Two portraits flank the doors leading into Canada’s House of Commons: those of Sir Robert Borden and William Lyon Mackenzie King. But it is the plaques that are of particular interest. Borden’s caption reads: “World War I War Leader, 1914–1918,” and King’s caption is similar: “World War II War Leader, 1939–1945.” No other dates are given. Defining Borden by his wartime leadership makes sense, since he did little of note before the war, but the same does not ring true for King, Canada’s longest-serving prime minister. Yet for both, world wars shaped their careers and legacies. They ushered in massive government changes: income tax, health care, and conscription; changes to society through industrialization, enfranchisement, and patriotic unpaid labour; and they raised enormous armed forces from a civilian base.

Warlords is a fast-paced narrative that humanizes the war effort through the eyes of these prime ministers. By creating this unique double portrait, the award-winning Tim Cook describes the challenges faced by two politicians in extreme circumstances and offers an invaluable perspective of war and war leaders.

TIM COOK is the Great War historian at the Canadian War Museum, as well as an adjunct professor at Carleton University. He is the author of five other books, including Shock Troops, which won the prestigious Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction in 2009. He was also awarded the Ottawa Book Award and the J.W. Dafoe Prize for At the Sharp End. Cook lives in Ottawa with his family.

Tim Cook's profile page

"With confidence, flair, and dry wit—and enough biographical and historical context to give texture to the men and their times—Cook resolves that Borden and King truly were warlords, though of a particularly Canadian kind." —Quill & Quire

“[A] richly detailed, fast-paced book … in his analysis of Borden and King as wartime leaders, [Cook] points out their strengths and weaknesses and does so in as entertaining a way possible, considering the wartime settings.” —Ottawa Citizen

“Cook keeps the story moving, making it a great read for historians, people interested in wartime Canada, and for those who love books with strong, complex and interesting characters." —Ottawa Magazine

“Warlords … is the latest tour-de-force by Tim Cook, Canada’s foremost Great War historian.” — Charlotte Gray, The Globe and Mail