When Winston Churchill was born in Blenheim Palace in 1874, Imperial Britain stood at the splendid pinnacle of her power. Yet within a few years the Empire would hover on the brink of catastrophe. Against this backdrop, a remarkable man began to build his legacy. From master biographer William Manchester, The Last Lion: Visions of Glory reveals the first fifty-eight years of the life of an adventurer, aristocrat, soldier, and statesman whose courageous leadership guided the destiny of his darkly troubled times--and who is remembered as one of the greatest figures of the twentieth century.

Praise for The Last Lion: Visions of Glory

"Absolutely magnificent . . . a delight to read . . . one of those books you devour line by line and word by word and finally hate to see end."--Russell Baker

"Bedazzling."--Newsweek

"Manchester has read further, thought harder, and told with considerable verve what is mesmerizing in Churchill's] drama. . . . One cannot do better than this book."--The Philadelphia Inquirer

"Superb . . . Manchester] pulls together the multitudinous facets of one of the richest lives ever to be chronicled. . . . Churchill and Manchester were clearly made for each other."--Chicago Tribune

"A vivid, thoroughly detailed biography of the Winston Churchill nobody knows."--Boston Herald

"Adds a grand dimension . . . rich in historical and social contexts."--Time