麻豆约拍

The outstanding political biography of 2012 was Robert Caro鈥檚 The Years of Lyndon Johnson The Passage of Power Vol 4 (Bodley Head 拢30) which covers the period of his Vice Presidency and the first few months of his Presidency.听 As recommended by senior politicians ranging from Michael Howard to Gordon Brown.

George Osborne is a very professional politician and a member of what he calls 鈥渢he guild鈥�.听 Through talent, determination and ruthlessness he has reached the top in politics.听 Janan Ganesh of the FT has written George Osborne The Austerity Chancellor (Biteback 拢20) a biography which attempts to explain what makes the man tick.

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Jack Straw鈥檚 Last Man Standing Memoirs of a Political Survivor (Macmillan 拢20) is one of the best memoirs of a contemporary Labour politician, the Gromyko of his generation, even if at times he carefully navigates round some political and personal issues.

Another good memoir is Seb Coe鈥檚 Running My Life (Hodder 拢20)听 Driven to succeed by his own internal grit and a forceful father, an Olympic champion, Conservative MP, Chief of Staff to William Hague as Leader, businessman and then the man who delivered the Olympics to London and ensured their success.

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Michael Spicer served briefly as Margaret Thatcher鈥檚 PPS in the 1980s, then as a junior minister and over many years as a leading Eurosceptic before becoming Chairman of the 1922 Executive.听 The Spicer Diaries (Biteback 拢30) give a personal insight into the politics of three decades.

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Extracts from political diaries can be enjoyed in Ruth Winstone Events, Dear Boy, Events A Political Diary of Britain from Woolf to Campbell (Profile Books 拢25).听 Taken from over seventy diaries mostly kept by men, the editor speculates whether today鈥檚 diaries as we knew them have been replaced by the blog, Twitter and the Tweet.听 I hope not.

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Nick Robinson, the 麻豆约拍 Political Reporter, appears forever to have been commenting about and analysing politics and life in the Whitehall village.听 A consummate professional, his Live from Downing Street (Bantam Press 拢20) is both a memoir and a commentary on the relationship between the media and politicians, written however, before the publication of Leveson.

Patrick Leigh Fermor was a travel writer, raconteur, bon viveur and war hero, and a self educated polymath who loved Greece.听 Drawing on her personal friendship with Leigh Fermor, conversations with friends and access to his archives, Artemis Cooper has written a sparkling biography Patrick Leigh Fermor An Adventure (John Murray 拢25).

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Westminster A Biography From Earliest Times to the Present (Bloomsbury 拢20) by Robert Shepherd is a fascinating account of the development of a religious, royal and parliamentary village and provides an excellent bluffer鈥檚 guide for ministers and MPs desperate to impress constituents or overseas visitors.

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For anyone wanting a well written, absorbing narrative history of the medieval period of English history then The Plantagenets (Harper Press 拢25) by Dan Jones is a must.

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Elizabeth I faced both internal and external threats, not least a plethora of conspiracies.听 Her loyal servants Cecil and Walsingham protected her against conspiracies often using unscrupulous methods.听 Stephen Alford, biographer of William Cecil, has written The Watchers A Secret History of the Reign of Elizabeth (Allen Lane 拢20) which pieces together the conspiracies and how they were penetrated and destroyed.听 A useful Whips Guide.

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Queen Anne has had a bad press, partly due to the invective of Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, after she fell out of favour.听 Anne Somerset鈥檚 Queen Anne The Politics of Passion (Harper Press 拢25) quite rightly is a positive reassessment of the daughter of James, Duke of York, who although fated to have an unhappy private life, succeeded in establishing political stability after decades of turbulence.