Lord Melbourne was Prime Minister of England from 1834-1841. As mentor and father-figure to the young Queen Victoria, he exerted considerable influence over the first few years of her reign. In this, the first biography in twenty years, Leslie Mitchell uses the Melbourne family papers to explore the man behind the politician at the heart of early Victorian politics.About the Author: L. G. Mitchell is Fellow and Praelector in Modern History at University College, Oxford. The leading scholar of the Whigs, his many books include the highly praised Charles James Fox (OUP 1992).