Paul Reid is a journalist and author.

Early years

Reid worked in manufacturing before earning a bachelor's degree from

Harvard Extension School Harvard Extension School (HES) is the extension school of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school is one among 12 schools that grant degrees and falls under the Division of Continuing Education in the Harvard Faculty of Arts ...

at Harvard University in 1990 and beginning a career in journalism. Reid was for a decade at the turn of the millennium a feature writer for '' The Palm Beach Post''.

Biographer of Churchill

Reid completed '' The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm'',

William Manchester William Raymond Manchester (April 1, 1922 – June 1, 2004) was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the ...

's long anticipated third volume of his best-selling biography of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

after being asked to do so by a Manchester in ill-health and terminal decline just one year before his 2004 death.Richard Langworth
''Comment on the third volume from one of its proof readers''
/ref> Reid, who had befriended Manchester half a dozen years earlier, was selected by Manchester above many notable names. The proceeds from the book were to be shared equally. On 1 June 2004, Manchester died of

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Lymph ...

, leaving Reid alone to complete the work. The publisher elected to have Bill Phillips shepherd the author. Reid discounted Manchester's thesis about Churchill's mental illness, and favoured the man as he struggled through stressful and depressing times. In Reid's opinion, Churchill mastered alcohol. The biography was issued in 2012, and was hailed by the trade press. The publisher's advance of US$200,000 was insufficient to float the author through nine years of research and writing, and he needed to invest copious amounts in the finished product. As of 2012, Reid and Phillips had yet to meet in person.

References

External links

*
''Q&A'' interview with Reid about ''Defender of the Realm'', December 23, 2012
American male journalists Living people Harvard Extension School alumni 21st-century American biographers Year of birth missing (living people) American male biographers {{US-journalist-20thC-stub