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Title: A Short History of World War II by James L. Stokesbury ISBN: 0-688-08587-3 Publisher: Quill Pub. Date: 01 January, 1980 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.1 (10 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Good overview of impossibly complex subject
Comment: This book sets an impossible task...and very nearly succeeds. The rub is in the phrase "short history." If there's one central lesson to be drawn from this book it's that World War II was immensely complex, with ramifications so vast that it's impossible to discuss them all at any depth in a "short" book. At 150,000 or so words, this book is a lot more than an outline, but it's still forced to abbreviate. If you're interested in details about any given campaign, or any given individual, you're going to be disappointed; if you have a favorite World War II topic or personality, you're bound to feel that it's been given short shrift. Even the most famous battles rarely rate more than a page or two. Where this book triumphs is in putting presenting the big picture--military, political, and to some extent cultural--and in drawing interconnections such as why the North Africa campaigns sucked the Allies into a nightmare slog down the Italian peninsula, or how Germany's conquest of Norway helped tip the scales in the Battle of Britain.
Overall, this is a masterful achievement. Is it flag-waving, as some would say? Perhaps--but remember, the author's writing from Nova Scotia, which gives him a Canadian-eye view that allows some detachment in his references to "the British" or "the Americans." (Given the fact he was writing in 1980, that might also explain why he takes a dim view of De Gaule, whose post-war association with French Canada stirred many resentments.)
Stokesbury clearly views this war as the crowning achievement of "The Greatest Generation," even if the book pre-dates that phrase. And maybe he's right. Highly recommended, especially to those wanting to put recent World War II movies into context.
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply Excellent!
Comment: Simply a superbly written broad history of World War II. I loved this book because it reads much like a novel and has the proper amount of detail without becoming mired in it. Pre-war causes and crisis were given a great amount of emphasis, and focuses on all aspects of the War. Interesting focus on Axis mistakes which cost them the War. Proper emphasis on the Eastern front is given as well as the falicy of French defensive tactics and frankly, this is the best easy reading, broad topic, book on World War II that I have found so far, suitable for beginners and people with extensive WWII knowledge.
Rating: 5
Summary: Informative & Extremely Readable
Comment: If you are looking for a well written and informative one-volume account of WWII then go no further. This book will probably not just meet your expectations but surpass them. If you have a penchant for history, I strongly recommend the other Stokesbury books as well.
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Title: Short History of World War I by James L. Stokesbury ISBN: 0688001297 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 January, 1981 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: A Short History of the American Revolution by James L. Stokesbury ISBN: 068812304X Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 January, 1993 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: A Short History of the Korean War by James L. Stokesbury ISBN: 0688095135 Publisher: Quill Pub. Date: 01 December, 1989 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Russia's War by R. J. Overy, Richard Overy ISBN: 0140271694 Publisher: Penguin Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1998 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: A Short History of the Civil War by James L. Stokesbury ISBN: 0688151299 Publisher: Quill Pub. Date: 01 April, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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