Martin Gilbert (Martin John Gilbert) Biography

British biographer and historian, born in London, educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1962 he became a fellow of Merton College, Oxford. From 1968 to 1988 Gilbert was engaged in completing the biography of Sir Winston Churchill, having formerly been research assistant to Randolph Churchill, the author of the first two volumes (1966, 1967); the subsequent six volumes appeared in 1971, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1986, and 1988. The work, which includes seven ‘companion volumes’ reprinting documents of historical importance, is regarded as the largest biography in the history of publishing; In Search of Churchill (1994) is an account of his experiences. Gilbert's numerous publications as a modern historian include The European Powers, 1900–1945 (1965), Exile and Return: The Emergence of Jewish Statehood (1978), The Holocaust (1986), and The First World War (1993). Shcharansky: Hero of Our Time (1986) is among his other works as a biographer. The Churchill War Papers (vol. i) appeared in 1993.