Enigmatic Edwardian Reginald Esher

by James Lees-Milne

Book Overview

A biography of Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher who for nearly 30 years exerted an incredible influence on British royalty and politics. The intimate of every Prime Minister from Rosebery to Stanley... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0283997389
• ISBN13: 9780283997389
• Release Date: January 1988
• Publisher: Sidgwich & Jackson Ltd
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Great biography by a courageous biographer

James Lees-Milne was the 20th century's greatest diarist. Less well known today are his huge and diverse collection of other works, which range from novels to architectural criticism to biography. It is surprising to me that a. Reggie Esher wasn't arrested and locked away forever, or b. at least socially ostracized, and c. that many people in British society ever spoke to the author of his biography again. The "enigma" of Esher was his bizarre combination of out and out (and I do mean pretty much "out") bizarre sexual interests combined with a broad and almost unfathomable influence in society and politics. Lees-Milne, as always, writes beautifully, but one is even more in awe of his courage in choosing to write such an honest book rather than the somewhat hagiographical biographies of members of great families which pass for biography in the upper strata UK life today. Mind you, James would have never written as bluntly about Debo and Andrew Devonshire.