"As a war correspondent in London during the worst days of the blitz," writes Quentin Reynolds, "I saw what one great human being—namely, Winston Churchill—could do to hold together a nation literally on the verge of being annihilated."

Here is the story of this great man's "finest hour" during the troubled years of World War II, as well as countless other highlights of his long, many-faceted career. From rebellious schoolboy to daring young solider, author, politician, historian and statesman, the reader follows Winston Churchill through more than a half-century of stormy, courageous and colorful leadership in peace and war.

From the inside of the book