Johnson's Life of London

Author: Boris Johnson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101585684
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 269

Book Description
The exhilarating story of how London came to be one of the most exciting and influential places on earth—from the city’s colorful, witty, and well-known mayor. Once a swampland that the Romans could hardly be bothered to conquer, over the centuries London became an incomparably vibrant metropolis that has produced a steady stream of ingenious, original, and outsized figures who have shaped the world we know. Boris Johnson, the internationally beloved mayor of London, is the best possible guide to these colorful characters and the history in which they played such lively roles. Erudite and entertaining, he narrates the story of London as a kind of relay race. Beginning with the days when “a bunch of pushy Italian immigrants” created Londinium, he passes the torch on down through the famous and the infamous, the brilliant and the bizarre—from Hadrian to Samuel Johnson to Winston Churchill to the Rolling Stones—illuminating with unforgettable clarity the era each inhabited. He also pauses to shine a light on innovations that have contributed to the city’s incomparable vibrancy, from the King James Bible to the flush toilet. As wildly entertaining as it is informative, this is an irresistible account of the city and people that in large part shaped the world we know.

The Wit and Wisdom of Boris Johnson

Author: Harry Mount
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 1472976525
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 209

Book Description
A return to the wit and wisdom of Boris Johnson – Brexiteer, Foreign Secretary, Prime Minister. New and updated edition. 2019 – the year that Boris took on the 'lingering gloomadon-poppers', pledged to steer the UK between the 'Scylla and Charybdis of Corbyn and Farage' and into the calmer waters of political freedom. Of course there was always bound to be 'a bit of plaster coming off the ceilings of Europe's Chanceries'. Harry Mount has updated his edited collection of the Prime Minister's wit and wisdom with three new chapters dealing with Boris's time as Brexiteer-in-chief; Foreign Secretary and 'On the Threshold of Downing Street'. He describes Boris's Brexit campaign, his leadership breakdown in 2016, his ups and downs as Foreign Secretary, his time outside the political establishment, his turbulent private life and how Boris felt it was his manifest destiny to become the prime minister. So buckle up for a riotous tour of the million-pound NHS funder, golden wonder, pro-having, pro-eating blond behemoth. This is The Wit and Wisdom of Boris Johnson.

The Churchill Factor

Author: Boris Johnson
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1594633983
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Book Description
From London’s inimitable mayor, Boris Johnson, the New York Times–bestselling story of how Churchill’s eccentric genius shaped not only his world but our own. On the fiftieth anniversary of Churchill’s death, Boris Johnson celebrates the singular brilliance of one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century. Taking on the myths and misconceptions along with the outsized reality, he portrays—with characteristic wit and passion—a man of contagious bravery, breathtaking eloquence, matchless strategizing, and deep humanity. Fearless on the battlefield, Churchill had to be ordered by the king to stay out of action on D-day; he pioneered aerial bombing and few could match his experience in organizing violence on a colossal scale, yet he hated war and scorned politicians who had not experienced its horrors. He was the most famous journalist of his time and perhaps the greatest orator of all time, despite a lisp and the chronic depression he kept at bay by painting. His maneuvering positioned America for entry into World War II, even as it ushered in England’s postwar decline. His open-mindedness made him a trailblazer in health care, education, and social welfare, though he remained incorrigibly politically incorrect. Most of all, he was a rebuttal to the idea that history is the story of vast and impersonal forces; he is proof that one person—intrepid, ingenious, determined—can make all the difference.

The Dream of Rome

Author: Boris Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007224451
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 271

Book Description
The Romans created the most successful and longest-lasting empire in history. They conquered and civilised a territory that stretched from Scotland to Libya, from Portugal to Iraq - and then ran it for more than 400 years. The dream of Rome has lived on in the memory of European leaders ever since, and one after the other they have tried to imitate the Roman achievement. Charlemagne tried it. Napoleon tried it. And now the European Union can be seen as the latest attempt to rediscover the unity of the Roman empire. So how did the Romans pull it off? Boris Johnson has long been fascinated by the Roman achievement - how they managed to weld the peoples of Europe together, and how they created a cultural and political identity that is proving so elusive to us in Europe today. Here he presents an account of how they financed and organised the state. He explains the miraculous process by which people wanted to become Roman citizens and, for the first time, to share a common European identity.With minimal regulation, and a tiny bureaucracy, the Romans created the first single European market, complete with single currency - and all with an army that represented a very small percentage of the population. What was their magic? This is the first book to examine the Roman system in detail, as a way of casting light on the challenges we face today. It is full of the wonderful scenes and extraordinary characters who made our civilisation, and who still inspire the dream of Rome.

