Author:David Kynaston
David Kynaston's ground-breaking history of the City of London, published in four volumes between 1994 and 2001, is a modern classic. Skilfully edited into a single volume by David Milner, it tells a story as dramatic as any novel, while explaining the mysteries of the financial world in a way that we can all understand.
This is a story of booms, busts and bankruptcies, dress codes, eating habits, pay, humour, changing architecture and the unique culture of the Square Mile which brings us up to the modern age.
Wonderful... This is real history; living history
—— Sunday TimesEconomic history at its most glittering
—— The TimesA work of breathtaking scope and accomplishment
—— IndependentMagisterial
—— ObserverEveryone should read David Kynaston's riveting history of the City: a subject too important to be left to the bankers
—— John LanchesterDavid Kynaston is the great chronicler of Britain's recent past
—— Independent on SundayA significant contribution to new ways of writing about the past… magnificently compelling
—— Neal Ascherson , London Review of BooksThe Norman Conquest is a scrupulously researched and well-written book. But it is also that rare thing: a work undertaken with enormous integrity. Dr Morris questions the received wisdom from past scholars, considers the Conquest and its aftermath anew, and expresses his findings with great conscientiousness.
—— Ian MortimerA muscular, vivid narrative full of compelling historical insight – not just a brilliantly told story, but required reading for anyone interested in the real 1066 and all that.
—— Helen CastorAs this book immodestly reveals, Tony Blair was, and remains, a remarkable influence on politics, both domestically and internationally
—— Menzies Campbell , Scotland on SundayWhat makes his memoir so absorbing as it swings from clever phrase-making and thoughtful contemporary history to wince-inducing self-analysis, is that he is the first of a generation of politicians to conduct their craft as if observing themselves from an amused an admiring distance - and then to write about it. No recent politician has examines his own motives and psychology quite so candidly
—— John Rentoul , The IndependentIt is the small revelations about the character of Blair that make this book worthwhile
—— Ross Clark , The ExpressIt's a gripping insight into the ex-PM's ten years of power . . . It will take a lot for many people to read his own take on the rise and fall of New Labour, but those that do might be reminded of the charm and vision that swept him to power
—— News of the WorldI have read many a prime ministerial memoir and none of the other authors has been as self-deprecating, as willing to admit mistakes and to tell jokes against themselves
—— Mary Ann Sieghart , The IndependentPaints a candid picture of his friend and rival, Gordon Brown, and of their relationship
—— Patrick Hennessy , The Sunday Telegraph