This monumental work by Churchill's official biographer first appeared in hardback last year on the 50th anniversary of the modern Jewish state. However, Gilbert seeks Israel's roots not just in the Zionist movement and the Balfour declaration, but in early Jewish migration to Palestine, the "in-gathering of the exiles" that had been gaining momentum for centuries, and among the Sephardi Jews who had lived in the land for generations. The maps - 43 in all - and well-chosen photographs make this a history for historians and general readers alike.
Gilbert ends with optimism and hope, quoting Shimon Peres and his dream of conquering the wilderness and overcoming animosity, a vision of living at peace with Israel's neighbours.