Infografica della seconda guerra mondiale

by Jean Lopez

La Seconda guerra mondiale come non l’avete mai vista. L’idea rivoluzionaria di quest’opera, realizzata dal grande storico Jean Lopez e splendidamente illustrata dal data designer Nicolas Guillerat, parte da una constatazione: la massa di dati disponibili sulla Seconda guerra mondiale non è mai stata così enorme, ma è diventato difficile darle un senso. Occorreva quindi inventare, facendo riferimento alle migliori fonti storiche internazionali, una forma testuale che permettesse di trattare ogni informazione rendendola intelligibile al maggior numero di lettori possibile. Questa forma è l’infografica, e il risultato è strabiliante, che si tratti di riesumare le nostre conoscenze, di visualizzare le grandi linee generali del conflitto, di comprendere agevolmente fenomeni complessi o anche solo di ricollegare aspetti fin qui slegati.
Diviso in quattro parti – Mobilitazione, produzione e risorse; Armi ed eserciti; Battaglie e campagne; Bilanci e fratture – comprendenti una sessantina di temi (l’equazione petrolifera, l’operazione Barbarossa, la logistica alleata in Europa, l’universo concentrazionario nazista…) il secondo conflitto mondiale viene qui ripensato in un approccio particolarmente accessibile, originale e al tempo stesso di grande impatto grafico.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Military History, Reference, War, Politics

192 pages, Paperback

Published March 21, 2019

Reviews

[Sean Smart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, very informative and detailed. An interesting read

[paper0r0ss0 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non c'e' molto da dire, opera direi necessaria per chi ama la Storia. Graficamente affascinante e illuminante nel complesso. Una base solida per letture, approfondimenti e chiarimenti.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me over three years to finish this book. Damn.

I found it extremely well written, super informative, and simply beautiful in terms of some of the diagrams. However, after spending so much time trying to grasp all the information, I completed about one third of it and put it on a shelf. I tried several more times to start again, but it just isn’t an easy thing to do. Finally, I read the remaining two thirds in a week.

I’m reducing the score to 4/5, because it can be really overwhelming. It's doing great job reminding you that war is cruel, evil and that we should act quickly if some idiot starts dreaming about new lands and conquers. It shouldn't matter if the idiot is white, black or orange.

[Amélie Lapointe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livre très dense, mais fascinant et lisible.

[Max D'onofrio · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great breakdown of the crazy numbers from World War II that are sometimes difficult to grasp. The book is pretty comprehensive. While most of the time they are clear, they can be muddled down in their own detail on occasion. A more than a basic understanding of WWII history would probably help. This is one of those examples where the detailed infographic provides more than a generic Wikipedia page ever could. The book should age well.

[Brixy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Den Zweiten Weltkrieg verstehen. 1939 - 1945 in Infografiken", geschrieben von Nicolas Aubin, Vincent Bernard, Jean Lopez, Martin Bayer und Nicolas Guillerat, wurde im April 2019 im dtv Verlag veröffentlicht. Der Historiker Jean Lopez und sein Team erklären die Zusammenhänge des Krieges anhand von mehr als 300 Infografiken und Karten. Sie beleuchten die politischen Entwicklungen, wirtschaftlichen Aufwendungen, Strategien, Waffenentwicklungen und Feldzüge der Kriegsparteien. Das Buch bietet durch seine visuelle Aufbereitung ein klares Verständnis des Zweiten Weltkrieges.

Ich bin von diesem Buch fasziniert. Auf 192 Seiten wurde ein beinahe beispielloses Thema auf unglaublich kreative Art und Weise behandelt. Beim Lesen habe ich mir extra Zeit gelassen, um mir jede Grafik im Detail anzugucken, um den dargestellten Inhalt bestmöglich zu verstehen. Dabei hat sich der Grafiker, Nicolas Guillerat, dermaßen ins Zeug gelegt, dass man ihn zurecht als Pionier der Visualisierung von Daten nennt. Ein solches Maß an Kreativität (bei der die Funktionalität nicht sinkt) habe ich noch nie gesehen.

