Blair Unbound

The first volume of Anthony Seldon's riveting and definitive life of Tony Blair was published to great acclaim in 2004. Now, as the Labour Party and the country get used to the idea of a new leader and a new Prime Minister, Seldon delivers the most complete, authoritative and compelling account yet of the Blair premiership. Picking up the story in dramatic fashion on 11 September 2001, Seldon recaps very briefly Blair's trajectory to what may now be regarded as the high-point of his leadership, and then brings us right up to date as Blair hands over the reins to his arch-rival, Gordon Brown. Based on hundreds of original interviews with key insiders, many of whose views have hitherto been kept private, BLAIR UNBOUND serves both as a fascinating 'volume two' of this masterclass in political biography and a highly revealing and compelling book in its own right.

About the Author :
Anthony Seldon is the author of several books including the official biography of John Major and the authorised history of Number 10 Downing Street. The first volume of his definitive life of Tony Blair was published to great acclaim in 2004.

Review :
'One message is already clear, that modern government cannot work if its leadership is perpetually at odds with itself. In telling that tale, Seldon could not be bettered' Sunday Times 4/11 'This account of the Blair era, so soon after its end, is likely to be the fullest for many years. It is a solid foundation stone for history. Even so, it does not quite answer the question: who is Tony Blair? No one could have cast a wider net than Seldon and yet his subject, elusive as ever, somehow slithers through its mesh' Mary Riddel, Observer Comment piece by Anthony Seldon '[Blair's] fee for a speech may sound a lot, but Blair was never greedy - just naive about how it might look' Guardian 10/11 'This is an important and good book because Seldon's central thesis is right. There is one big thing that needs to be said about Tony Blair's time as prime minister and Seldon is the first to say it... The big thing that needs saying is this: the invasion of Iraq did not prevent progress everywhere' Daily Telegraph 17/11 'Tony Blair's resignation has sent commentators back to the oldest of mysteries; who the hell is Blair, and what does he want? Anthony Seldon's Blair Unbound and Alastair Campbell's Diaries might be read together' Nicolas Blincoe, Political Books of the Year Daily Telegraph 24/11 'Anthony Seldon has written a compelling biography of Tony Blair. He tells Neil Tweedie what his research also revealed about our new Prime Minister' Daily Telegraph 22/11 'The theme of the week was how all roads lead back to Mr Brown. As Chancellor; he was always less sympathetic than Tony Blair to pleadings from the MoD. "You're giving away too much and being outrun by those military bastards," he told Mr Blair when the service chiefs were in open revolt over their budget in 2004, according to Anthony Seldon's new biography, Blair Unbound' Andrew Grice, Independent 24/11 'Throughout the book, a quite extraordinary bank of evidence has been marshalled. It is based on hundreds of interviews at home and abroad' Guardian 1/12 'Marvellous' Life Stories that Leap off the Page, Christmas books, Express 7/12 'Seldon, with Peter Snowdon, has filled in many of the gaps in the Campbell account in his Blair Unbound, based on exhaustive researches by himself and his assistants. It is the most successful of his three voluminous books on the Major and Blair eras' Peter Riddell, Political Books of the Year The Times 8/12 'Second part of their Prime Ministerial biography... This volume kicks off in high style with 9/11 crisis and follows the honourable member for Sedgefield to the end of his tenure. The overarching theme is Blair's craving for a legacy, thwarted despite his usual knack for turning situations to his advantage' The Herald 8/12 'This second volume begins with Labour's 2001 election victory and shows Blair determined to force through radical transformation both in Britain and abroad... The impression given by Seldon's book is of a man driven by personal conviction, but falling short of his own high standards' Sunday Times 15/6 'Blair emerges from this work as virtuous and industrious, but vacuous and insecure' The Times 14/6 'With raids told in heart-stopping detail, with shocking revelations about the people who get into a life of drugs, this is a storming account of policing at the sharp end... a reminder of the days when police chiefs set out to tackle criminals, not crime stats' News of the World 15/6 'This second volume begins with Labour's 2001 election victory and shows Blair determined to force through radical transformation both in Britain and abroad... The impression given by Seldon's book is of a man driven by personal conviction, but falling short of his own high standards' Sunday Times 15/6 'Blair emerges from this work as virtuous and industrious, but vacuous and insecure' The Times 14/6 'With raids told in heart-stopping detail, with shocking revelations about the people who get into a life of drugs, this is a storming account of policing at the sharp end... a reminder of the days when police chiefs set out to tackle criminals, not crime stats' News of the World 15/6 'The second volume in Seldon's fascinating account of the man who continues to dominate our political landscape begins with his 2001 Election Victory and ends with him stepping down last year' 4 stars, Mail on Sunday 29/6 'Drawing on a wealth of research and private interviews with politicians, civil servants, journalists and other key parties, Seldon thoroughly documents Tony Blair's achievements with particular attention to his vaunted and derided attempts to rein in George Bush's taste for disastrous foreign policies. Seldon captures Blair's growing aspirations as an international statesman, from his opening chapter on events of 9/22' FT, 12/7