Product Description

Since joining the House of Commons in 1950, Edward Heath has been at the centre of British political life - as Chief Whip, Minister of Labour, Lord Privy Seal, Leader of the Conservative Party, and Prime Minister from 1970 to 1974. Writing with great candour, he offers us valuable and entertaining insights into the events of the past sixty years; including taking Britain in to the EC, the changes in the Conservative Party and the great issues of policy at home and abroad, not least the beginnings of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Since leaving the premiership, he has maintained a central role in political and international affairs. Both as a record of an unequalled life of public service and as an important document of people and events, "The Course of My Life" is as entertaining as it is revealing.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2282425 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 800 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Edward Heath's autobiography is at times oddly impersonal; much of its emotional force has to do with a passion for setting the record straight. The son of a small builder, his Conservatism defined itself early on through his patriotism and passion for self-improvement. His travels in Europe as a young man filled him with a dread of the Nazis and he had, as they say, a good war. Just as his time in charge of firing squads put him off capital punishment, so the war made him a determined European; his premiership failed in many ways, but he did succeed in getting Britain into Europe.

His opposition to recent Conservative leaders is less the personal pique sometimes alleged than a determination not to see his legacy destroyed. His resolution not to let the Eurosceptics rewrite history sometimes bogs his story down in repetitive score-settling; given the charge of disloyalty so often made against him, it is legitimate that he establish his credentials. At the book's occasional best, he shows a dry humour and an unexpected sense of his own absurdity; there are some surprising vignettes as well, like Fidel Castro drunkenly ranting about his hero- worship of Winston Churchill, and Enoch Powell promising to break an NHS strike by importing Jamaican nurses. --Roz Kaveney

Review
'An account of his own life which crackles with interest, veracity and even feeling' -- Matthew Parris in the Sunday Telegraph 'A very personal work. It describes the fortunes and misfortunes of a remarkable patriot' -- Douglas Hurd in Times Literary Supplement

Douglas Hurd in Times Literary Supplement
‘A very personal work. It describes the fortunes and misfortunes of a remarkable patriot'

Customer Reviews

Great insight into the mind of a gentleman
From start to finish I was engrossed by the charm of a man whom has been ridiculed by most of the Britsh press and Thatcher's chronies. Admits his frailties, but has kept to what he has thought right, not always what you find in some people in the House. A truly, truly great read.

Intersting structure but useful all the same.
I felt that Sir Edward's book, although a welcome addition to the shelves of any student of politics or modern history, is written in a way that is poorly organised. Leaving the reader slightly curious at his unusual style of writing, it still contains some very useful chapters that kept me reading. Heath's premiership, was an important one for the UK as it lead us into the EEC and brought about the clash with the unions. The book deals with the complex issue of the original European negotiations and with his role as Chief Whip in the Suez Crisis of 1956. It is worth buying to read his views on how the crisis could have thrown the party into opposition. When reading the earlier chapters readers can appreciate fully quite how long Sir Edward's career and involvement in politics has been. His involvement after his premiership is considerable and covers many areas. Although I have read Heath's book a better suggestion is John Campbell's 'Edward Heath A Biography' which gives a good account of the key elements with a better structure and is much easier to read. I didn't find 'The course of my Life' an easy book to read at all.

A late autobiography from Ted Heath
Former prime ministers usually publish their autobiographies shortly after leaving office. Then they can get the best advance from a publisher with maximum interest from readers. It is nearly 25 years since Ted Heath was prime minister and only those over 38 will remember or probably be interested. Therefore this book is excluded from a large part of the market. But as the cover says, it is a revealing panoply of twentieth-century political, international and social history. It is not a particularly light read and most people may prefer not to read the whole book. But it is an important book because Heath was in power at such a crucial time in Britain's economic history. The trade unions won the first war against the Conservative Party and the book records this from Heath's point of view. History's view of Ted Heath will not be particularly kind because he lost that battle he should have won. If he had won it things would have been so different. In truth he did not deserve to win, as the decision he made to declare a three-day week and power cuts ranks as one of the most ludicrous by a prime minister this century. Unfortunately that is his legacy. This is an important book but only for those with a more than passing interest in politics.