“I’m an optimist, but an optimist who carries a raincoat.”
Harold Wilson (1916-1995) is one of the twentieth century Britain’s most enigmatic, defining and compelling figures. Having led Labour to four election victories, he is statistically the party’s most successful leader and has gained a reputation for being one of the most deft and astute political operators of his generation.
Serving as Prime Minister from 1964-1970 and then again from 1974-76, his leadership of the country coincided with some of the most significant political and social movements in history, though his legacy for both those on the left and the right remains controversial. To celebrate the successes, failures and remarkable legacy, check out the best Harold Wilson books at What We Reading!
Harold Wilson: The Winner – Nick Thomas-Symonds
Harold Wilson is Britain’s only post-war Prime Minister to serve on two separate occasions, and his four election victories make him Labour’s most successful leader. In Harold Wilson: The Winner, author Nick Thomas-Symonds draws on previously unreleased sources and first-hand parliamentary insights to paint the most complete picture of this remarkable man.
Doing away with the conflicting opinions that have shrouded Wilson in the years since his time in power, Thomas-Symonds’ book is an incredibly well-researched and put-together exploration of Wilson’s place in history, and how his decency, intelligence, wit and savviness led to his huge achievements.
Harold Wilson – Ben Pimlott
For years, Ben Pimlott’s Harold Wilson was heralded as the most significant biography of the former Prime Minister. Blending scholarship with striking observation, Pimlott explores the legacy behind Wilson as one of the most successful political operators in British history. Pimlott’s book illuminates the charisma and complexities behind Wilson and argues that it was a keen eye for the tactics of politics rather than the strategy of it that helped make him the longest-serving post-war PM only behind Margaret Thatcher.
Engrossing and strikingly insightful, Pimlott’s biography is still one of the best resources for understanding such an enigmatic figure.
Harold Wilson – Austen Morgan
The first biography printed following Wilson’s shock retirement in 1976, Austen Morgan’s Harold Wilson paints the former Prime Minister as one of the most controversial figures in the Labour movement. Utilising first-hand interviews with Wilson’s contemporaries, Morgan attempts to piece together the different private and public faces of the Labour leader. Tracing his early years, rise to power and handling of everything from economic policy to Cold War affairs, it is a compelling look at not only Wilson’s legacy but also those of the Labour Party in British politics following his time in office.
Wilson: The Authorised Life Of Lord Wilson Of Rievaulx – Philip Ziegler
Philip Ziegler, best known for his acclaimed biographies on Edward VIII and Diana Cooper, was the first author to gain access to Wilson’s personal archive and utilises this treasure trove of resources behind the man to bring his career to life.
Ziegler’s Wilson explores the tumultuous years of Wilson’s leadership, exploring how he was deftly able to keep the warring factions of his party together, face huge economic challenges in the form of devaluation and union unrest, and why his sudden resignation continues to stir conversation even today.
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White Heat: A History Of Britain In The Swinging Sixties, 1964-70 (Dominic Sandbrook’s History of Britain #2) – Dominic Sandbrook
In this well-executed look at British society in the sixties, acclaimed historian and author Dominic Sandbrook explores how Harold Wilson influenced and was influenced by, one of the most significant eras in the country’s history.
Borrowing the book’s titles from one of Wilson’s most iconic speeches, Sandbrook offers a well-balanced insight into the key socio-political issues of the Prime Minister’s day. With extensive chapters on the changing trends of fashion and music, it is the perfect guide for putting Wilson and the challenges he faced into their proper context.
Harold Wilson: The Unprincipled Prime Minister?: Reappraising Harold Wilson – Andrew Crines And Kevin Hickson
Released to coincide with the centenary of Harold Wilson’s birth, the fiftieth anniversary of his most successful election victory and the fortieth anniversary of his dramatic resignation, The Unprincipled Prime Minister analyses the former Labour leader’s legacy in British politics. Utilising Wilson’s own contemporaries as well as contributions from leading experts in political study, this biography on Harold Wilson offers a stunning new appraisal of one of the twentieth century’s most titanic forces. From his attitudes towards leadership, economic and societal norms, Crines and Hickson cover the successes, failures and enduring marks left behind by Harold Wilson.
With Harold Wilson In No. 10 (Downing Street Diaries #1) – Bernard Donoughue
In 1974, Bernard Donoghue was invited by Harold Wilson to help fight the general election and then stay on as Head of the Policy Unit in Downing Street, working solely under the Prime Minister. In the first entry in his enthralling Downing Street Diaries series, Donoughue casts a light on the final days of Wilson’s premiership, exploring his infamous ‘kitchen cabinet’ group where the future of the nation was steered.
Through his first-hand recounts, Donoughe vividly paints a leader drinking more and more excessively, struggling to hold his party together, growing increasingly paranoid about sinister ‘plots’, and falling more and more under the influence of his combative press secretary. An extraordinary look at life at the heart of British politics, it is a timeless read for those wanting a better understanding of Wilson’s last days in power.
Glimmers of Twilight: Harold Wilson in Decline – Joe Haines
Joe Haines offers readers an exclusive look at his time as prime ministerial press secretary to Harold Wilson in Glimmers of Twilight. The first person in his position to have a high public profile, Haines has gained notoriety for his claims of Marcia Williams, Wilson’s press secretary and later Lady Falkender’, drawing up the honours list for Wilson’s resignation.
This ‘Lavender List’ has become one of the most controversial parts of Wilson’s final days, seemingly the tip of an iceberg of intrigue, plotting and even the possibility of murder nestled in the heart of Downing Street. For an understanding of the chaos and secrecy involved with Wilson and Williams, Haines’ book is still one of the best.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
