Alastair Campbell Books In Order

All in the Mind

The eagerly anticipated debut novel by the highly visible author of The Blair Years

Martin Sturrock desperately needs a psychiatrist. The problem? He is one. Alastair Campbell, critically acclaimed author of the bestselling memoir The Blair Years, offers much more than a glimpse into the mind of a man who is supposed to be helping heal other people’s minds.

Emily is a burn victim. Arta is a Kosovan refugee recovering from rape. David is a longterm depressive, while Ralph is a Member of Parliament who lives in terror that his drinking problem will be exposed. Very different Londoners who share one thing: they all spend an hour each week with Professor Martin Sturrock, their psychiatrist. Little do they know that their doctor’s own mind is not the reassuring place they imagine it to be. For years he has hidden in his work, ignoring his demons. But now his life is falling apart, and the only person he can turn to is a patient.

Comic in many ways, Alastair Campbell’s first novel is rich in compassion. It is utterly gripping in its portrait of the human mind.

Prelude to Power

As Alastair Campbell said in the introduction to The Blair Years, it was always his intention to publish the full version, covering his time as spokesman and chief strategist to Tony Blair. Prelude to Power is the first of four volumes, and covers the early days of New Labour, culminating in their victory at the polls in 1997.

Volume 1 details the extraordinary tensions between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown as they resolved the question as to which one should stand to become Labor leader. It shows that right from the start, relations at the top were prone to enormous strain, suspicions and accusations of betrayal. Yet it also shows the political and personal bonds that tied them together, and which made them one of the most feared and respected electoral machines anywhere in the world.

A story of politics in the raw, Prelude to Power is above all an intimate, detailed portrait of the people who have done so much to shape modern history.

Power and the People

The second volume of Campbell’s riveting diaries, rejoining New Labor as they come into power. Power and the People is the second of four volumes, and covers the first two years of New Labor government, beginning with their victory at the polls in 1997. Volume Two details the initial challenges faced by Labor as they come to power and settle into running the country. It covers many of the memorable events of the period: from the Omagh bombing to President Clinton’s ‘relations’ with Monica Lewinsky.

Power and Responsibility

The third volume of Campbell’s compelling diaries, covering 1999 to 2001. Life continues apace for Campbell and the New Labour government. Alongside the day to day running of the country, they deal with the fallout from the military action in Kosovo, continuing negotiations over Northern Ireland, and the increasing pressures which come from 24 hour media scrutiny. All this, and they wish to be elected for a second term…
Explores New Labour’s Special Relationship with Clinton and then George W. BushCovers a number of controversies: from Mandelson’s dealings with the Hindujas, to the national embarrassment of the Millennium celebrationsA must read for anyone interested in modern politics, and an essential history book for many years to come

The Blair Years

A revelatory account of Tony Blair’s tumultuous leadership, The Blair Years gathers extracts from the diaries of the man who knew him best: Alastair Campbell Blair s spokesman from 1994 to 2003, his press secretary, strategist, and closest confidant. It is a compelling chronicle of contemporary British politics and the rise of New Labour, providing the first important record of a remarkable decade in Britain s history. Here are the defining events of the time, from the Labour Party s new dawn to the war on terror; from the death of Princess Diana to negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland; from Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq to the Hutton Inquiry of 2003, the year Campbell resigned his position. Here also are Blair s relationships with world leaders and heads of state, including presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. But above all, here is Tony Blair up close and personal, making the decisions that affected the lives of millions, under relentless and frequently hostile pressure. Often described as the second most powerful figure in Britain, Alastair Campbell is no stranger to controversy. Feared and admired in equal measure, hated by some, he was pivotal to the founding of New Labour and the sensational election victory of 1997. Campbell spent more waking hours alongside the prime minister than anyone, and his diaries at times brutally frank, often funny, always engrossing take the reader right to the heart of government. The Blair Years is a story of politics in the raw, of progress and setback, of reputations made and destroyed, under the relentless scrutiny of a 24 hour media. Unflinchingly told, it covers the crises and scandals, the rows and resignations, the ups and downs at No. 10 Downing Street. But amid the landmark events are insights and observations that make this a remarkably human portrayal of some of the most influential people in the world.A completely riveting book about life at the very top, told by a man who saw it all.