How will the results of the American mid-term elections affect the country and the world? Sir Martin's graphic history in 163 maps give the “back story”.
Receive a 20% discount
From Routledge.com
For the month of December 2018
Enter code DC360 at checkout.
August 1932: … as part of the research for his Marlborough biography, Churchill left England for Germany, and for a visit to the battlefields of Blenheim. With him on this expedition went Clementine, Sarah, Randolph, Prof [Lindemann], and a leading military historian, Lieutenant-Colonel Packenham-Walsh.
After visiting Marlborough's early battle triumphs, Ramilles and Oudenarde – in Belgium and Holland – the party drove on to Munich, before proceeding southwards to Blenheim. While they were in Munich, Randolph was keen to set up a meeting between his father and Hitler.
Adolph Hitler salutes, while two SS men hold back an excited crowd.
Circa 1932, Fox Photos Ltd
Sir Martin talks about The Atlas of American History:
From Esther Gilbert
The Mail Bag
It is now nearly four years since Martin died, and six and a half since he published a word. But I am continually amazed at how his work and his reputation for being, in Dennis Prager's words, an “honest writer” continue to hold sway and to be quoted, consulted, and relied upon. I have tried in these newsletters, to call attention to these varied “honourable mentions”, in the Web Citings below. I never know what will turn up, but something always does.
Because of the EU's change in data protection laws, it seems that some online articles are no longer accessible. This has led to an exchange of emails with those publishers in order to get permission to see and quote from their articles.
Martin with the Nemon bust of Churchill, photo courtesy Lady Young.
Read Gilbert
Corrections Made & Accepted
In response to a piece by Richard Verber of the United Synagogue on their website regarding the number of synagogues destroyed during Kristallnacht: “We welcome reader feedback and I want to share something I received from Lady Esther Gilbert, the wife of the late, great Sir Martin Gilbert, who was in touch to point out Sir Martin's extraordinary research which shows that the often-quoted figure of 267 synagogues destroyed on Kristallnacht is wildly inaccurate. In fact, all shuls in Germany were attacked, totalling well over 1,000. The article is well worth a read.”
Correction from Yael Driver on my Jewish Brigade at Westminster Field of Remembrance piece who writes that she is “the daughter of the late Gen. Shlomo Shamir at the time the commander of the Jewish Brigade on behalf of the Jewish institutions in Palestine.” She further explained “The formal British Commander was Brig. Benjamin and that the two positions should not be confused.” Corrections on the website now made – thanks Yael.
Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev (on the right) speaks to Lavi Melman (on the left) and Roy Van-Gelder (centre), both of whom are related to Jewish Brigade soldiers who were killed in North Italy in 1945, at the Westminster Field of Remembrance,
8 November 2018.
“On November 10, 1938 — an infamous night known to history as “Kristallnacht” — a wave of Nazi-orchestrated, pre-planned deadly riots and arson attacks against Jews took place against Jews throughout Germany and Austria. The pre-eminent historian Martin Gilbert describes how in the ancient German city of Worms, Herta Mansbacher, the assistant principal of the Jewish school, was among those who managed to put out the raging fire that had been lit in one of the synagogues, but a gang of louts soon arrived to light it again.”
“According to the historian Martin Gilbert, 'Kristallnacht was the culmination of more than five years and nine months of systematic discrimination and persecution.'”
READ: Kristallnacht The Richmond Times-Dispatch, richmond.com, “Events today mirror evils of 80 years ago” by Tommy P. Bauer, posted 9 November 2018:
“Hannah Arendt called it the banality of evil. Author Martin Gilbert called it the collapse of morality, 'an indication of what happens when a society falls victim to its baser instincts.'”
READ: Kristallnacht The Mountaineer, mountaineer.com, “The war to end all wars”, by Jim Janke, posted 11 November 2018:
“First World War: A Complete History (Martin Gilbert) covers not just the military aspects of the war, but also diplomatic maneuvering and political issues. Battles are summarized, not detailed, but plenty of small unit action reports are included so you get a good feel for what life was like in the trenches. Gilbert places somewhat more emphasis on British and American operations than those of other combatants, but this book is still recommended as an excellent overall history.”
READ: First World War Washington Times, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/nov/13/from-churchill-to-trump/, “From Churchill to Trump” by R. Emmett Tyrrell, Jr., posted 13 November 2018:
“As Roberts will be quick to say, his Churchill is written on the foundations laid by the writing of Martin Gilbert, Churchill's official biographer who died a few years ago, and on the insights of half a dozen other astute historians.”
“At age 23, she began working for Sir Martin Gilbert, British historian and official Churchill biographer, and then met Larry Arnn, who was studying under Gilbert at the time.”
“And as regards the Bengal famine, Churchill's official biographer, the late Sir Martin Gilbert, whom I personally knew to be among the most honest writers I ever met, said:
'Churchill was not responsible for the Bengal Famine. I have been searching for this evidence for years; none has turned up. The 1944 Document volume of the official biography [Hillsdale College Press] Will resolve this issue finally.' ”
“In his [her] article 'Why is the story of the Jewish refugees so little known?' (November 25), Lyn Julius seems unaware of In Ishmael's House, the comprehensive and highly informative history of Jews in Muslim lands before Islam to today by Martin Gilbert. There were periods of trust, mutual benefit, quiet, as well as terrible oppression, murder, degradation and exile. This book is eye-opening; I recommend it to Julius and your readers.”
READ: In Ishmael's House The Jewish Chronicle, https://www.thejc.com/culture/books/book-review-churchill-walking-with-destiny-1.472568, "Book Review: Churchill, Walking With Destiny, by Stephen Pollard, posted, 18 November 2018:
"Churchill must be the most written about figure ever, with over 1,000 biographies, from Sir Martin Gilbert's magisterial multi-volume collection to many others ...."
READ: Churchill, A Life The Independent, Dublin, https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books/book-reviews/churchill-a-frolicking-dev-and-the-bellringing-irish-suffragette-37556741.html, "Churchill, a 'frolicking' Dev and the bell-ringing Irish suffragette", book review of Churchill, Walking With Destiny, by Frank MacGabhann, posted 25 November 2018:
"The author reveals that 1,009 biographies of Churchill have been written since 1905. The question is inevitably posed - 'Why 1,010?' Martin Gilbert wrote nearly 20 volumes on Churchill."
READ: Churchill, A Life The Times of Israel, https://www.timesofisrael.com/does-britains-focus-on-the-kindertransport-hide-a-guilty-conscience/, "Does Britain's focus on the Kindertransport hide a guilty conscience?" by Robert Philpot, posted 26 November 2018:
"As one of the most eminent historians of the Holocaust, the late Martin Gilbert argued: 'No other country made such an effort to take in Jewish children as Britain.'"
What's Happening at the
Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
Highgate Educational Programme
In Conjunction with the Sir Martin Gilbert Learning Centre
80 Years On: Lessons Learnt from the Kindertransport
Tuesday 04 December, 8.00pm - 9.30pm
On Tuesday, Rebecca Singer, Head of Communications and Community at World Jewish Relief, will talk about the monumental events 80 years ago, and show examples from the archives that deal with most of the 10,000 children who came to the UK through the Kindertransports.
During the evening, we will also be privileged to hear stories from three of our members Elsa Shamash, Jackie Sheldon and Feodor Scheinmann who arrived in the UK via this scheme.
Led by Professor Shirli Gilbert, Head of Jewish Studies, University of Southampton; a seminar-type class with readings, a short lecture and lively discussion.
December On This Day
An historical event in December for each of Sir Martin's book collections:
