In 1930 Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, then age 56 and destined to live another 34 years, looked back on his first 30 years. Of this place I can give very clear descriptions, though I have never been there since I was four or four and a half. Somewhat unexpectedly, the sections which fascinated me were those detailing ordinary life (using the term loosely, given that he was the son of a lord), and the sections I found dull were those detailing his military exploits. He wrote to Stanley Baldwin, "I have had a delightful month - building a cottage and dictating a book: 200 bricks and 2000 words per day.

This book was an interesting look at Churchill's formative years, education, army experiences, and early political life. The narrative ends with Churchill beginning his time in the House of Commons as a Conservative MP, although in most respects his views were more aligned with those of the Liberals. Upon rolling out, we are delivered to parts of the empire as diverse as India, Egypt, Sudan and South Africa where he served jointly as an officer and reporter. First edition, first impression, in a very presentable example of the extremely rare dust jacket, retaining much of its vibrant colour. Churchill’s account of his remarkably adventurous youth leaves one with a sense of nostalgia for a bygone age when confident British gentlemen, who knew their place in the world, were driven by duty, honour and noblesse-oblige to leave their mark upon the Empire.You will make all kinds of mistakes; but as long as you are generous and true, and also fierce, you cannot hurt the world or even seriously distress her. I understood definitely that he had blown up all sorts of things and was therefore a very great man. Nu s-a remarcat cu aproape nimic deosebit în copilăria sa, defapt, chiar opusul, era codaș în mai multe domenii, și mi-a fost greu să înțeleg cum a putut deveni omul care s-a remarcat atât de mult în a doua parte a vieții. And if you know little of Churchill beside the old guy with a cigar, flashing the 'V' sign, then you are in for a treat. Vietomis požiūris į kai kuriuos dalykus stebina, bet supranti, kad būtent taip tuomet viskas ir atrodė.

In retrospect these years form not only the least agreeable, but the only barren and unhappy period of my life…. It was an unending spell of worries that did not then seem petty, and of toil uncheered by fruition; a time of discomfort, restriction and purposeless monotony. Nesigailiu skaitęs , nes sužinojau šį tą naujo apie šį siaubūną, tačiau autoriaus šališkumas ir nutylėjimai buvo daugiau nei neatleistini.Although much of this book held my interest, my attention flagged during Churchill's lengthy descriptions of the military maneuvers during the Boer Wars. Apparently he barely survived many times, before rushing off to India to play in an army polo tournament, where he scored the winning goal, despite an incapacitated shoulder. The plum-colored binding of all six printings of the first edition proved especially susceptible to fading, soiling, and wear.

Thank goodness,in their eagerness to follow the British school system,Pakistani schools at least,were not teaching Latin and Greek. Whilst thoroughly entertaining, many of Churchills’ views on war, empire, and the non-white races are repugnant if viewed purely though a 21st Century liberal lens. My Early Life not only gives readers insights into the shaping of a great leader but, as Churchill himself wrote, “a picture of a vanished age. Gerai, kai autorius autobiografinėje knygoje atvirauja, bet mane šiek tiek neigiamai Čerčilio, kaip jaunos asmenybės, vystymesi nuteikė dažni pakartojimai: „Mano motina panaudojo savo turimą įtaką mano siekiams tenkinti“ (ji daugelio įtakingų vyriškių meilužė). A prolific author, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953 for his own historical writings, "for his mastery of historical and biographical description as well as for brilliant oratory in defending exalted human values.The section on his time as a prisoner of war of the Boers and his subsequent escape were the highlight of the book for me.