Facts About the British Prime Ministers: A Compilation of Biographical and Historical Information - Hardcover

After a detailed introduction, which gives the history, significance, residences, and so on for the office of prime minister, each holder of the office is allocated 10 or more pages of closely printed text. These include a photo, a coat of arms, and a summary of overall performance. This is followed by details of ancestry, dates of birth and marriage, appointment as M.P. and as P.M., number of years in office, and similar data. Then is given a detailed account of the individual's career, political activity, and experience as a minister, with sociopolitical events, day by day, during his or her career. Several paragraphs outline education, finances, hobbies, honors, residences, memorials (statues, portraits, etc.), followed by a long section of anecdotes and quotations, and finally a bibliography. At the end is a "Comparative Data" section, listing every scrap of information a curious reader might desire, such as the age of the ministers' wives at marriage, how many were sons of peers, what ranks of knighthood each attained, and who had the longest and shortest terms in office. Finally, there is an excellent index.

The level of detail here may be matched only by reference works on our presidents. But as librarians are aware, information about such people as Robert Walpole, the Duke of Wellington, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, and Winston Churchill is of great importance to students of world history. The value of this book to researchers in British political history cannot be overestimated, and the work is strongly recommended for all academic libraries and for public libraries where there is interest.