Disraeli : a brief life

This concise study of Disraeli, aimed at the general reader as much as at the student, stands in contrast to the many full-length studies which continue to appear. It focuses on the substantial reassessment of Disraeli's career and personality which is currently taking place. Particular reference is made to the role played in Disraeli's conception of life and politics by his Jewishness and his romanticism. The book also seeks to understand Disraeli in a European as well as a British frame of thought.

• Preface
• Introduction
• 1. The theatre of life
• 2. The theatre of politics, 1832-1837
• 3. The theatre of parliament, 1837-1846
• 4. A leading part, 1846-1865
• 5. Top of the bill, 1865-1881
• Envoi: the primrose sphinx
• Notes
• Index.