Die Infotexte sind erstaunlich kurz und fassen das Thema dennoch super zusammen. Besonders hervorheben möchte ich dabei noch die Klarstellung von Mythen und einfach falschen Tatsachen. Die Autoren gehen sehr antifaschistisch an die Sache heran, sodass jeder Leser beim Lesen nur erleichtert darüber sein kann, dass dieser Teil der deutschen Geschichte relativ kurz war. Das geht aber auch in beide Richtungen. Ohne große Aufmachung werden Mythen der Alliierten ebenfalls ausgehebelt und mit wissenschaftlich anerkannten Beweisen korrigiert (sofern möglich).

Im Großen und Ganzen wird hier ein sehr erfrischend nüchternes Bild des "Konfliktes" gezeigt mit ausreichender Ausholung in die Vor- und Nachkriegszeit.

Ich würde dieses Buch jedem empfehlen, der noch mit diesem Thema beschäftigen möchte, da man einen ausgesprochen guten Überblick bekommt und sich dann, je nach Vorlieben, in einzelne Subthemen einlesen und sich mit ihnen beschäftigen kann.

Zweifelsohne 5/5 Sterne. Bravo! :)

[Simone Invernizzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un’opera davvero straordinaria; un “must” per chi ama la storia ed è in particolar modo interessato alla seconda guerra mondiale. Una grafica accattivante e utilissima per comprendere al meglio tutto ciò che si muove all’interno e intorno ad un immenso conflitto come quello del 1939-1945.

[Giel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Voor de WW2 adepten een must have en - misschien - een must read. Geeft op basis van infographics de nieuwste kennis, maakt veel duidelijker en verrijkt je kennis met een 360-graden kijk op dit grootste conflict aller tijden maar ook op het gebied van krijgskunde en econoimie.
Vergt wel veel concentratie, geduld en inzicht om de infographics te doorgronden.

[Rubén García · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obra maestra de la infografía que da un enfoque innovador al análisis de la contienda, añadiendo datos sobre economía, demografía y producción que no equivalente en el campo.

Doy cinco estrellas porque no puedo dar ochenta.

[Michael Ciagala · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please note, this is NOT a picture book. If you don't know anything about World War II this book isn't the right one for you. Familiarity with the subject matter is assumed by the writer (I had to look up many things). The book is stuffed with statistics presented in graphic format - and when I say stuffed, I mean STUFFED. Legends may only be presented once across multiple graphs to allow more graphs to be crammed on a page. Information is presented in many different ways and formats. It can be difficult to sort out what is being presented.

That said, if you're a World War II buff, AND you're really into statistics, AND you have the time and patience to really dive in, then you are going to love this book.

[Francis Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! What an in depth and colourful way to read about history. The data collected here and so well displayed gives an entirely new perspective on World War 2 that you don't necessarily get from other texts.

[jedioffsidetrap · Rating 4 out of 5]

The amount of detail in here is staggering. In many cases, the graphics are more confusing then helpful, but this is an excellent history. A deep & unique view of the war.

[Henry Davis IV · Rating 5 out of 5]

This reference book is truly an excellent example of how graphic design professionals coupled with technical specialists (in this case, military historians) can bring their skills together in a manner whose result is greater than its individual parts. This book examines World War II through a variety of lenses to include topics like individual campaigns, phases of World War II, and other factors like indirect fire weapons (artillery). This talented group of authors has visually portrayed some very nuanced technical discussions in a manner that not only makes it more accessible to readers, but also allows for a clearer understanding of each factor's interrelations or lack thereof.

No matter how advanced or how much of a novice student of World War II you are, you will find this book very valuable for several reasons. First, it does a lot to help clarify some topics which can be a bit confusing or hard to quickly grasp. Second, it ties various discussions to metrics. While some metrics like the will to resist and other human factors are hard to quantify, what can be quantified this book does an excellent job of it. Finally, the illustrations and great variety of styles information is portrayed in this book are both as intellectually stimulating as they are beautiful. As a military history aficionado myself, there are several graphics in this book I would buy if they were poster size and possibly even done in a glossy finish. I highly recommend this book for anyone even mildly interested in World War II or military history in general.

