The Second World War: A Complete History

About this book

Martin Gilberts presents A "magisterial" (New York Times) single-volume history of the Second World War. It began with the German invasion of Poland on September 1 1939. By the time it came to an end on V-J Day-August 14 1945 -it had involved every major power and become global in its reach. In the final accounting it would turn out to be in both human terms and material resources the costliest war in history taking the lives of thirty million people. In one brilliant volume eminent historian Martin Gilbert offers the complete history of WWII. With unparalleled scholarship and breadth of vision Gilbert the official biographer of Winston Churchill as well as one of the leading experts on the Holocaust weaves together political military diplomatic and civilian elements to provide a global perspective on the war in a work that is both a treasure trove of information and a gripping dramatic narrative. "In his transmission of the horror of the war Martin Gilbert has achieved something no other historian but he could. There is indeed a relentless force about chronology when it is used as a tool by an historian of the stature of Martin Gilbert." -The Sunday Telegraph "Gilberts flowing narrative is spiced with anecdotal details culled from diaries memoirs and official documents. He is especially skillful at interweaving summaries of military strategy with vignettes of civilian suffering." -Newsweek