Disraeli

Disraeli is one of the most fascinating men of the 19th century. This masterly biography, written by an outstanding popular historian, concentrates on his intriguing private life.

Superb politician, orator, writer and wit, Benjamin Disraeli was – according to Queen Victoria – ‘the kindest Minister’ she had ever had, who ‘reached the top of the greasy pole’ [in his own words] despite considerable antisemitism. He enjoyed many scandalous affairs before marrying a widow twelve years older than himself – an extremely eccentric woman to whom he remained deeply and touchingly devoted for the rest of his life.

Disraeli had never intended to be a politician. He had begun his astonishing career by working unenthusiastically in a lawyer’s office; he had tried unsuccessfully to found a newspaper; he had written a novel which lay unproductively in the publisher’s office. A conspicuous dandy, sprightly, attentive and witty, he was attractive to women, enjoying many liaisons until he contracted a venereal disease in a St James’s Street brothel.

He married in 1839. ‘Dizzy married me for my money,’ Mary Anne used to say. ‘But, if he had the chance again, he would marry me for love.’ They lived in a large country house, Hughenden Manor, near High Wycombe, which he bought with mostly borrowed money, and soon became one of the most gifted of parliamentarians and as celebrated as any politician in England. As an antidote to his grief at his wife’s death in 1872 he threw himself back into the political life, becoming Prime Minister for the second time in 1874, displacing Gladstone much to the Queen’s delight.

Reviews

‘One of England’s greatest living historical writers. Reading anything by him is pure pleasure.’ Amanda Foreman

‘Engaging new biography'.’ Guardian

‘A fine new biography…an acute and insightful personal biography.’ Andrew Roberts, Daily Telegraph

‘In this shouty world, Hibbert’s account of the private life of Benjamin Disraeli comes as an immensely dependable relief…Innumerable younger historians owe Hibbert an immense debt, although he is probably too unassuming to allow them to pay it.’ Sunday Times

'…the book is thoroughly enjoyable…What Hibbert does extremely well is to construct a readable, well written narrative…a superbly skilful historical writer.’ Spectator

About the author

Christopher Hibbert was described in the New Statesman as ‘a pearl of biographers’, in the Sunday Times as ‘a gloriously versatile writer’, and in the TES as ‘perhaps the most gifted popular historian we have’. His many highly acclaimed books include lives of Mussolini, Samuel Johnson, Wellington, Nelson, Queen Victoria and Napoleon; biographies of cities such as London, Rome, Venice and Florence; histories of the Cavaliers and Roundheads and The Great Mutiny, and a social history of the English.