Rosebery - Hardcover

'His strange journey is well described in this impressive book.' -- BBC History 20050601 'McKinstry...has produced a first-class biography, scholarly, analytical, judicious and always interesting.' -- Herald 20050521 '(A) fascinating account of one of Britain's most perplexing leaders.' -- Belfast Telegraph 20050521 'This is an authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read.' -- Spectator 20050521 'A strong, compelling narrative which displays a sensitive understanding of Rosebery as well as his political times.' -- Tribune, Robert Taylor 20050521 'McKinstry guides us skilfully through the labyrinthine political controversies of the late Victorian and Edwardian Britain.' -- The Tablet, David Goodall. 20050521 'This biography takes in all the political lions of the late Victorian age and meticulously inspects their paws.' -- Country Life, Rory Knight Bruce 20050521 'McKinstry is both careful and enlightening ... As well as being meticulously researched, the book is beautifully written and has tremendous pace.' -- Literary Review 20050501 'This is a superb political biography' -- Spectator 20050521 'This is an absolutely wonderful biography' -- London Evening Standard 20050516 'This book is hard to put down. Leo McKinstry has painted a fascinating portrait of a glamorous but tortured politician' -- Irish News, Anthony Looch 20050516 'This long overdue biography brings to life a quarrelsome, arrogant and, now, largely forgotten figure. Bolstered by a wealth of new archival material, this outstanding book was worth the wait.' -- Western Daily Press (Bristol/Late City Edition) 20050516 'McKinstry's study has illuminated Rosebery's career' -- History Today 20050509 'McKinstry's study has illuminated Rosebery's career' -- History Today 20050901 'I do not expect to read a more enjoyable or more thoughtful political biography for a long time to come' -- London Review of Books 20050922 'I like biographies of obscure prime ministers and strongly commend Rosebery"' -- Ferdinand Mount, TLS 20051202 'Stunning ... As well as being meticulously researched, it is beautifully written and has tremendous pace' -- Literary Review 'Absorbing ... McKinstry has here proved himself to be a first-class historical biographer' -- Mail on Sunday 20050529 'With masterly skill and sympathy, Leo McKinstry resurrects him as the Hamlet of late Victorian England' -- Daily Mail 20050529 An authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read' -- Spectator 20050529 'Superbly well-researched and well-written ...A truly first-class addition to the genre of Prime Ministerial biography' -- Sunday Telegraph 20050529 'An absolutely wonderful biography ... gripping and entertaining' -- Evening Standard 20050529 'A first class biography, scholarly, judicious and always interesting' -- Glasgow Herald 20050529 'Remarkable' -- Country Life 20050529 'Judicious, well-researched and engrossing' -- Sunday Times 20050529 'This is undoubtably the definitive biography of Rosebery. Written with elegance, clarity and well-judged colour' -- Jonathan Parry, Times Literary Supplement 20051007 'It does a wonderful job of conjuring up the lost world of late Victorian politics' -- Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph 20051203 'Admirable biography of a paradoxical figure whose tenure at No 10 was a disaster' -- Jeremy Lewis, Sunday Times 20051204

The Fifth Earl of Rosebery was the most glamorous politician of the late Victorian age. Charismatic, enlightened, wealthy and intellectually brilliant, he captivated the masses and charmed colleagues and was the natural successor when Gladstone retired in 1894. Though he spent less than two years in Downing Street, he always remained a glittering political star. Yet he never attained the true greatness that was within his grasp. The problem lay in his complex personality. Self-centred, impulsive and neurotic, as Prime Minister he was crippled by insomnia and virtually had a nervous breakdown. After retiring from the Liberal Leadership in 1896, he became an increasingly solitary, brooding figure.Using a wealth of archival material, award-winning author Leo McKinstry covers every aspect of Lord Rosebery's magnetic, eccentric character and his life, including his devotion to horse-racing, his literary achievements and his anguished private life in widowhood. Through original research, he provides fresh insights into the man and his involvement in some of the most controversial episodes of the era, from the Jameson Raid to the trial of Oscar Wilde.