Author:John Campbell
The first volume of John Campbell's biography of Margaret Thatcher was described by Frank Johnson in the Daily Telegraph as 'much the best book yet written about Lady Thatcher'. That volume, The Grocer's Daughter, described Mrs Thatcher's childhood and early career up until the 1979 General Election which carried her into Downing Street.
This second volume covers the whole eleven and a half years of her momentous premiership. Thirteen years after her removal from power, this is the first comprehensive and fully researched study of the Thatcher Government from its hesitant beginning to its dramatic end. Campbell draws on the mass of memoirs and diaries of Mrs Thatcher's colleagues, aides, advisers and rivals, as well as on original material from the Ronald Reagan archive, shedding fascinating new light on the Reagan-Thatcher 'special relationship', and on dozens of interviews.
The Iron Lady will confirm John Campbell's Margaret Thatcher as one of the greatest political biographies of recent times.
John Campbell succeeds brilliantly with this second volume of his biography of Britain's first woman prime minister. His account - compelling, often exhilarating and, in its closing pages, genuinely moving - portrays Thatcher's political career as a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare
—— John Willman , Financial TimesAnyone who wants to know what really happened between 1979 and 1990 should read this book
—— John Rentoul , Daily TelegraphA brilliantly researched, thoroughly sourced version of the most remarkable premiership of our time
—— Huw Edwards , Books of the Year, The Times'An enormously useful achievement... every twist and turn of her political life is here'
—— The Times'I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and indeed arguing with it, because it has reminded me why so many of us would never have wanted her to give up'
—— William Hague , Daily TelegraphIt is stunningly good on the utopian dream that Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster kick-started when they invented Superman, and the dark twin that Bob Kane created for the Man of Steel in Batman. As one of the best writers of both characters, Morrison knows what he is talking about...essential without being definitive
—— IndependentIt offers the same switchback exhilaration as Morrison's comic books
—— Sunday HeraldAs a writer for Batman and Superman, Grant Morrison is in the perfect place to analyse the rise and fall of the superhero
—— Sunday TimesMorrison makes a passionate and knowledgeable tour guide through comics' golden age
—— The TimesWhatever your views on Grant's own creative output which I find both dazzling and, on occasions, daunting, no one can deny the man's blistering intelligence and throughout his career he has never ceased from innovation. Each new project makes readers sit up and think and I imagine many of his peers have felt the same way. Similarly this 400-page history of and tribute to this medium's meta - humans will give you much to ponder, and I don't think any true fan of the genre, as I have been since five, can afford to be without its illuminating torch
—— Page 45If this were just Morrison's story, the reminiscences of an original Scots thinker who works in a medium that silly people scorn, it would be worth your time. The sections detailing the writer's relationship with his father are especially touching. What makes this book exceptional is the history of comics that comes with the history of Morrison... As a superhero fan, I found this a diverting read. As a people fan, I found it unputdownable
—— ScotsmanAuthoritative overview of the genre...detailed and thoughtful
—— SpectatorMorrison's analysis of how comic books have reflected and influenced mainstream culture is never less than intriguing, and his turn of phrase is often a joy
—— Robert Colville , Daily TelegraphThis is entertaining stuff
—— Sunday Times, Christmas Round UpButterworth's fascination with his subject drips from the page...this is entertaining stuff
—— Dominic Sandbrook , Sunday TimesAn astounding story of bitter civil warfare that raged across many countries for decades. Butterworth's passionate account of the anarchist movements born in the late 19th century describes a conflict that spawned its own "war on terror"
—— Steve Burniston , Guardian