Clementine Churchill by Mary Soames hits the £1 shelf in my shop.
Cassell, 1979, Hardback in dust wrapper.
Illustrated by way of: Black & White Photographs; Facsimiles; Genealogical Tables;
From the cover: Clementine, Lady Spencer-Churchill died in 1977, aged 92. Though she was in the limelight throughout her adult life comparatively little is known about her, for she shunned publicity. Her youngest daughter, Mary, has written this major biography with affection and candour, revealing a gift for the vivid and precise phrase that might be expected of Winston Churchills daughter.
Clementine Churchill was the perfect wife for Winston. For 57 years she supported him through the triumphs, disasters and tensions which ruled his public and private life. As a young girl she had known the unhappiness that came from ill-matched parents and continual shortage of money, but she had a strength of character and distinction of mind, allied to outstanding good looks, that attracted the young and impetuous Winston Churchill. His courtship was swift and Clementine became the wife of the MP for Dundee in September 1908.
The early years of her marriage coincided with the heyday of the reforming Liberal Government, in which Winston was a leading figure: she was later to describe them as the happiest of her life. Always Winston trusted her completely and she became a valuable counsellor and companion. He invariably wanted her opinion but did not always take her advice. She believed in him passionately, and in his destiny standing beside him in public seemingly serene, cool and detached.
The public persona, however, was dearly bought. In truth Clementine was shy, passionate and highly strung, and her self-control was tested to the utmost in the turmoil of public life and in the no less harrowing family crises and the ever-present financial anxieties. But Shakespeares line about the love That looks on tempests, and is never shaken could have been written about this lion-hearted couple, and their joint correspondence is not only of historic interest but is deeply moving.
Lady Soamess description of her mothers steadfast bearing at Sir Winstons funeral is unforgettable. Before she went to bed that night she turned to her daughter and said, You know, Mary, it wasnt a funeral it was a Triumph. In its own way Clementine Churchills life was a triumph, too.
Very Good in Good Dust Wrapper. Heavily faded at the spine of the dust wrapper with slight sunning to the top edges. Dust wrapper is mylar-sealed. Price Clipped. Text complete, clean and tight.
Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine.
[XV] 556 pages. Index. Bibliography. 9½” x 6¼”.
This book will be listed, sooner or later, for £6.50 on my delightful website… but get 50% off buying from my blog… below…
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