"The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour" is a comprehensive history of the first hundred years of this senior Order from 1902 to 2002. In the personal gift of the Queen and limited to 24 Ordinary Members at any time, the Order of Merit recognises leaders and exceptional personalities in a wide range of fields, including architecture, literature, academia, science, politics and (formerly) the armed services. The Order includes an extraordinary range of members, from Winston Churchill to Florence Nightingale, Laurence Olivier to the Prince of Wales and Lucian Freud to Tom Stoppard. The biographical sketch of each member focuses on the achievements for which he or she received the honour. In the process, this work functions as a highly original insight into 20th-century British political and cultural history and an unusual reference book on Britain's elite. Also fascinating is the section detailing those who have refused the Order, notably Rudyard Kipling, and those who might have been considered. "The Order of Merit: One Hundred Years of Matchless Honour" is a key addition to an understanding of how power and patronage work in Britain at the highest level.