Gladstone

Gladstone stands alone as the only man who was four times Prime Minister. Biographically more important than that, he was the most remarkable human being who ever held that office. This is not to say that he was the greatest Prime Minister - he made many mistakes, failed in his last major objective of Home Rule for Ireland, and left behind a demoralized and squabbling Liberal Party. But he was always the biggest beast in the forest and everything he touched he infused with magic. With Newman, Tennyson, Darwin and Carlyle, he was one of the natural stars of the nineteenth century. He could be wrong, self-righteous, even faintly ludicrous, but he was hardly ever dull.
This many-faceted figure with his flashing eye and stirring oratory presents Roy Jenkins, writing as a senior politician who is also an acclaimed author, with the most ambitious of the many biographical subjects he has attempted at greater or lesser length. He uses Gladstone's life not only to shine light on his manifold activities but also to compare the nineteenth century with the present day: the political rhythms, travel patterns and religious assumptions of Victorian England are all related to those of today. In his first full-scale canvas since Asquith in 1964, Jenkins has created a vivid and often funnily told picture of a very remarkable man.