Items related to Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of...

Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain - Softcover

 
9780340766354: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain
View all copies of this ISBN edition:
 
 

This powerful and incisive account of the events of 1940, told through the voices, diaries, letters and memoirs of the men and women who survived it - and those who lost their lives - provides fascinating and often controversial new insights into the conflicts and the politics of the period. Finest Hour tells the story of how Britain's darkest hour eventually became its finest.



' Craig digs beneath the time-worn legend of stiff-upper-lip English pluckiness to show a far more complex, more human and more moving picture of the human spirit under stress. An intriguing collection of Britons, rich and poor, give vivid, wonderfully told examples of cowardice becoming valor, of shrapnel-swapping among blitz-happy schoolboys, of a summer of exceptional natural beauty and obscenely unnatural death ... The BBC have had their share of television triumphs. They have rarely, however, produced any finer hours than these.' - Washington Post

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

Review:
A defeated, retreating British Expeditionary Force, the miraculous evacuation at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the evacuation to America and the Blitz. You couldn't make the story of 1940 dull if you tried. But even the best material has to be threaded into a manageable narrative and Tim Clayton and Phil Craig don't disappoint. Finest Hour is never less than engaging and frequently does rather better. On the jacket blurb, Clayton and Craig seem keen to establish their bona fides as heavyweight historians and claim to have uncovered a "fresh and controversial" account of the political intrigues and betrayals of the period. There's actually nothing really controversial on offer--at least nothing that hasn't been aired elsewhere. If this comes as a disappointment to the authors, it need not to the reader because we are left with something just as, if not more, valuable, namely an accessible layperson's ride through the political and military manoeuvrings. Clayton and Craig are particularly good at guiding us through the early days of Churchill's premiership. Read most populist accounts and you would imagine that the moment Churchill took office the bulldog spirit took over and the plucky Brits stood resolute. Not so. The case for appeasement was still being made within the Cabinet up until the evacuation of Dunkirk, as Lord Halifax had a great deal of support for his conciliatory views. Bizarrely, the thing that ultimately counted against him was his title as it was felt the Upper House should not hold sway over the Commons. Where this book excels, though, is in the quality of its eyewitness testimonies. Many books have previously used this technique of threading narrative with the first person but few have found such eloquent speakers. Most eyewitnesses fudge the difficult bits with remarks like, "It was hell". Clayton and Craig's witnesses don't pull their punches. We hear of one Brit who shot a German officer in cold blood and had nightmares for ages afterwards. We hear of the sailor who saw his gunner decapitated. We experience the stench of burnt flesh following the shelling of an ambulance. In short, we are spared nothing. It may not be comfortable reading but you can't ignore it. 60 years after the men and women in these pages fought and died, there's a tendency for the rest of us to take the freedom they gave us for granted. They deserve a better memorial than a slow fading into nothingness. This book ensures they get it. --John Crace
Review:
Brilliant ... This highly informative, moving series should form part of the National Curriculum. (Daily Mail)

Beautifully made ... Achingly vivid. (Guardian)

This finely wrought PBS documentary is a remarkable story of determined, against-the-odds resistance, led by the staunch, inspirational Churchill. The producers tell it all in careful fashion, melding historical documents and experts, old footage, and, most powerfully, the testimony of regular folk who lived through it. Yes you can find WWII documentaries aplenty on cable these days. But you have to search long and hard to find one with this kind of richness in the reporting and craftsmanship in the telling. (Chicago Herald Tribune)

Manages to construct the tale in such a way that it breaks free of the text-book approach to transfix the viewer completely; the archive footage, the witness testimonies ...of such superior quality and so beautifully shot that the whole is fresh and absorbing ... Compiled with a pace that could put a lot of thrillers to shame, the result is television at its very best. (Time Out)

From fighter-pilots risking their lives in the skies above England, to squaddies stranded at Dunkirk, to schoolgirls sent abroad to Canada (the book is worth buying just for Bess Walder's account of horror and redemption aboard the City of Benares), this is riveting. (Sunday Express)

