Churchill's Cigar: A Lifelong Love Affair Through War and Peace

Description

During the Second World War, Churchill's cigar was such an important beacon of resistance that MI5, together with the nation's top scientists, tested the Prime Minister's supplies on mice rather than risk sabotage. Today Winston Churchill and his cigar remains a global icon, memorialised by a 107 foot statue of a cigar in Australia, while his cigar stubs are treasured as relics. Using original archival research and exclusive interviews with Churchill's staff, Stephen McGinty, an award-winning journalist, explores Churchill's passion for cigars and the solace they brought. He also examines Churchill's lasting friendship with Antonio Giraudier, the Cuban businessman who for twenty years stocked Churchill's humidor, before fleeing Castro's revolution.

Stephen McGinty is a senior writer with the Scotsman newspaper. He has also worked for the Sunday Times in London and the Glasgow Herald. His first book, This Turbulent Priest (2003), was described by the Daily Telegraph as: 'the year's most surprising page-turner'. His favourite cigar is a Cohiba Robusto.