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Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
Leo McKinstry
€ 17.99
€ 13.12
FREE Delivery in Ireland
Description for Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
Paperback. The gripping saga of the plane that carried Britain through the Second World War. Num Pages: 464 pages, Illustrations, ports. BIC Classification: WGM. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 29. Weight in Grams: 318.
In June 1940, the German Army had brought the rest of Europe to its knees. 'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world will move forward into broad, sunlit uplands,' said Churchill. The future of Europe depended on Britain. A self-confident Herman Goering thought that it would be only a matter of weeks before his planes had forced Britain to surrender. The courage, resourcefulness and brilliant organisation of the RAF were to prove him wrong. By late September 1940, the RAF had proved invincible, thanks to the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire. It exceeded anything that any other air force possessed. RJ Mitchell, a shy and almost painfully modest engineer, was the genius behind the Spitfire. On the 5th March 1936, following its successful maiden flight, a legend was born. Prize-winning historian Leo McKinstry's vivid history of the Spitfire brings together a rich cast of characters and first hand testimonies. It is a tale full of drama and heroism, of glory and tragedy, with the main protagonist the remarkable plane that played a crucial role in saving Britain.
Product Details
Publisher
John Murray Publishers Ltd United Kingdom
Number of pages
448
Format
Paperback
Publication date
2008
Condition
New
Number of Pages
464
Place of Publication
London, United Kingdom
ISBN
9780719568756
SKU
V9780719568756
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 5 to 9 working days
Ref
99-99
About Leo McKinstry
Leo McKinstry writes regularly for the Daily Mail, Sunday Telegraph and The Spectator . He has also written five books including a study of the Labour Party and a best-selling biography of the footballing Charlton brothers. Born in Belfast he was educated in Ireland and at Cambridge University.
Reviews for Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
'Admirable biography of a paradoxical figure whose tenure at No 10 was a disaster'
Jeremy Lewis, Sunday Times
'It does a wonderful job of conjuring up the lost world of late Victorian politics'
Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph
'This is undoubtably the definitive biography of Rosebery. Written with elegance, clarity and well-judged colour'
Jonathan Parry, Times Literary Supplement
'Judicious, well-researched and engrossing'
Sunday Times
'Remarkable'
Country Life
'A first class biography, scholarly, judicious and always interesting'
Glasgow Herald
'An absolutely wonderful biography ... gripping and entertaining'
Evening Standard
Superbly well-researched and well-written ... A truly first-class addition to the genre of Prime Ministerial biography
Sunday Telegraph
An authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read'
Spectator
With masterly skill and sympathy, Leo McKinstry resurrects him as the Hamlet of late Victorian England
Daily Mail
Absorbing ... McKinstry has here proved himself to be a first-class historical biographer
Mail on Sunday
Stunning ... As well as being meticulously researched, it is beautifully written and has tremendous pace
Literary Review
Praise for ROSEBERY:
.
Jeremy Lewis, Sunday Times
'It does a wonderful job of conjuring up the lost world of late Victorian politics'
Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Telegraph
'This is undoubtably the definitive biography of Rosebery. Written with elegance, clarity and well-judged colour'
Jonathan Parry, Times Literary Supplement
'Judicious, well-researched and engrossing'
Sunday Times
'Remarkable'
Country Life
'A first class biography, scholarly, judicious and always interesting'
Glasgow Herald
'An absolutely wonderful biography ... gripping and entertaining'
Evening Standard
Superbly well-researched and well-written ... A truly first-class addition to the genre of Prime Ministerial biography
Sunday Telegraph
An authoritative and original biography which is also a riveting read'
Spectator
With masterly skill and sympathy, Leo McKinstry resurrects him as the Hamlet of late Victorian England
Daily Mail
Absorbing ... McKinstry has here proved himself to be a first-class historical biographer
Mail on Sunday
Stunning ... As well as being meticulously researched, it is beautifully written and has tremendous pace
Literary Review
Praise for ROSEBERY:
.