Second World War in 100 Objects

by Julian Thompson

The Second World War was a seminal event in world history. The story of its battles and key events is a familiar one, but "The Second World War in 100 Objects" offers a unique perspective on this global phenomenon by tracing its history through its objects, such as iconic items like the British Spitfire, the George Cross and Adolf Hitler's personal revolver, to personal objects which tell the poignant stories of individuals and official documents, maps and orders. Fully illustrated, each entry will be accompanied by approximately 500 words of text which will put the item in context and highlight its significance.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Reference

256 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Major General Julian Harold Atherdean Thompson, CB, OBE is a military historian and former Royal Marines officer who as a brigadier commanded 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands war.

Thompson, who was British commander on the islands during the final phase of the conflict has written extensively on the Falklands conflict and British military history. He is also a visiting professor at the department of War Studies, King's College, University of London.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle of this publication is The Story of the World's Greatest Conflict Told Through the Objects That Shaped It. I don't know what criteria were used in order to select the 100 objects to include in the book, but some were questionable in my opinion. For instance: how did the Owen SMG get included while the Stg 44 was left out? In any event, it's an easy, interesting read and even knowledgeable WWII buffs will find some trivia of interest in here. The book would have benefitted from some diligent proofreading but I think my biggest moan is that they used a small font on glossy paper, thereby making it a little difficult to read.

[Tom Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly interesting tidbits of info surrounding 100 rather obscure objects associated with WWII. Features bizarre inventions and other tools and implements designed for particular purposes pertaining to the war effort. The recipe sounds rather dull but to the authors credit he keeps it fairly amusing throughout.

I hope that nobody thinks this will be a comprehensive and/or chronological look at the Second World War *through* 100 objects. It should rather be called "100 Objects from the Second World War", which is not nearly as appealing but would be a little more accurate.


In general this will only be interesting to those who have a thorough background in WWII. Otherwise the objects may seem meaningless and irrelevant to the layman.

[yoksan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think I can actually use this book as a reference as intended. It's got some interesting tidbits, but the information was clouded with the writer's opinions on things he wrote about.

It's informative and fun to read, but do not use this as a reference book on your school report.