Love her or loathe her (and many do and always will), there is no denying Margaret Thatcher her place in history as one of the most influential Prime Ministers of the twentieth century. She won three General Elections as leader of the Conservative Party in 1979, 1983 and 1987, and even after she left office her legacy still bestrides the political landscape, both in Britain and around the world.

This lavishly illustrated tribute brings together personal reminiscences and anecdotes from more than a hundred political figures, whether friends or opponents, or those observing her from the press gallery. Each contributor experienced a close encounter with the Iron Lady, among them Ronald Reagan, Mikhail Gorbachev, Bob Hawke, Michael Howard, William Hague, Ann Widdecombe, Edwina Currie, Alan Clark, Norman Tebbit and Geoffrey Howe, whose resignation speech in Parliament can be said to have brought to a dramatic end the Thatcher Era.