Diaries of a Poor Judge of Character

Diaries of a Poor Judge of Character

by | Apr 3, 2022

Henry ‘Chips’ Channon: The Diaries (Volume Two): 1938–43 Edited by Simon Heffer. Hutchinson, 2021. Hardcover, 1120 pages, $45.90. Reviewed by John Rossi “Chips” Channon was born in Chicago in 1897 to a moderately wealthy family. During the First World War he served in...
A. J. P. Taylor’s History of England

A. J. P. Taylor’s History of England

by | Dec 5, 2021

The Book that Shaped the Study of England Between the Wars English History, 1914–1945. The Oxford History of England, Volume XV. by A. J. P. Taylor. Oxford University Press, 1965. By John Rossi Alan John Percivale Taylor (1906–1990) was the “bad boy” of the...
Ireland Since the Famine: An Appreciation

Ireland Since the Famine: An Appreciation

by | Jun 27, 2021

Ireland Since the Famine: 1850 to the Present by F. S. L. Lyons. Fontana Press, [1971] 1985. Paperback, 880 pages. Reviewed by John Rossi Fifty years ago, a book appeared that refined the writing and understanding of modern Irish history. F. S. L. Lyons’s...
A Splendid War Companion

A Splendid War Companion

by | Jan 31, 2021

Britain at Bay: The Epic Story of the Second World War, 1938–1941 By Alan Allport. Alfred A. Knopf, 2020. Hardcover, 590 pages, $35. Reviewed by John P. Rossi There is nothing an author fears more than that his or her book will appear shortly after one with a similar...
Churchill’s Summer of Destiny

Churchill’s Summer of Destiny

by | Oct 4, 2020

John P. Rossi Winston Churchill was the greatest orator of the twentieth century. His most famous speeches rank with those of giants like Lincoln and Martin Luther King. A master of rhetoric with a gift for the memorable phrase, six of his speeches were transformative...