Boris

Author: Andrew Gimson
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0857207393
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 497

Book Description
THE MAKING OF A PRIME MINISTER 'My biography of the year' Michael Crick 'The scariest thing I've read since Silence of the Lambs' Ken Livingstone A brilliant and definitive biography of Boris Johnson, the politician who risked his career to lead the Brexit campaign, won the referendum, and finally became the new prime minister. In Andrew Gimson's acclaimed biography of the most colourful British politician of modern times, we are given a comprehensive portrait of the man. Despite tabloid controversies which led to him being dismissed from Michael Howard's shadow cabinet, Boris bounced back to win two terms as London mayor. It was a remarkable tribute to his huge personal popularity, and he was at the heart of things when London showcased itself during the 2012 Olympics. This updated edition of the book is a comprehensive insight into the dramatic political events of 2016. After Boris decided to join the Brexit campaign, which he led with Michael Gove, against all the predictions he secured a historic vote to leave the EU. Within a few tumultuous and unprecedented days, David Cameron resigned as prime minister, Boris was installed as favourite to succeed him - only for Gove to torpedo his challenge, and seemingly end his career. Yet when Theresa May took charge, she surprised many by appointing Boris as Foreign Secretary. Gimson's superb account not only takes the reader behind the scenes, it vividly brings to life one of the most extraordinary political careers in our history.

Boris Johnson

Author: Tom Bower
Publisher: W H Allen
ISBN: 9780753554920
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 594

Book Description

Seventy-two Virgins

Author: Boris Johnson
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007198051
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 340

Book Description
The American President, on a State Visit to Britain is giving a major address to a top-level audience in Westminster Hall. Ferocious security is provided by a joint force of the United States Secret Service and Scotland Yard. Then a stolen ambulance runs into trouble with the Parking Authorities. A hapless Member of Parliament, having mislaid his crucial pass, is barred from Westminster, his bicycle regarded as a potential lethal weapon. And a man going by the name of Jones, although born in Karachi, successfully slips through the barriers, and whole new ball game starts

Britannia Unchained

Author: Kwasi Kwarteng
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1137032243
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 152

Book Description
Britain is at a cross-roads; from the economy, to the education system, to social mobility, Britain must learn the rules of the 21st century, or face a slide into mediocrity. Brittania Unchained travels around the world, exploring the nations that are triumphing in this new age, seeking lessons Britain must implement to carve out a bright future.

The Essential Boris Johnson

Author: Boris Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 552

Book Description
He has also interviewed many of the key figures in the political and cultural worlds over the last sixteen years and addresses what these personalities tell of our age.

Just Boris

Author: Sonia Purnell
Publisher: Aurum
ISBN: 1845137418
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 360

Book Description
A major and controversial new biography of one of the most compelling and contradictory figures in modern British life. Born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, to most of us he is just ‘Boris’ – the only politician of the age to be regarded in such familiar, even affectionate terms. Uniquely, he combines comedy with erudition, gimlet-eyed focus with jokey self-deprecation, and is a loving family man with a roving eye. He is also a hugely ambitious figure with seemingly no huge ambitions to pursue – other than, perhaps, power itself. In this revealing biography, written from the vantage point of a once close colleague, Sonia Purnell examines how a shy, young boy from a broken home became our only box-office politician – and most unlikely sex god; how the Etonian product fond of Latin tags became a Man of the People – and why he wanted to be; how the gaffe-prone buffoon charmed Londonders to win the largest personal mandate Britain has ever seen; and how the Johnson family built our biggest – and blondest – media and political dynasty. The first forensic account of a remarkable rise to fame and power, Just Boris unravels this most compelling of political enigmas and asks whether the Mayor who dreams of crossing the Thames to Downing Street has what it takes to be Prime Minister.