Author:Ramachandra Guha
The definitive life of one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th century
New York Times Book Review Books of the Year 2014
In this fascinating new biography Ramachandra Guha allows us to understand the personality and politics of Mohandas Gandhi as never before. Showing that Gandhi's ideas were fundamentally shaped before his return to India in 1915, Gandhi Before India is an extraordinarily vivid portrait of the formative years he spent in England and South Africa, where he developed the techniques that would undermine and ultimately destroy the British Empire.
Drawing on many new sources located in archives across four continents, Guha sensitively explores the many facets of Gandhi's life and struggles. This is the biography of the year.
A magnificent anthology
—— Literary Review[A] fascinating volume…More than just a time capsule, this collection features journalism at its most powerful.
—— Compass magazine, best of this winter's booksSuperb: a gift that keeps on giving and a fine introduction to the life and letters of a supposedly (but not really) gray decade.
—— Kirkus ReviewVery funny and entertaining and very informative.
—— Robert Elms , BBC LondonHilarious ... unforgettable ... will inspire deep thought over the meaning, construction and symbols of patriotism and national identity.
—— Times of IndiaA well-researched and diligent travelogue.
—— Daily MailAn entertaining journey.
—— Compass magazineA splendid book. It takes its place among classics of Balkan history
—— Norman StoneTim Butcher goes from strength to strength. I enjoyed every paragraph
—— Dervla MurphyInsightful, useful and delightfully written… A great book – one to be recommended to professional and amateur historian alike
—— General Sir David Richards, former Chief of the Defence StaffLucid, passionate, urgent
—— Rory MacLeanThis is first class history and in a year swamped with First World War centenary books, it’s the one you should read first
—— Andrew RobertsA compelling and fascinating read...a shadowy assassin brought to life by an writer who gets to grips with a century of Balkan intrigue
—— Kate AdieA marvellously absorbing book... A triumph of research, it will appeal to the layman and historian alike
—— Ian Thomson , Financial TimesExtremely well written, taut and evocative... Despite its complex subject, Butcher makes this an easy and engaging read with his breezy style and fascinating encounters
—— Misha Glenny , Daily TelegraphIlluminating... Butcher achieves something remarkable with Princip. He promotes him quite plausibly from mad man to everyman; a warning to the future whom the future foolishly forgot
—— Giles Whittell , The TimesArguably the most important story of the war
—— Michael Hodges , Mail on SundayAs a travel writer, Butcher takes some beating. He packs balls as well as ballpoints
—— John Lewis-Stempel , Sunday ExpressA triumph of storytelling... [A] highly original gem of a book
—— Victor Sebestyen , SpectatorInformative and powerful
—— John Horne , Irish TimesA page-turning exploration of how the forgotten past continues to inform the present... Important, and relevant
—— Oliver Poole , Independent on Sunday[Princip’s] story as Butcher now tells it has a resonance far beyond the Balkans
—— Iain Morris , ObserverElegant, horrifying and enlightening… A book which is not only a good piece of detective work, it is the finest contribution so far this year to the rapidly expanding literature on the Great War
—— Mark Smith , HeraldTim Butcher has produced the most imaginative and singular book on the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War to date. It is a lot more than a study of Princip… It is a piece of expeditionary journalism, an investigation in time, place and spirit, of the highest order
—— Robert Fox , ScotsmanA revealing insight into the mind and journey of the boy who escaped the narrow confines of his village, and whose political aspirations for his native country had such far-reaching effects on the world
—— Philippa Logan , Oxford TimesUtterly absorbing… If journalism is the first draft of history, Butcher marries both disciplines with boldness and originality – as well as sympathy for his shadowy subject
—— BBC History MagazineInsightful and entertaining, this blows the cobwebs off the history of that day
—— Evening Echo (Cork)Positive proof that fact can be as gripping as fiction…rich and timely… Amongst so many books published around the anniversary of the First World War, this one stands out
—— CGA MagazineA fascinating investigation… An absorbing read
—— Irish IndependentDespite its serious subject matter, the book is a rollicking read, full of amusing details and sarcastic humour
—— The EconomistA brilliant and haunting journey through the Balkans
—— Sinclair McKay , Daily TelegraphIn the centenary year of the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, what better read than Tim Butcher’s The Trigger
—— Paul Routledge , Tablet[A] fascinating and lively history
—— 4 stars , Daily TelegraphVery complex – but you will grasp it
—— William Leith , Evening StandardA fascination exploration
—— Mail on SundayHighly readable but profoundly researched, The Trigger represents a bold exception to the deluge of First World War books devoted to mud, blood and poetry
—— Ben Macintyre , The Timesa fascinating original portrait of a man and his country
—— Country and Town House