Margaret Thatcher

'Iain Dale introduces Margaret Thatcher to a new generation and intelligently explodes some of the myths about her' - Simon Heffer

'A compelling account of a compulsory subject, admiring but always fair minded, and a masterpiece of compression and readability' - Daniel Finkelstein

'Love her or loath her, Margaret Thatcher was one of the giants of post-War politics. To this day we live with her legacy. Iain Dale has provided a useful little primer for those who were not around at the time’ - Chris Mullin, Labour MP 1987-2010 & political diarist

‘One hundred years after her birth, the figure of Margaret Thatcher still looms large over contemporary politics. This timely volume shows how the Iron Lady was a more interesting, nuanced, and colourful figure than both her critics and courtiers suggest. Iain Dale has drawn from a rich well of historiography to produce a pithy, punchy and perceptive account of our first female premier’ - James Heale, Deputy Political Editor of The Spectator

‘I thought I knew this story quite well. I know it much better now. I learnt things about our first woman prime minister I didn’t know before. This is a book that my children and grandchildren need to read’ - Gyles Brandreth

'Iain Dale’s passion for politics and political books is as refreshing as it is necessary' - Alastair Campbell

'If you wonder why the memory of Margaret Thatcher still haunts political debate in Britain thirty-five years after she fell from power, you have only to read Iain Dale’s masterly short biography. It’s crisp, fair, and funny, and it busts all the myths' - Sir Ferdinand Mount, Head of Number 10 Policy Unit, 1982-3

'Engagingly written by an expert on Margaret Thatcher’s life and times, this new biography sets her achievements (and mistakes) in historical perspective, demolishing myths that have grown up since her death. This fine, crisp work will help young people to whom Mrs Thatcher is a figure in history to understand how she became one of our greatest prime ministers' - Lord Lexden, official Conservative Party historian

'Margaret Thatcher was the finest and most important Conservative Prime Minister since Churchill; and Dale - as one of the finest and most important Conservative commentators - is perfectly placed to bring her character and philosophy to life' - Matthew Syed, columnist, Sunday Times

'Few people can match Iain Dale in his knowledge, engagement and complex affection for the Conservative Party and their leaders. This is a deft, clear-eyed summary of Thatcher’s life - useful to anyone who is interested in her extraordinary personality and achievements' - Rory Stewart

'Iain Dale’s balanced and succinct study of Margaret Thatcher is a masterpiece of compression ... School teachers in particular ought to take note of it and commend it to their students' - Lord Lexden, The House Magazine