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The Oxford Companion to World War II
World War II was a war that affected the entire world and reached into every aspect of existence. It touched all nations, penetrated all aspects of people's lives, and helped shape the world today. When Oxford first published this comprehensive guider, The Economist wrote "it will immediately
take its place as the indispensable reference book for students of the Second World War." Now Oxford University marks the twentieth anniversary of the end of the war with a new paperback edition of one of our most popular references.
With over 1,750 A to Z entries written by more than 140 specialists from both Axis and Allied nations, the Companion provides uniquely worldwide coverage of the war. Every aspect is in-depth surveys of the countries involved in the conflict; politics and strategy; domestic and economic
issues; resistance and intelligence; campaigns and battles; warfare and weapons; wartime leaders and influential people; slogans and slang. Hundreds of easy-to-read maps, charts, and diagrams, plus a full chronology, support the Companion's comprehensive coverage. This is an essential reference for
history buffs, students, scholars, or anyone seeking to learn more about the most tragic, momentous, and influential event in recent history.
take its place as the indispensable reference book for students of the Second World War." Now Oxford University marks the twentieth anniversary of the end of the war with a new paperback edition of one of our most popular references.
With over 1,750 A to Z entries written by more than 140 specialists from both Axis and Allied nations, the Companion provides uniquely worldwide coverage of the war. Every aspect is in-depth surveys of the countries involved in the conflict; politics and strategy; domestic and economic
issues; resistance and intelligence; campaigns and battles; warfare and weapons; wartime leaders and influential people; slogans and slang. Hundreds of easy-to-read maps, charts, and diagrams, plus a full chronology, support the Companion's comprehensive coverage. This is an essential reference for
history buffs, students, scholars, or anyone seeking to learn more about the most tragic, momentous, and influential event in recent history.
1039 pages, Paperback
First published May 11, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 4, 2018
If you are a serious student of WWII, this is the first book to buy for your library. It is simply THE best WWII reference book available. I have published two WWII books (and I'm currently half-way through writing my third), and this book has been an invaluable resource time and time again. Dates, names, places, spelling ... this is your guide. While I have found a small error once or twice (simply because I have the actual MI5 files pertaining to a certain person), this work is very reliable (as one would expect from Oxford).
Special note to editors and copy editors: THIS is the resource for fact checking WWII, not Wikipedia, Google, or Webster's. Buy a copy for your office; you'll not regret it.
Special note to editors and copy editors: THIS is the resource for fact checking WWII, not Wikipedia, Google, or Webster's. Buy a copy for your office; you'll not regret it.
July 29, 2013
I have to preface this review with an honest confession: Since the coming of Wikipedia, I hardly ever look at this book. That’s not because it’s inferior in content or style to Wikipedia, but simply a measure of the fact that it’s more convenient to look things up there (and, of course, Wikipedia is more comprehensive in subject matter). This is probably the heaviest book I own, and until I started preparing this review, I don’t think I had opened it since about 2002-03. I’m not sure I’ll be able to justify putting it into a box and moving it the next time I move, and that is sad.
That said, so far as print encyclopedias go, this is a really excellent example. The research is top-notch, and, although it has dated somewhat in almost 20 years, some of the contributors (eg: Gerhard Weinberg, Richard Bessel) remain at the heads of their respective fields. The articles are clear, thoughtful, and well-written, and the coverage of the topic is impressive. There was an especial effort to include insights into intelligence aspects of the war, and it is here that the volume truly shines, because most reference sources prior to this were fairly weak in that area. It includes many detailed maps of important nations and battle-zones, as well as charts and tables that help deliver information effectively.
That is not to say that there are no problems with the book. Due to the constant shifts in historical borders and national identities, it can be hard to illustrate areas of the occupied East to everyone’s satisfaction, but I was really surprised, this time out, to find that not only is there no article for Belarus, there isn’t even a cross-reference or listing for it in the “place-name changes” at the back of the book. The best I could do is look at the section on “Poland,” which includes a map of its re-structuring under German occupation which does show a map of “Western Belorussia” and has some information about that region. I would imagine that a more recently published book would correct this, but at the time (1995) that this came out, Belarus was barely recognized as a political entity.
