Filling a Gap

When I was a kid one of the things I wanted most when I grew up was a room of my own filled on all sides with loads of books.  (I was a weird kid).  But now, lo and behold, I’ve pretty much got exactly that.  It’s not a huge room, and it’s not just "mine", but its full of books and I can go in there and read any time I want other than workdays, weekends when I’m doing something with the kids, most evenings and while I’m asleep.  So I get a couple of hours a week.  That’s cool.

But this post isn’t about the room so much as its contents, and that’s because this week one of the most highly anticipated books ever has been published and is, at long last, available to the public.  I’ve been waiting (along with lots of others) for this particular work to come out for years.  The story behind the book is fascinating – and is, in and of itself probably fit for a screenplay.  It concerns the biography of one of the greatest figures of the last century, has had everyone wondering for years if it would even appear, includes the fulfillment of an author's wishes from beyond the grave and it is still uncertain as to whether it will even work.  But it’s here – and for now that’s enough.

For those of you who don’t already know what I'm talking about the book in question is “The Last Lion – Winston Spencer Churchill – Defender of the Realm” by William Manchester and Paul Reid.  This is the third volume of Manchester’s majestic biography – the first two – (Visions of Glory 1874 – 1932 and Alone 1932 – 1940) are considered masterpieces – cited by both historians and everyday readers as two of the greatest biographies ever written.  (For example – Ernie Adams, the mysterious “football researcher” who works with Bill Belichick and the Patriots revealed to David Halberstam that the two volumes were his favorite books).  For me – I can’t even tell you how much I enjoyed these books.  They are incredible – combining extensive research and knowledge of the subject with just the right amount of personal investment.  A good biography informs you and makes you care about the subject.  A great biography informs you and makes you care about the subject and his times.  A transcendent biography informs you and makes you care about the subject, his times and the biographer.  Guess where I put Manchester’s work?

Visions of Glory was, upon its appearance in 1983, an immediate sensation – it described Churchill’s formative years, his capture and escape during the Boer War, his prescience and fall from grace during World War I – and then his career up to the time he first became alarmed at the growth of fascism in Germany.  It made all of this come to life – it was an ideal (though not, as some carped, an idealized) account of Churchill’s life.  This was particularly true for Americans, who would not have been as well versed in some of the vagaries of British society (such as the relative hell of boarding school) as those in Britain. After the first book came out it seemed like an interminable wait until the next volume (but it really wasn’t that long).  The second book (published in 1988) started in 1932 and left off just as Churchill was achieving his long time goal of becoming Prime Minister (after bucking the establishment in Britain by being the only politician of note to warn continually of the dangers of Hitler’s rise).  But, having achieved his goal after standing alone for so long personally, he inherits a country that now stands alone – with Germany having conquered all of Europe and bombers anticipated in the air any moment.  The next book would tell the story of this supreme battle.  The reading public awaited eagerly.

And then – silence.  Nothing was published for 5, 10 then 15 years.  Rumors and pronouncements about Manchester’s health began to filter in – he had had strokes, was unable to work, was writing via Dictaphone, the book would never happen, no- wait – the book was due out next year. 

Sadly, in 2004, William Manchester died.  It seemed that the third volume – the final part of one of the greatest biographies in American literature – would remain unfinished.  But it gradually became known that in the months before his death Manchester had passed the task of completing the book off to Paul Reid, a newspaperman from Florida.  Manchester had actually resisted this for a long time – but finally asked Reid to come up and complete an “audition” chapter to see if he could actually handle the assignment.  It seems he passed – and Manchester bequeathed his research materials to Reid.

That was some bequest.  Manchester was one of the great researchers – meticulously organising his materials into bound 100 page legal pads he called “clumps”.  Unfortunately many of these clumps were annotated with Manchester’s handwritten notes, in a manner that only he could fully decipher, like Leonardo’s notebooks.  Reid was given 100 of these “clumps”, plus about 130 pages of manuscript, and was left (ironically “alone”) to finish the book.  He went to work.

Years passed – if you searched the internet whole websites were dedicated to speculating on whether the book would ever be finished.  The task seemed impossible – and Reid was very close mouthed about the whole thing.

And now – here it is.  It’s out.  The book lists both Manchester and Reid as co-authors, one dead for eight years, the other charged with bringing him (as well as Churchill) back to life.  I’m awaiting delivery as we speak, but in a few days I anticipate filling one of the most gaping holes in that room full of books – the spot for Volume 3.

(Now if Robert Caro would finish up the LBJ series, the other hole can be filled).

In honor of this momentous occasion I’m reviving the list of the month (and making it the primary post) to go through all of the Manchester books I have in the library.  Not ranking them (they’re all good) – just setting them out there if anyone wants to chase them down.  Obviously, I recommend doing just that.

1.       The Glory and the Dream

Manchester’s history of the United States for the years 1932-1972 seeks to explain the changes to American life and politics brought about by the New Deal in the post-depression era.  From a practical standpoint, if you are looking to understand where the current liberal/conservative split in American politics comes from, there is probably no better source.  This was my first encounter with Manchester’s works, and from a reader’s perspective I can tell you that the writing about the details – the small, forgotten events – is what makes this book special.  As an example, Manchester’s description of the great New England hurrican of 1938 (which dwarfed Sandy) is one of the greatest chapters about the power of weather you’ll ever read.

2.       Goodbye Darkness

William Manchester served as a Marine in the Pacific theatre during WWII.  His time there included participation in some of the most horrific battles in the entire war, (such as Okinawa), a close friendship with his fellow Marines who had fought in even more of those battles and a Purple Heart for serious wounds. This account personally and searingly recounts what happened during his time there and what it did to him for the years afterward.

3.       A World Lit Only By Fire

Manchester's reconstruction of life in the Middle Ages is not his best work, but it does serve to enlighten a reader as to what was “dark” about the dark ages and what wasn’t renewed by the renaissance.  It is also an interesting counterpoint to a book by another favorite historian, Barbara Tuchman’s “A Distant Mirror”.

4.       Death of a President

Commissioned (and then disowned) by Jacqueline Kennedy, this controversial book remains the standard by which events up to and following the assassination (but not the act itself) are measured.  It is the primary source for any discussion of these events.  What other people say about these things (what the presidential party and Oswald did up to the point of the motorcade, what happened on Air Force One on the way back to Washington, etc.) starts here and then either agrees or disagrees with Manchester’s account.  For the record, Jackie Kennedy never disputed the accuracy of this book – she simply felt it too sensitive a matter to reveal some of the truths it contains.  As much a part of history as a history itself.

5.       American Caesar

When Manchester served in the Pacific it was Douglas MacArthur he served under.  When he talks about the way his fellow combatants felt towards their commander he knows what he’s talking about.  For the avoidance of doubt “Dugout Doug” was not well liked by his men.  They thought him cruel, disconnected and questioned his courage.  When he began his biography of MacArthur Manchester uncovered an incredibly complex figure – perhaps as detestable as those men believed him to be – but for entirely the opposite reasons. 

6.       The Last Lion – Winston Spencer Churchill (Visions of Glory 1874-1932)

7.       The Last Lion – Winston Spencer Churchill (Alone 1932-1940)

See above.

I haven’t read The Arms of Krupp, Manchester's investigation of the German munitions manufacturer – but it’s a book I will get to and I consider it money in the bank.  First up though is Defender of the Realm – I can’t wait.  Oh – Manchester is from Springfield, Massachusetts – very much a product of Western Mass.