Henry ‘Chips’ Channon

The Diaries (Volume 3): 1943-57

Chips Channon

$36.99

Paperback

Forthcoming
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English

Penguin (Cornerstone)
22 October 2024

Autobiography: historical, political & military; Diaries, letters & journals; 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000; Social & cultural history

The third and final volume of the remarkable Sunday Times bestselling diaries of Sir Henry 'Chips' Channon

'An utterly addictive glimpse of London high society and politics in the 40s and 50s.' Robert Harris

'An instant classic . . . quite simply the greatest social and political diaries of the 20th century.' Daily Telegraph

'Rich, exuberant, copious and shatteringly honest.' Spectator

'A scurrilous read. Fascinating. Gripping!' Alan Titchmarsh

'Chips writes with such vividness that one feels one is living each day in his exalted company.' The Oldie

The political career of Conservative MP Henry 'Chips' Channon (1897-1958) was unremarkable. His diaries are quite the opposite. Witty, gossipy and bitchy by turns, they are the unfettered observations of a man who went everywhere and knew everyone.

This third and final volume begins as the Second World war is turning in the Allies' favour. It closes with Chips slowly descending into poor health but striving to remain socially active. En route, we see him assiduously record the tribulations of both Labour and Conservative governments in parliament, gossip about the private lives of the great and the good, and conduct passionate affairs with a young army officer and the playwright Terence Rattigan, while being serially unfaithful to both. Throughout, he confirms his position as 'the greatest British diarist of the 20th century'.

By: Chips Channon
Imprint: Penguin (Cornerstone)
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 35mm
Weight: 500g
ISBN: 9781529158885
ISBN 10: 1529158885
Pages: 1168
Publication Date: 22 October 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Sir Henry (Chips) Channon was born in Chicago in 1897. The son of a wealthy businessman, he accompanied the American Red Cross to Paris in 1917, was an undergraduate at Christ Church, Oxford, and then settled in London where he mingled with society and enjoyed the high life. He married into the Guinness family, and became a Conservative MP for Southend from 1935 until his death.