Author Description

Product Description Admired and reviled, for more than thirty years Robert 'Ming' Menzies stood at the centre of power in Australia. His concerns and political style influenced two generations; from the beginning of his long political career he grew to dominate the practice and language of Australian politics. The first of two volumes, this book documents the early years of the brilliant lawyer who came to be known as 'Pig-Iron Bob' and who was to create the Liberal Party from the ashes of the UAP, becoming a towering figure in post-war Australia. 'Fellow Australians, it is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that, in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her, and that, as a result, Australia is also at war' Robert Menzies Review '... the first volume of a solid work of political history, with lots of facts and insights into specific events, policies and decisions.' -- Kosmas Tsokhas, Australian Journal of Politics and History About the Author Dr Allan Martin is the author of Henry Parkes, a biography hailed as a work of 'great scholarship, infinite compassion' and 'one of the very best biographies ever written by, or on, an Australian'. He has taught at the universities of New South Wales, Melbourne and Adelaide and from 1966 to 1973 was Foundation Professor of History at La Trobe University. Until retirement in 1992 he was Senior Fellow in History at the Australian National University. He is co-author with Peter Loveday of Parliament, Factions and Parties, editor of Essays in Australian Federation and co-editor of The Emergence of the Australian Party System.