The Second World War: The Complete Illustrated History

by Richard Overy

"The Second World The Complete Illustrated History" covers the whole six-year global conflagration that shattered and then re-shaped the world. From the German blitzkrieg against Poland in September 1939, to the surrender of Japan following the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost exactly six years later. Written by the leading Second World War historian Richard Overy, each spread introduces another fascinating aspect of this world-encompassing conflict. We are taken to all corners of the globe, from the Battle of the River Plate in the South Atlantic Ocean, to the bloody battles fought over the Solomon Islands and New Guinea just off the northern tip of Australia, to the German occupation of Norway in the North, and the Allied invasion of Madagascar in the south Indian Ocean. 2009 marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War and the outstanding text and photographic documentation of this title will appeal to all sectors of the military history from youngsters drawn to the subject for the first time to aficionados.

Genres: History

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich.

Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004.

His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)[

Reviews

[Niranjan Kamath · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique historical book. The illustrations make it a realistic read.

[Luca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mooi werk over een gruwelijke en onoverzichtelijke tijd. Zorgt voor overzicht.

[Qiong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative, and the author manages to tell the entire history of the second World War by chronicling those quintessential as well as significant events. I particularly enjoy the pictures from World War II that are carefully sorted out in this book, which just claims itself again that this is a book of the illustrated history of the war.