But Craig digs beneath the time-worn legend of stiff-upper-lip English pluckiness to show a far more complex, more human and more moving picture of the human spirit under stress. An intriguing collection of Britons, rich and poor, give vivid, wonderfully told examples of cowardice becoming valor, of shrapnel-swapping among blitz-happy schoolboys, of a summer of exceptional natural beauty and obscenely unnatural death ... WGBH Boston and the BBC, which teamed up with Brook Lapping Productions to retell this great and important story, have had their share of television triumphs. They have rarely, however, produced any finer hours than these. (Washington Post)

A wonderful oral history of Great Britain during the Dunkirk evacuation and the Battle of Britain in the tradition of Stephan Ambrose; recommended for all collections. (US Library Journal)

Compelling ... Mesmerizing stuff. (Sunday Telegraph)

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

  • PublisherHodder & Stoughton
  • Publication date2000
  • ISBN 10 0340766352
  • ISBN 13 9780340766354
  • BindingPaperback
  • Number of pages320
  • Rating
Buy Used
Condition: Good
Good condition. A copy that has... Learn more about this copy

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.

Destination, rates & speeds

Add to Basket

Other Popular Editions of the Same Title

9780340750414: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain

Featured Edition

ISBN 10:  ISBN 13:  9780340750414
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 1999
Hardcover

  • 9781444710199: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain (Extraordinary Lives, Extraordinary Stories of World War Two)

    Hodder..., 2011
    Softcover

  • 9780340769218: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain

    Coronet, 2001
    Softcover

  • 9781444710182: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain (Extraordinary Lives, Extraordinary Stories of World War Two)

    Hodder..., 2010
    Softcover

  • 9780340756027: Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain

    Hodder..., 1999
    Hardcover

Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace

Stock Image

Craig, Phil; Clayton, Tim
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Wonder Book
(Frederick, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: Good. Good condition. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains. Seller Inventory # V07C-02679

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 4.77
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Clayton, Tim
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
WorldofBooks
(Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR004536758

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 0.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.80
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Clayton, Tim
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
WorldofBooks
(Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. The book has been read but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact and the cover is intact. Some minor wear to the spine. Seller Inventory # GOR010450881

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 0.79
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.80
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Clayton, A. C.; Craig
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
The Maryland Book Bank
(Baltimore, MD, U.S.A.)

Book Description paperback. Condition: Very Good. New Ed. Used - Very Good. Seller Inventory # 2-R-5-0588

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 2.39
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 3.33
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Clayton, A. C.; Craig
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
HPB-Diamond
(Dallas, TX, U.S.A.)

Book Description paperback. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!. Seller Inventory # S_357886917

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.27
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 2.97
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Clayton, Tim, Craig, Phil
Published by Hodder Education Group (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Softcover Quantity: 1
Seller:
Better World Books
(Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.)

Book Description Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # GRP16788231

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 7.22
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: FREE
Within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Craig, Phil; Clayton, Tim
Published by - (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
AwesomeBooks
(Wallingford, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Very Good. Finest Hour: The bestselling story of the Battle of Britain This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780340766354

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.42
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 4.49
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Phil Craig, Tim Clayton
Published by Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Goldstone Books
(Llandybie, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Good. All orders are dispatched the following working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we have over 500,000 books in stock. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. Seller Inventory # mon0001179533

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 3.37
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 5.99
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Craig, Phil and Clayton, Tim
Published by Hodder and Stoughton (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 1
Seller:
Reuseabook
(Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Seller Inventory # CHL5906309

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 2.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 7.37
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds
Stock Image

Craig, Phil and Clayton, Tim
Published by Hodder and Stoughton (2000)
ISBN 10: 0340766352 ISBN 13: 9780340766354
Used Paperback Quantity: 3
Seller:
Reuseabook
(Gloucester, GLOS, United Kingdom)

Book Description Paperback. Condition: Used; Good. Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Seller Inventory # CHL981509

More information about this seller | Contact seller

Buy Used
£ 2.12
Convert currency

Add to Basket

Shipping: £ 7.37
From United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speeds

There are more copies of this book

View all search results for this book