Brown has done a wonderful job capturing the life of a truly remarkable man. -The Good Book Guide
The Good Book Guide
This is a substantial book about a substantial figure. Rejecting simplistic assessments, David Brown paints a fascinating picture of a statesman who continues to defy easy categorization. . . . a major contribution to scholarship. -Michael J. Turner, Journal of British Studies
Michael J. Turner
Journal of British Studies
enormously detailed, scrupulously sourced... -Stephen Matchett, The Australian
Stephen Matchett
The Australian
We are offered here, for the first time, a rounded portrait, warts and all, ad it is all the better for diverging from the patriotic stereotype of popular legend. This is a readable and enjoyable account of a great Victorian. -John Charmley The Victorian
John Charmley
The Victorian
A hefty, statesman like life of the 19th-century prime minister. -Joy Lo Dico, The Independent on Sunday
Joy Lo Dico
The Independent on Sunday
The book contains much of value, and I emerged from it exhausted and exasperated, but closer to understanding this extraordinary man. -Paul Johnson, Spectator
Paul Johnson
Spectator
Brown's scrupulous research recreates the vitality of the Whig governing tradition in its Victorian heyday. He brings alive Palmerston's mental landscape...This will be the standard biography of the man. -Rohan McWilliam, History Today
Rohan McWilliam
History Today
We are offered here, for the first time, a rounded portrait, warts and all, ad it is all the better for diverging from the patriotic stereotype of popular legend. This is a readable and enjoyable account of a great Victorian. -John Charmley, The Victorian
John Charmley
The Victorian
Brown has done distinguished work....An excellent study. -Edward Pearce, Tribune
Edward Pearce
Tribune
Brown's biography is a fluently written, authoritative study which places Palmerston firmly in the context of his times. -Graham Goodlad, History Review
Graham Goodlad
History Review
'A major biography, and the first one to really capture its subject in his fullness. Brown's work establishes him as a scholar of the first rank, and the book provides us with new insights into a fascinating character.'-John Charmley, author of Churchill: The End of Glory
John Charmley ''David Brown's multi-faceted Palmerston, in its archival mastery, scope and insight, outdistances any other. -Keith Robbins
Keith Robbins In a sixty year political career that linked Pitt the Younger and Gladstone Lord Palmerston combined a mastery of high politics and diplomacy with an astute popular touch that secured the support of the British people. In the first full length biography based on the Palmerston archives David Brown reveals the conflicting strands at the heart of a successful career: a sophisticated intellectual with remarkable practical application, a determined hard-working playboy, and above all a politician who always knew his own mind, and had the confidence to chart a course between reaction and democracy at home and abroad. A landmark in nineteenth century history. -Andrew Lambert, author of Admirals: The Naval Commanders who made Britain Great
Andrew Lambert David Brown offers a meticulously researched chronicle that excavates the reality behind the image. -William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal
William Anthony Hay
Wall Street Journal
...rich, thoughtful...rewarding...surely [the] definitive life -Ferdinand Mount, Times Literary Supplement
Ferdinand Mount
Times Literary Supplement
Brown is a superb writer and his Palmerston ought to be required reading for all students of 19th-century political history. -Amanda Foreman, Financial Times
Amanda Foreman
Financial Times
A meticulously researched chronicle that excavates the reality behind the image -William Anthony Hay, Wall Street Journal
William Anthony Hay
Wall Street Journal