Illustration by Barbara Gibson
Suppose you are a writer and must contribute to the series recently launched by Swift Press of short biographies of British prime ministers. Perhaps it is a naive suggestion, but the most attractive prospect for the intellectually curious would be a leader with too little brand recognition even to be a question in a pub quiz. It would certainly open most readers’ eyes to delve into the life of Spencer Compton, 1st Earl of Wilmington, Britain’s second prime minister. From later in the 18th century, Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham, would prove particularly chewy. What do most people know of Spencer Perceval, other than his assassination? Does Bonar Law remain, as Asquith cruelly put it at his funeral, the “unknown prime minister?”
The first two books in the series seem designed to grab the attention, being of leaders considerably better…
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