Synopses & Reviews
It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day--August 14, 1945--it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting, it would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of forty million people. In this complete one-volume account of the war, Gilbert weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, creating a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a dramatic narrative.
One of Britain's most distinguished historians, Martin Gilbert was knighted in 1995. A fellow of Merton College, Oxford, he is also the official biographer of Winston Churchill. Among his other books are The Holocaust, Auschwitz and the Allies, The First World War, and The Righteous, and Never Again.
It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an endon V-J Day, or August 14, 1945it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. World War II would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of forty million people.
In this far-reaching, widely acclaimed one-volume account, Sir Martin Gilbert weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, creating a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a dramatic narrative.
"In his transmission of the horror of the war, Gilbert has achieved something no historian but he could. There is indeed a relentless force about chronology when it is used as a tool by an historian of the status of Martin Gilbert."John Keegan, The Sunday Telegraph
"Gilbert's flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries, memoirs, and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering."Newsweek
"A magisterial work . . . Mr. Gilbert brings the strongest possible credentials to his history of World War II, and [shows] how the greatest war ever fought reached into every corner of the globe."Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times
"Brings the losses and the horrors of the war home to us more urgently than a more accented account might do."Gordon A. Craig, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"In his transmission of the horror of the war, Martin Gilbert has achieved something no historian but he could. There is indeed a relentless force about chronology when it is used as a tool by an historian of the status of Martin Gilbert."--
John Keegan, The Sunday Telegraph"Gilbert's flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries, memoirs, and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering."--Newsweek
"A magisterial work . . . Mr. Gilbert brings the strongest possible credentials to his history of World War II, and . . . shows how the greatest war ever fought reached into every corner of the globe."--Herbert Mitgang, The New York Times
"Brings the losses and the horrors of the war home to us more urgently than a more accented account might do."--Gordon A. Craig, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day--August 14, 1945--it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting, it would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of forty million people. In this complete one-volume account of the war, Gilbert weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, creating a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a dramatic narrative.
Synopsis
It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day--August 14, 1945--it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting, it would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of forty million people. In this complete one-volume account of the war, Gilbert weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, creating a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a dramatic narrative.
Synopsis
A "magisterial" (The New York Times) single-volume history of WWII It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day-August 14, 1945 -it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting, it would turn out to be, in both human terms and material resources, the costliest war in history, taking the lives of thirty million people.
In one brilliant volume, eminent historian Martin Gilbert offers the complete history of the Second World War. With unparalleled scholarship and breadth of vision, Gilbert, the official biographer of Winston Churchill as well as one of the leading experts on the Holocaust, weaves together political, military, diplomatic, and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war, in a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a gripping, dramatic narrative.
"In his transmission of the horror of the war, Martin Gilbert has achieved something no other historian but he could. There is indeed a relentless force about chronology when it is used as a tool by an historian of the stature of Martin Gilbert."
-The Sunday Telegraph
"Gilbert's flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries, memoirs, and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military
strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering."-Newsweek
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 749-764) and index.
About the Author
One of Britain's most distinguished historians,
Martin Gilbert was knighted in 1995. A fellow of Merton College, Oxford, he is also the official biographer of Winston Churchill. Among his books are
The Holocaust, The Second World War, Churchill: A Life, Auschwitz and the Allies, The First World War, and
Never Again.