Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #80231 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

TATLER
"his diaries are a scream... Gorge yourself on his son's finely tuned edition"

Review
"fascinating for two things: their testament to an exhilarating century and their witness to a vanished age of power and privilege... What a man." (THE OBSERVER - PAPERBACK OF THE WEEK )

"Cooper offers a view on some of the political issues which dominated the first half of the 20th century... as well as an insight into his extravagant social life."

'This is a fabulous, jaw-dropping read.' (Robbie Hudson SUNDAY TIMES )

"compelling" (DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'Duff Cooper was as close to the action as anyone during the dramatic events of the mid-20th century. He was also comically priapic, commiting enough sexual indiscretions to fill a dozen diaries.' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

"He discusses serious things intelligently, and casts and glittering and laconic light on a lost world of luxury and highly strung affairs, many of them his own." (SUNDAY TIMES )

"it's the combination of the public with the personal that makes these diaries riveting." (MAIL ON SUNDAY )

SELINA HASTINGS, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
"a portrait of an equable, intelligent man, by profession a diplomat and politician, in private, a dedicated hedonist, a reckless gambler and bon viveur, with a profound love of literature and an insatiable appetite for beautiful women... good diaries, candid and courageous... as his son, John Julius Norwich, writes in an excellent Introduction."

Customer Reviews

Interesting and Insightful
I chose this book on a whim after seeing it in a bookshop. Although I barely knew anything about Duff Cooper I was instantly attracted by the anecdotes and events chronicled in this unique collection of diaries. Duff Cooper was witness to the most key events in Britain's history between 1914-1950, including his experience on the front line in WW1. Throughout Cooper describes the social scene that he belonged to and the famous faces he frequently met and became friends with.

Although Duff Cooper may not seem an easy man to like, his diaries are gripping. Like the biographies of the Mitford Girls these diaries give an insight into an almost forgotten world. The book is excellently edited with handy footnotes to explain the people Cooper encounters. Easy to dip in and out of this book is a must for anyone who wants an inside look into the private lives of politicians and a taste of life during and between the wars.

What a lucky man
I read a lot of diaries and this one is well up there with the most informative and entertaining. I found Cooper to be a man who grew up during the course of these diaries and from playboy status became a very thoughtful minister at the time of impending war with Germany.
Fascinating to hear of his obsessions with women,good food and drink. Not perhaps a nice man as he clearly cheated on his beautiful wife many times.
The insights into relationships with important figures of the day are a helpful aid to understanding these complicated personalities. If you like diaries please try Harold Nicholson's they are probably better and more carefully written and cover a similar period of time.