The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill
Score Classic
What it's about
William Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill follows him from his Victorian childhood to the end of his life across three volumes. The first covers his rise; the second, Alone, his 1930s wilderness years warning a disbelieving Britain about Hitler; and the third, completed by Paul Reid after Manchester's death, his years leading Britain through the Second World War and after.
Why it's worth reading
It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books ever written, and it reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It's the most absorbing life of Churchill there is, written with a novelist's flair.
You'll love it if you liked
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York or The Guns of August
Good to know
This page covers the whole three-volume work. Each volume runs to around a thousand pages and can be read on its own; Alone is many readers' favorite.
Quick answers
Is The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill worth reading?
Yes. It's on TIME's list of the 100 best nonfiction books ever written, and it reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. It ranks #167 of the 2,819 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 84.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill about?
William Manchester's biography of Winston Churchill follows him from his Victorian childhood to the end of his life across three volumes. The first covers his rise; the second, Alone, his 1930s wilderness years warning a disbelieving Britain about Hitler; and the third, completed by Paul Reid after Manchester's death, his years leading Britain through the Second World War and after.
How long does it take to read The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill?
About 31 hours (1234 pages), or about 9 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill?
If you liked it, try The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro or The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman.
By the numbers
- Readers100 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics59 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller27 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On the TIME All-TIME 100 Nonfiction list. #1 New York Times bestseller (2 weeks at #1).
Where it ranks
- #27 of the 198 history books we rank
- #36 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #47 of the 763 classics we rank
- #167 of the 2,819 books we rank
Bestseller
- #1 New York Times bestseller (2 weeks at #1)
On the lists
- TIME All-TIME 100 Nonfiction
Reads as
True story
More by William Manchester
If you like this, read next
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
Dispatches
The Path to Power
The Souls of Black Folk
The Diary of a Young Girl