The abridged version of History Of The English Speaking People is especially necessary: “The later volumes were completed when Churchill was over eighty; notably, a full one-third of the last volume was devoted to the military minutiae of the American Civil War, whereas social history, the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution hardly get a mention. Political opponent Clement Attlee suggested the work should have been titled ‘Things in history that interested me.’”

(Which would be a good blog name.)

Johnny, Thanks for your thoughts. Have you read either version of the memoir? Yes, the fact that it’s six volumes long and I do want to read other books is a deterrent. I’m thinking reading the abridgment will still help me get the general idea of his writing abilities…I hadn’t realized that his History of the English speaking peoples had also been abridged. I must find that, as well!

1. Churchill being a central figure in the war certainly helped him write the book, but it also hindered him considerably. Quoting from Wikipedia: “His account is based heavily on his own documents, so it greatly exaggerates his own role. Although he was of course a central figure in the war, he was not as central as his books suggest, particularly after 1943.”

Also hurting the book is the fact that, at the time of writing, he was still an active politician, and had to make concessions in the text to avoid angering both his allies and his enemies, as well as to keep state secrets safe.

Again quoting Wikipedia: “The Second World War can still be read with great profit by students of the period, provided it is seen mainly as a memoir by a leading participant rather than as an authoritative history by a professional and detached historian.” It just seems a shame to read six volumes of a WWII history that, when you finish, you can’t fully trust.

2. It’s six freakin’ volumes long. C’mon, live a little!

So I guess I’d recommend the abridged version…oh, and if you’re interested in more of Churchill’s writing, I’d definitely recommend the abridged version of his A History of the English-Speaking Peoples as well.

Finally, since you’re reading Nobel winners, don’t miss Faulkner’s famous acceptance speech, which almost never fails to choke me up:

http://www.rjgeib.com/thoughts/faulkner/faulkner.html