On some level, that illustrates the problem with print-text references, as well. What worked in 1995 may not be the way things are categorized in 2013 or 2023. An online resource, whatever its flaws in accuracy or bias, can adapt more rapidly to changes in terminology and political designation. Of course, this also means that many users won’t notice the changes, making history a somewhat more obscure process. This really is a great book, in spite of its flaws, but I think the audience for this sort of print text will become increasingly specialized as time goes on.
That said, so far as print encyclopedias go, this is a really excellent example. The research is top-notch, and, although it has dated somewhat in almost 20 years, some of the contributors (eg: Gerhard Weinberg, Richard Bessel) remain at the heads of their respective fields. The articles are clear, thoughtful, and well-written, and the coverage of the topic is impressive. There was an especial effort to include insights into intelligence aspects of the war, and it is here that the volume truly shines, because most reference sources prior to this were fairly weak in that area. It includes many detailed maps of important nations and battle-zones, as well as charts and tables that help deliver information effectively.
That is not to say that there are no problems with the book. Due to the constant shifts in historical borders and national identities, it can be hard to illustrate areas of the occupied East to everyone’s satisfaction, but I was really surprised, this time out, to find that not only is there no article for Belarus, there isn’t even a cross-reference or listing for it in the “place-name changes” at the back of the book. The best I could do is look at the section on “Poland,” which includes a map of its re-structuring under German occupation which does show a map of “Western Belorussia” and has some information about that region. I would imagine that a more recently published book would correct this, but at the time (1995) that this came out, Belarus was barely recognized as a political entity.
On some level, that illustrates the problem with print-text references, as well. What worked in 1995 may not be the way things are categorized in 2013 or 2023. An online resource, whatever its flaws in accuracy or bias, can adapt more rapidly to changes in terminology and political designation. Of course, this also means that many users won’t notice the changes, making history a somewhat more obscure process. This really is a great book, in spite of its flaws, but I think the audience for this sort of print text will become increasingly specialized as time goes on.
April 19, 2019
Received this great book today and spent hours travelling by its entries (obviously didnt read it all, but expect to return to reference all the time since its what its intended for). Anyway, It remembered when I was a kid and hadnt too much "adult" books and liked to read small bits of encyclopedias everyday. It may teach you something even if you have not too much time.
The graphics are very good, also the maps and the (few) photos. Even in the small entries you can learn something great (didnt know Argentina was neutral till march 1945 and the latin american session also made me proud of former brazilian president Vargas.)
I may not agree completely with the opinions of the authors all the time (e.g. the article about Göering was a bit harsh) but you must respect anyway the massive team of contributors who lent their names and credibility to such a great work. You must learn much more from this than on internet.
The graphics are very good, also the maps and the (few) photos. Even in the small entries you can learn something great (didnt know Argentina was neutral till march 1945 and the latin american session also made me proud of former brazilian president Vargas.)
I may not agree completely with the opinions of the authors all the time (e.g. the article about Göering was a bit harsh) but you must respect anyway the massive team of contributors who lent their names and credibility to such a great work. You must learn much more from this than on internet.
November 12, 2025
An excellent tome (yes it could also be used for a bit of light weightlifting at over 1,000 pages) covering the events of World War II.
It is arranged alphabetically, so can make some more obscure topics a little difficult to find. I think an Index would be really helpful but that would significantly add to the page count.
A solid reference work to help point you in the right direction for additional, and more detailed, research.
It is arranged alphabetically, so can make some more obscure topics a little difficult to find. I think an Index would be really helpful but that would significantly add to the page count.
A solid reference work to help point you in the right direction for additional, and more detailed, research.
May 8, 2010
I will simply cite John Keegan on this one: The most complete Second World War reference book yet.
Anyone with a serious interest in World War Two should possess this book. It has literally tons of information about most WWII-related, general topics and is usually a very good starting point for any more specialized researches. Excellent illustrations/charts/tables/maps add to the overall clarity of the book.
Very highly recommended reference book.
Anyone with a serious interest in World War Two should possess this book. It has literally tons of information about most WWII-related, general topics and is usually a very good starting point for any more specialized researches. Excellent illustrations/charts/tables/maps add to the overall clarity of the book.
Very highly recommended reference book.
June 24, 2012
If you need one book as a reference to the Second World War, then this is it. Does Wikipedia replace it? I think not!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews