The eighth and final volume of the Official Churchill Biography, NEVER DESPAIR (1945-1965),’ by Sir Martin Gilbert, was published in 1988, a culminating event that we celebrated with the author in a publishing party at the store. Begun by Churchill’s son Randolph (Volumes I and II), The Official Biography was completed (Volumes III-VIII) by Sir Martin Gilbert, whose great achievement it remains; the ultimate source work about Winston Churchill, and the longest biography ever published (the actual Guinness record holder).

We sadly lost Sir Martin, one of Chartwell Booksellers’ greatest friends and an inspiration to the store always, in 2015.

We are honored to have his widow, ESTHER, LADY GILBERT, as our guest reader for NEVER DESPAIR.

Lady Mary Soames, Winston Churchill’s youngest daughter, was a friend of Chartwell Booksellers from our inception. She dropped in often when she was in town, always unannounced, to check on sales of her books and sign copies. She was utterly down to earth and altogether charming.

Her first authored work was a biography of her mother, CLEMENTINE CHURCHILL, which came out in 1979, four years before we opened. We have carried it continuously ever after. She followed this with a delightfully offbeat biography of the Churchill family’s most dissolute ancestor, THE PROFLIGATE DUKE:George Spencer Churchill, Fifth Duke of Marlborough, and his Duchess, published in 1987, our fifth year of existence. It is the next book in our 40th Readings at Chartwell Booksellers video series, as read by her son, Rupert Soames.

In 1986, Sir Martin Gilbert published ROAD TO VICTORY (1941-1945), the seventh volume of his Official Churchill Biography; a great occasion that we marked with a publishing party at the store for the book and for Sir Martin.

Begun by Churchill’s son, Randolph (Volumes I and II), The Official Biography was completed (Volumes III-VIII) by Sir Martin Gilbert, whose great achievement it remains — the ultimate source work about Winston Churchill and the longest biography ever written (the actual Guinness record holder).

We sadly lost Sir Martin in 2015 — one of Chartwell Booksellers’ greatest friends and an inspiration to the store always. We are honored to have his widow as our next guest reader, ESTHER, LADY GILBERT, for ROAD TO VICTORY.

ROAD TO VICTORY (1941-1945) commences with Winston Churchill learning of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and concludes with his celebration of V-E Day in London on May 8, 1945, and the end of the war in Europe. It is the first of two volumes of The Official Biography that we were privileged to premiere at Chartwell Booksellers.