Want to know what books Chris Mullin recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Chris Mullin's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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A revelatory account of Tony Blair’s tumultuous leadership, The Blair Years gathers extracts from the diaries of the man who knew him best: Alastair Campbell—Blair’s spokesman from 1994 to 2003, his press secretary, strategist, and closest confidant. It is a compelling chronicle of contemporary British politics and the rise of New Labour, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in Britain’s history.
Here are the defining events of the time, from the Labour Party’s new dawn to the war on terror; from the death of Princess Diana to negotiations for peace in... more A revelatory account of Tony Blair’s tumultuous leadership, The Blair Years gathers extracts from the diaries of the man who knew him best: Alastair Campbell—Blair’s spokesman from 1994 to 2003, his press secretary, strategist, and closest confidant. It is a compelling chronicle of contemporary British politics and the rise of New Labour, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in Britain’s history.
Here are the defining events of the time, from the Labour Party’s new dawn to the war on terror; from the death of Princess Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland; from Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003, the year Campbell resigned his position. Here also are Blair’s relationships with world leaders and heads of state, including presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But above all, here is Tony Blair up close and personal, making the decisions that affected the lives of millions, under relentless and frequently hostile pressure.
Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain, Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the prime minister than anyone, and his diaries—at times brutally frank, often funny, always engrossing—take the reader right to the heart of government.
The Blair Years is a story of politics in the raw, of progress and setback, of reputations made and destroyed, under the relentless scrutiny of a 24-hour media. Unflinchingly told, it covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignations, the ups and downs at No. 10 Downing Street. But amid the landmark events are insights and observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most influential people in the world.
A completely riveting book about life at the very top, told by a man who saw it all. less 
Chris MullinThis is an expurgated version covering the period from 1994 to about 2003. There are, I believe, four more volumes to come, which will probably contain a lot of things that he didn’t feel able to put in the edited version. If there’s a change of government at the next election I guess that’s something we can look forward to. The thing about Alastair is he did enjoy total access at the highest... (Source)
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Piers Morgan was made editor of the "News of the World, " the UK's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper at the record-breaking age of 28. The decade that followed was one of the most tumultuous in modern times. In a world of indiscreet dinners, private meetings and gossipy lunches, Piers Morgan found himself in the thick of it. His diaries from this remarkable period reveal astonishing and hilarious encounters with an endless list of celebrities and politicians alike. more Piers Morgan was made editor of the "News of the World, " the UK's biggest-selling Sunday newspaper at the record-breaking age of 28. The decade that followed was one of the most tumultuous in modern times. In a world of indiscreet dinners, private meetings and gossipy lunches, Piers Morgan found himself in the thick of it. His diaries from this remarkable period reveal astonishing and hilarious encounters with an endless list of celebrities and politicians alike. less Chris MullinI have a natural aversion to Mr Piers Morgan but I have to admit that his diaries are fairly riveting. He has very high level contacts: Princess Diana’s always ringing him up. He covers the rise of New Labour from about the mid 90s, when he enjoyed a remarkable degree of access to the New Labour court. He writes, ‘Bored one evening, I counted up all the times I’ve met Tony Blair, and the result... (Source)
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3
An intimate and unvarnished view of Winston Churchill at his best.
moreAn intimate and unvarnished view of Winston Churchill at his best.
lessChris MullinHe was Churchill’s private secretary. He started at the age of 27 as deputy private secretary, and what’s extraordinary from the outset is that his judgment is so very mature – even though he’s a young man. The other thing that I noticed is that all his friends are toffs. He doesn’t seem to know anyone from an ordinary background. He’s a witness to another age of politics. These days politics... (Source)
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Victor Klemperer, Martin Chalmers | 4.53
Destined to take its place alongside The Diary of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night as one of the great classics of the Holocaust, I Will Bear Witness is a timeless work of literature, the most eloquent and acute testament to have emerged from Hitler's Germany. Volume Two begins in 1942, the year the Final Solution was formally proposed, and carries us through to the Allied bombing of Dresden and Germany's defeat. more Destined to take its place alongside The Diary of Anne Frank and Elie Wiesel's Night as one of the great classics of the Holocaust, I Will Bear Witness is a timeless work of literature, the most eloquent and acute testament to have emerged from Hitler's Germany. Volume Two begins in 1942, the year the Final Solution was formally proposed, and carries us through to the Allied bombing of Dresden and Germany's defeat. less Chris MullinIn my opinion what a good diarist needs are an eye for detail, a light touch, and considerable self-discipline. You’ve got to make a record every day and the busier you are – at the top end of politics you do tend to be rather busy – the more difficult it is. As far as politics is concerned, the most successful diaries seem to be those who never made it too far up the greasy pole. Those who did... (Source)
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5
Sir Henry "Chips" Channon's position as a Member of Parliament allowed him entrée to a privileged world of socializing, politics, and historic events. The years covered in this volume, 1934-53, recall a vanished world in which every social and public figure of the day made the party, joining in endless gossip. Culled from some three million words from the original diaries, the editor's selection gives us the pivotal moments and characters of history, etched indelibly by a master observer. "How sharp an eye? What neat malice! How, in their fashion, well written and truthful and honest they... more Sir Henry "Chips" Channon's position as a Member of Parliament allowed him entrée to a privileged world of socializing, politics, and historic events. The years covered in this volume, 1934-53, recall a vanished world in which every social and public figure of the day made the party, joining in endless gossip. Culled from some three million words from the original diaries, the editor's selection gives us the pivotal moments and characters of history, etched indelibly by a master observer. "How sharp an eye? What neat malice! How, in their fashion, well written and truthful and honest they are!"--Malcolm Muggeridge, Observer.
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Hugo VickersI chose him because he gives one of the most wonderful day-to-day accounts of the abdication. He was very keen on royalty. But not only that: I discovered in it the person I wrote my first biography of. That was someone called Gladys Deacon who was the Duchess of Marlborough and there is an amazing description of her in that book which set me on the quest to find her, and I did. (Source)
Chris MullinSir Henry Chips’ Channon was a Tory MP for Southend – an American who married into the Guinness family and was therefore at home in high society. He never rose in rank above being parliamentary private secretary to the deputy foreign secretary, RAB Butler. His secret was that he entertained on a lavish scale; I mean a truly awesome scale. The king comes to dinner during the middle of the... (Source)
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