Marlborough

Bestselling military historian Richard Holmes delivers an expertly written and exhilarating biography of John Churchill, the Duke of Marlborough and Britain's finest soldier.

Charting Churchill’s rise to favour to lead his country to glory, cementing its position as a major player on the European stage and saviour of the Holy Roman Empire, Holmes paints a portrait of a man who combined passion, avarice and duplicity in his personal life with tenacity and utter brilliance on the battlefield.

Reviews

'Outstanding … Holmes has written what must be the … fairest biography of Marlborough.' Daily Telegraph

‘Unbeatable military history, with rattling narrative vitality.’ Richard Davenport-Hines, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year

‘As comprehensive an account of Marlborough as a single volume can hope to be.’ Spectator

‘The appeal of Holmes’s books is not merely their authority but their style. His lightness of touch makes these 500 pages a joy to read as well as an education.’ The Times

‘Professor Holmes tackles his subject at a Light Infantry pace, cracking through a wide-ranging biography with confidence and good humour.’ Independent on Sunday

‘A thorough and readable book.’ Literary Review

About the author

Celebrated military historian and television presenter Richard Holmes is famous for his BBC series ‘Rebels and Redcoats’ and ‘Wellington’. He is the author of the bestselling and widely acclaimed ‘Redcoat’ and ‘Tommy’ and a dozen other books, including ‘The Western Front’, ‘Dusty Warriors’ and ‘Sahib’. He is general editor of ‘The Definitive Oxford Companion to Military History’. He taught military history at Sandhurst for many years and is now Professor at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He lives near Winchester in Hampshire.