'Hurd has produced a fascinating glimpse of Georgian/Victorian Britain which deserves commendation for its attention to details and clear exposition of the life of one of Britain's great prime ministers and political reformers

'Hurd's impressive and entertaining biography.' (John Stevens THE TIMES )

'Hurd delivers a vivid and readable portrait of a semi-modern British titan. This biography is elegantly written, well researched and (usually) admirably sensible in its judgements.' (Simon Sebag Montefiore THE NEW STATESMAN )

'intelligent rich reding with a lovely droll tone.' (Duncan Fallowell THE DAILY EXPRSS )

'The author has a good grasp of the period, he has done a great deal of homework, and he has shaped the story magnificiently.' (AN Wilson THE DAILY MAIL )

'Hurd's portrait of Peel is sympathetic, pleasantly written and generally judicious in its judgements' (Harry Reid THE GLASGOW HERALD )

'Hurd's analysis of Conservative ultras up to the present day is illuminating..... It has certainly not surprised Hurd, who has made a useful contribution to our understanding of this midwife to modern and post-modern policing.' (John Grieve THE GUARDIAN )

'Douglas Hurd's fascinating, eminenty readable biography of Peel' (THE ECONOMIST )

'Hurd writes well, and the book has the merit of bringing Peel alive as a human being.' (Jane Ridley THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'this warm, sensible biography of Peel does a fine job of rescuing an important figure from relative obscurity.' (Dominic Sandbrook THE DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'Hurd's finely judged biography.' (Blair Worden THE SPECTATOR )

'competently researched, well written and thoughtful reassessement of a major 19th century statesman.' (Keith Simpson HOUSE MAGAZINE )

'The book is rich in every respect.' (Mark Stuart THE SCOTSMAN )

'Hurd has produced a fascinating glimpse of Georgian/Victorian Britain which deserves commendation for its attention to details and clear exposition of the life of one of Britain's great prime ministers and political reformers (Lord MacKenzie of Framwellgate Jane's Police Review )

'Hurd's biography of Peel canters through his career, and is liberally interspersed with contemporary observations.' (Martin Mansergh THE IRISH TIMES )

'As an established novelist it is not surprising that Hurd's book is any easy read.' (Ronan O'Brien SUNDAY TRIBUNE )

'The author has a good grasp of the period, he has done a great deal of homework, and he has shaped the story magnificiently.'

'Hurd's portrait of Peel is sympathetic, pleasantly written and generally judicious in its judgements'

'Hurd's analysis of Conservative ultras up to the present day is illuminating..... It has certainly not surprised Hurd, who has made a useful contribution to our understanding of this midwife to modern and post-modern policing.'

'Douglas Hurd's fascinating, eminenty readable biography of Peel'

'Hurd writes well, and the book has the merit of bringing Peel alive as a human being.'

'this warm, sensible biography of Peel does a fine job of rescuing an important figure from relative obscurity.'

'Hurd's finely judged biography.'

'competently researched, well written and thoughtful reassessement of a major 19th century statesman.'

2008-06-22 Opens up the complexities of the time and brilliantly introduces a man of a great stature

I can remember at school feeling that history became far too complicated for mortal (and schoolboy minds) when it reached the early to middle of the Victorian era - one could more or less understand (if not necessarily approve of) the expansionist vision of a British globe - but mention things like the Corn laws and the battles between Whigs and Tories and how they transmuted into Liberal and Conservatives, and my eyes would glaze over with confusion and exhaustion.

Having felt the need to rectify this ignorance, I found that the process (through this book) brought both pleasure and insight. History is more than that of merely the stories of 'great men' (or women) - but like Pitt a few years before him, Peel had the most extraordinary impact on Britain and her allies and occasional foes (so much so that there was a unique adjournment of the French Assembly on the news of his death). Obsessive about factual detail and political argument, he was always prepared to change his mind (at huge political cost) if the arguments warranted it. This was a man of extraordinary political courage coupled with level-headed shrewdness.

Hurd's narrative trips along nicely - full (as many reviewers have rightly noted) of contemporary symmetries and allusions (as only a former politician can provide - cf Hague's Pitt the Younger and Jenkins' Churchill). A joy to read.