The Library of Congress World War II Companion

by David M. Kennedy

Book Overview

"Historian John Keegan called World War II "the largest single event in human history." More than sixty years after it ended, that war continues to shape our world. Going far beyond accounts of the major battles, The Library of Congress World War II Companion examines this devastating conflict, its causes, conduct, and aftermath. It considers the politics that shaped the involvement of the major combatants; military leadership and the characteristics...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743252195
• ISBN13: 9780743252195
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 982 Pages
• Weight: 3.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.0" x 8.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Resource

I find this book to be a very good resource. In addition it is very vell organized and easy to read. A very good book for students and people with a general interest in the subject. (One error I did find was that Albert Speer's name was left off the list of defendants at the first Nuremberg trial on pages 927 and 928)

An excellent illustrated survey

This is a very attractive and extensive survey of World War II. It should be invaluable to the student of the period, enlightening to the history enthusiast, and an important reference work for scholars. It has an emphasis on the American experience overall, but adequately covers the relative involvements of all the major national powers (and many minor ones) from the level of private citizens and front-line soldiers, to the generals and leaders of states. There are discussions of individual combat weapons and machines as well as the composition, strategy and movement of entire armed forces. Topics are liberally illustrated with photographs and artwork, and supported with many letters, personal experiences (such as those collected from the Veterans History Project), maps, charts, statistics, and quantitative analyses to help the reader absorb the information. The text is concise and easy to read, and includes a 35 page index and well organized chapter headings to help the reader search out topics of interest. At the end of each chapter, the authors have compiled principle sources and further reading. Overall, this is quite a comprehensive survey (at 942 pages of text), of a topic of profound importance. Highly recommended.