It was said by contemporaries that when Winston Churchill was born he was blessed with imagination, eloquence, industry and ability, but denied judgement and wisdom. For much of his long political career he was detested and mistrusted, yet when he retired he was acclaimed as the "Saviour of his Country" and the "greatest Englishman of all time". How did this metamorphosis occur? Churchill's place in the pantheon of history is assured, yet through his story runs a tragic thread - how he came to preside over his country's decline. This theme is explored in a biography which covers all phases of Churchill's varied and turbulent career.