Books by W. F. Deedes

The fully updated memoirs of one of the most beloved figures in the British media

For seventy-five years, W. F. Deedes has reported on the most important events, affairs and issues that have affected Britain, Europe and the World. Words and Deedes brings together a life's work, selecting the very best of his journalism to give a unique overview of the best part of the last century. Starting as a cub reporter in 1931, Deedes' inimitable eye was cast over the world caught in economic depression and inching closer to another devastating war. Yet, whether describing his campaign to alleviate the hardships of disadvantaged children or the ruthlessness of Mussolini's war machine, Deedes' pieces seem as fresh and vibrant now as they did then. This vivid and immediate style suffuses all his writing, making each story relevant, whether it be recent or more than fifty years old. This remarkable volume charts a course through some of the most turbulent times the world has ever seen, and yet on every page there is something to enlighten, delight or amuse. With this collection, W. F. Deedes cements his place as one of the very finest journalists of this, or any other century.

A delightful book of memoir from one of Britain's most beloved journalists

In this eclectic selection of biographical sketches Bill Deedes remembers some of the key figures of the twentieth century. Political heavyweights such as Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin and Anthony Eden are reassessed and re-evalued, while record breakers such as Sir Edmund Hillary and Roger Bannister are shown to be far more than just their achievements. Further afield, W. F. Deedes ruminates on the chaotic and shady world of Imelda Marcos, the dignity and determination of anti-apartheid campaigner Helen Suzman and the controversial leadership of Ian Smith in Rhodesia. But there are lighter portraits too. Noel Coward, with his useful advice on trains, Mary Whitehouse's inadvertent demonstration of pornography and Malcolm Muggeridge's half-hearted suicide attempt all feature in this delightful compendium. Like his previous books, Dear Bill and At War With Waugh, Brief Lives is an affectionate, perceptive and anecdotal book, bursting with life, humour and wit.