money. There was no reason for Churchill to write for professional historians. Unless one is seeking tenure or writing as part of job, there is no reason to write about subjects that bore you. The problem is that Churchill did not choose subjects solely on the basis of interest: he always had some additional purpose. He did not simply have an abstract interest in Marlborough or the Second World War. In one case, he was defending an ancestor and in the other, himself. Special pleading deprives the author of the virtue of detachment. Churchill was always an advocate and, in his books, not a very successful one in that he convinced few of the correctness of his views. Mr. Weisberg also offers interesting insights into Churchill's career. He accepts in full the "1940" argument: Churchill had exactly the right set of strengths and weaknesses to defeat Hitler. Perhaps, but the time to defeat Hitler was in 1933, not 1940. In 1933, Churchill was a seasoned politician of 59 and if he had been trusted he might have been in a position to stop Hitler at much less cost than was later the case. This book is an excellent guide to Churchill and his writings.

DESPITE IS AGE the book was written in 1974 .. IT REMAINS ONE OF THE BEST BOOK COVERING CHURCHILL LITERARY OUTPUT . MORE THABN 40 BOOKS IN 60 TITLES. STILL GREAT.