[Zioluc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imponente lavoro di infografica che svecchia l'immaginario consolidato sulla seconda guerra mondiale: si mettono in luce i numeri impressionanti della Russia, la capacità produttiva degli USA, l'inferiorità costante delle forze dell'Asse, l'importanza dei conflitti in Asia, e anche molti dettagli tecnici su mezzi, armamenti, logistica e moltissimo altro. L'irrilevanza delle forze armate italiane è qui evidente in modo davvero impietoso. Quasi ogni pagina è uno spunto interessante, peccato che le infografiche spesso siano un po' difficili da comprendere.

[Courtney B · Rating 3 out of 5]

The infographics here are highly specific and incredibly detailed. Each page has several graphics but also they have tried to jam the historical context on the pages as well. This makes it hard to use without significant contextualization done outside of the book. The formatting makes it hard to scan/use in a class or PowerPoint because there is so much text.

This book needs room to breathe! Make it twice as long with the same amount of content. Great book for a hobbyist, not super useful for a teacher.

[Ignacio Azpiazu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you are familiar with the underlying history of WW2, the complete array of data in this book helps you to fit all the pieces. Not only soldiers and weapons, but iron production an other domestic data of the contenders are great to understand this tragic event.

Beautiful edited and with outstanding and original graphics to map out information, this book is a joy to read or just to have it in your hands.

Recomended

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Très beau livre et surtout intéressant avec des statistiques concernant la seconde guerre mondiale. Il faut être bien concentré et bien lire les légendes pour comprendre certains graphiques. Beaucoup de comparaisons entre pertes de soldats par rapport aux différents pays engagés dans le conflit mais aussi il y a des focus sur certaines batailles. C'est dommage qu'il n'y a rien sur Market Garden ou encore sur la bataille des Ardennes.
Je recommande vivement ce livre.

[Piero Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

From demographics to military tactics and diplomacy, from Europe to the most remote theaters of war, this book has it (almost) all. It offers a quite detailed dive into the conflict through distinct, creative and effective ways of displaying and explaining vast amounts of data.

Although it helps if one knows a bit about the war, the book also includes some contextual information which may help orientate those unfamiliar with the topic.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una maravilla de libro.
Debe estar en toda librería de aquellos que sienten afición por la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Datos, datos y más datos pero detallados de forma visual y muy bien estructurados.
Hasta el gráfico más pequeño tiene su sentido. Y en todas las páginas o tema stratados se nota el detalle con el que se ha trabajado en este libro.
Excelente, genial, fantástico.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone. But for the Venn diagram of data visualization nerds and WWII fanatics it’s fantastic! Maybe a bit too much about battle strategy for me—I didn’t need so many deep dives about specific battles—and not enough maps, but the amount of storytelling crammed in to such tiny charts and icons was amazing.

[Richard Archambault · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. La qualité de la majorité des infographies est excellente. Par contre, le livre perds des points dû à certains infographies trop complexes. Un texte dense et minuscule à des places le rends aussi difficile à lire.

[Gab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Che dire, le edizioni Ippocampo non sono mai una delusione.
Libro con infografiche dettagliatissime e a volte quasi per professionisti e addetti del settore.
Un acquisto per chi vuole farsi un'idea della peggior tragedia del 20°secolo in un modo diverso dal solito.
Lettura consigliata!

[Alberto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spiega in modo completo, in un modo mai fatto prima, con un sacco di dati e di particolari che vengono lasciati da parte in altri libri. Utilizza grafiche molto accurate per fare intendere al lettore le quantità

[spike marlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Something to be reviewed over and over again. Full of informative graphs charts and infographics it plots out World War II. From the Fall of Democracy in Europe to the Fall of the Colonial Empires after the war, the book is full of interesting information.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

My teenage history loving sons LOVE this!

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly effective way to present the mass data now available on WWII. It really makes the trends of the war incredibly clear and does so in a very accessible yet deep manner.

[Ivar Duran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing condensation of information

[Wojtek Konieczny · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/10

[Steven Raszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great and informative more than words can convey. The only drawback is print is so small you need a magnifying glass to see it

[Tjalling Snabilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, just so much information to take in. Then again, part of the experience with these infographics books