Curzon

sirCurzon^ by David Gilmour is an outstanding biography. Although India was fortunate enough to have very brilliant and competent Governor Generals like Hastings, William Bentics , Lord Dalhousie and after 1858 very outstanding and knowledgeable Viceroys like Lord Canning Lord Mayo, Lor5d Landsdowne, and Lord Lyttens,George Nathaniel Curzon definitely occupied this place. He was appointed Viceroy of India(under British Raj) which was the Golden period of the Raj. Mr Curzon became very famous in India and India got best governance under him. Only Partition of Bengal was a solitary incident of his period. He was right choice of Salisbury and Queen Victoria who game him few piece of advice before he departed to India. He used to say ^ Let India be my judge^ and it was right that India judged him best Viceroy .When there was difference of opinion in Cabinet regarding who is Superior between Commander in chief and Viceroy , he decided to resign.David Gilmur has well researched his subject and worked very hard to make this biography a outstanding one. I have got second hand copy. The paper is very god and enduring. It is very fascinating, simple and full of facts.I have enjoyed it fully. It was very unfortunate that this genius could not be Prime Minister of Great Britain. Great Britain LOST Ireland It lost its power and pulp in Great War during his time. If anybody is interested in Great period of British Raj, he should read this biography.

Massive, authoritative account of the work of one of the giant figures of the British Empire at its height - a complex figure too, with a tragic side. Gilmour has huge knowledge of Briish India and it shows in this biography.

Excellent telling of a largely forgotten life well lived

Thoroughly researched, well written biography of this driven man.

Clear, well-evidenced biography giving a sympathetic but unsentimental portrait of this fascinating figure. Recommended.

Curzon by David Gilmour is very thorough and detailled account of the life of the greatest of the Indian Viceroys. Not a book to be skimmed through lightly but for anyone interested in trying to understand this complex personality, it is probably the most objective and informative biography available.

Fascinating book full of rich detail, especially during the time of Curzon's stint as Viceroy of India. Well researched and well written.

I read this after reading Charles Allen's recent book on the 1905 expedition to Tibet, which portrays both Younghusband & Curzon as arrogant self-aggrandising imperialists and I left with the same overall impression after this, although perhaps I would withdraw the self-aggrandising (of Curzon at least).Judged by this excellent biography, Curzon was an intelligent and somewhat more sympathetic individual than history has judged him but it's not at all surprising after reading this that he never made it to Prime Minister or that he deserved to be; he seems to have been one of those luckless individuals who have neither insight into others nor perceptions of his own impact on them and thus spent much of his career upsetting people even when he was right. Or perhaps he just never learnt to care.My only small complaint is that it's sometimes difficult to place Curzon in the context of contemporary developments within Bristish politics (eg the Tariff Reform camapaign which tore apart the Unionist party etc) but I suppose at 700 pages its long enough already.The publishers use the word "definitive" of this biography which seems fair if only because I can't imagine that he's a significant enought figure for anyone to bother again.