Margaret Thatcher (The Authorized Biography)

Charles Moore’s authorized biography of Britain’s first woman prime minister, now in a single volume. 

“Not merely the authorized biography, Moore’s is the definitive biography of Thatcher, and perhaps one of the definitive books about Britain in the late twentieth century.” —Anne Applebaum, New York Review of Books  

With unparalleled authority and dramatic detail, Charles Moore’s biography of Margaret Thatcher presents the whole history of the woman who transformed Britain and the world. With unique access to Thatcher’s private and governmental papers and interviews with her, her family, and her colleagues, Moore gives readers an unsurpassed portrait of her early years, her rise to power, and her revolutionary years as prime minister.  

Moore guides us through Thatcher’s economic battles to her zenith at the Falklands crisis, her extraordinary three election victories, and her dramatic final days in office. He also illuminates Thatcher’s pivotal global role—including her influential friendship with Ronald Reagan, the end of the Cold War, and the fierce battle over Europe’s future. He shows how she pioneered privatization and how “Thatcherism” became both welcomed and contested across the world. Throughout, Moore illuminates Thatcher’s complex and determined character—and the challenges she faced as a woman in a male-dominated world—but is by no means uncritical. He shows what was remarkable about her and what was infuriating, her extraordinary strengths, and her sometimes surprising vulnerability.  

This edition combines the insights of the original three volumes, providing a comprehensive portrait of one of the most influential figures of her age, whose life reminds us today of the power of great leadership.