Historian William Manchester, biographer of Churchill, dies at 82

Associated Press | June 1, 2004

[HAL9000]

Thank you, William Manchester, for "The Last Lion", "The Arms of Krupp" and "A World Lit Only By Fire".

[Mike Darancette]

He belongs to the ages.

[Cicero]

I would have said that the Kennedy book was his best known. It looks as if Camelot is dropping further out of favor.

[GOPrincess]

I read THE DEATH OF A PRESIDENT when I was 10 or 11...to that point in my life it was the biggest book I had ever read...

[Doctor Stochastic]

I read "The Arms of Krupp" and something else about 40 years ago. Manchester seemed to be more of a popularizer than a historian. These two were enough to put him on the don't bother list.

[Little Bill]

I have read all of the books that he has written, good stuff from the FDR rat side, brave man, a parting Semper Fi, Marine.

[tet68]

Goodby, Darkness.
Semper Fi MARINE!

[GSlob]

Since what time is JFK a 20th century giant? Even his sex escapades were at most AAA league level, the rest was even more modest.

[oyez]

I read "The Glory and the Dream", "The Arms of Krupp" and (somebody help me, I can't recall the title)the one about his exploits in the Pacific in WWII.

ex-Marine

One last SIMPER FI!

[Jimmy Valentine]

Amen. He was some author. However no one finds such well constructed and enjoyable prose easy in my estimation.

Like many of the very best of those who truly command the English language, I suspect that he labored very and very hard at it.

I have re-read his books many times and never tire of his elegant and enjoyable prose.

Regards,

[veronica]

"The Death of a President," is a masterpiece. The Kennedys harrassed him until he removed some of the more graphic and intimate material, but it remained a brilliant and chilling account of the assassination, and the days leading up to it.

[Atlas Sneezed]

"The Glory and the Dream" was a memorable book I read just out of college, years ago, and it inspired and taught me about 20th century US history in a way that no history course had before.

[DallasMike]

His Churchill books were excellent.

[Republic If You Can Keep It]

I feel the same about "Goodbye, Darkness".......a truly exceptional book.

We have lost a great writer.

[TheDon]

"Two strokes prevented Manchester from completing the much-anticipated third volume, covering most of the World War II years."

I enjoyed the first two volumes and was saddened to learn Mr. Manchester would be unable to finish the third volume due to his poor health. RIP Mr. Manchester.

[Tennessean4Bush]

"A World Lit Only By Fire" and the series on Churchill are fantastic. "Arms of Krupp" is a fascinating series but difficult to wade through in spots. Great writer.

[Califelephant]

Just finished the first book and beginning the second of The Last Lion Churchill bios. Brilliant. They bring Churchill and his times to life, and that's what I want from a biography.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

At the time, and for a long time after his death, I loved and appreciated JFK ...the one I had become aware of through TV.

I had even started my 'After High School Graduation' Summer of 1960 by gleefully shaking hands with Presidential Nominee JFK on the day he accepted his party's Presidential Nomination in Los Angeles.

The next deacde we saw JFK Friend, and then Editor of the Washington Post, BEN BRADLEY go after President NIXON during Watergate in "ALL THE PRESIDENT's MEN" ..saying that NIXON's actions were endangering our country.

Only now are we finally learning that BEN BRADLEY knew all along that his married friend, President JFK, was regularly sleeping with BRADLEY's Sister-in-Law the entire time JFK was in the White House.

Now, I wonder, whose actions were posing the real danger to our country..?

.

[IndyTiger]

One of my favorite writers. A few years ago at a library book sale I picked up a copy of "Controversy", written a few years after "The Death of a President", where Manchester wrote about his experiences with the Kennedys. "Goodbye Darkness" is just a terrific narrative of his WWII Pacific experiences. The first chapter of "The Last Lion" may just be my favorite chapter of any book I own. Reading it just makes Churchill come alive.