The Oxford Illustrated History of World War Two

by Richard Overy

World War Two was the most devastating conflict in recorded human history. It was both global in extent and total in character. It has understandably left a long and dark shadow across the decades. Yet it is three generations since hostilities formally ended in 1945 and the conflict is now a lived memory for only a few. And this growing distance in time has allowed historians to think differently about how to describe it, how to explain its course, and what subjectsto focus on when considering the wartime experience.For instance, as World War Two recedes ever further into the past, even a question as apparently basic as when it began and ended becomes less certain. Was it 1939, when the war in Europe began? Or the summer of 1941, with the beginning of Hitler's war against the Soviet Union? Or did it become truly global only when the Japanese brought the USA into the war at the end of 1941? And what of the long conflict in East Asia, beginning with the Japanese aggression in China in the early 1930s andonly ending with the triumph of the Chinese Communists in 1949?In The Oxford Illustrated History of World War Two a team of leading historians re-assesses the conflict for a new generation, exploring the course of the war not just in terms of the Allied response but also from the viewpoint of the Axis aggressor states. Under Richard Overy's expert editorial guidance, the contributions take us from the genesis of war, through the action in the major theatres of conflict by land, sea, and air, to assessments of fighting power and military andtechnical innovation, the economics of total war, the culture and propaganda of war, and the experience of war (and genocide) for both combatants and civilians, concluding with an account of the transition from World War to Cold War in the late 1940s. Together, they provide a stimulating and thought-provoking newinterpretation of one of the most terrible and fascinating episodes in world history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Reference, War

504 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich.

Educated at Caius College, Cambridge and awarded a research fellowship at Churchill College, Professor Overy taught history at Cambridge from 1972 to 1979, as a fellow of Queens' College and from 1976 as a university assistant lecturer. In 1980 he moved to King's College London, where he became professor of modern history in 1994. He was appointed to a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2004.

His work on World War II has been praised as "highly effective in the ruthless dispelling of myths" (A. J. P. Taylor), "original and important" (New York Review of Books) and "at the cutting edge" (Times Literary Supplement.)[

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

World War Two has been a horrific war. The death toll has been recorded to be around 60 million people, which constitute almost 3% of the world population at that time. I certainty do not hope for any more of such world war to ever happen again. Given that the crucial role world war 2 played in the human history, it is no wonder books, films and documentaries have been made around it. This book is a somewhat scholarly take on an immense topic.

I was, at first, quite naive to think that this would be a book that I could read cover to cover. I’ve discovered that this book, is certainty not one you would read cover to cover, it is rather one that you would certainty use as a reference book.

This book gives a very full-orbed view of world war 2. Each author gives an in-depth introduction to a particular aspect of the war. Far too often books focuses on one particular aspect of World War 2, but this book does not repeat such a mistake. What I enjoyed especially is how the book talks about how the World War moved towards the Cold War. I find that books often treat them as two separate topics, but this book shows how they are linked to each other.

I’ve not found this to be fun reading, but it was certainty useful for giving me an in-depth knowledge of what has happened in World War 2. I hope those who are interested in World War 2 will find this book helpful and enlightening.

Rating: 3.75 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Omar Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of essays that cover various aspects of the war. Not a military history, but an overview (entire campaigns are summarized in a few paragraphs). This is not just (or even mostly) about the various military campaigns, but focuses on the economic factors, the weapons, the home front, the propaganda, the role of women and so on. There is an air of "debunking myths" about many of the essays and that's a good thing: Looking back with the benefit of many decades of research, arguments and so on, it is possible to reassess many popular myths (did super-weapons change the outcome in any way? How well did the various combatants do in mass producing weapons? how important was the air offensive? how important was the help the Russians receieved from the Western powers? What was the contribution of various colonial armies and volunteers? etc etc)
There is a British focus, but not too much.
All in all, worth a read.

[Melek · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me months to read. I can't give you a specific starting date, but I think it was late February, so I set my starting date as March 1st just in case. I finished it only yesterday night; I'll leave the calculating to you.

Granted, it was a trouble to read. I can count dozens of things I didn't like about this book, starting with the writing style (it was too boring and monotone, I almost fell asleep at some parts even though I'm interested in the topic), the wrong proportion of graphics to text, considering how heavy the text is (all those dates. Most were necessary, though), some of the photos (that part is mostly about me). On the other hand, those sides did little to affect how much I liked the book. It was well-searched with lots of unknown (to me) details, and it is a great reference to put on your bookshelves and take it out every once in a while.

3.5-4/5

[fff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a rather disappointing read.

This book comprises of essays regarding various aspects of World War II. It's not an inherently bad way of presenting history to readers, but it is not done well here. While the essays are arranged in a (somewhat) chronological order, many authors repeat each other's points to the extent that little new information is presented. Some essays focus on various aspects of the war (propaganda) while others focus on the timeline (transition to the Cold War), making for a staggered narrative. There is no gel that holds the book together, and that is a huge problem, especially when most of the book is...

A barrage of dates and battles. The malady that plagues many non-fiction books. Page after page, the authors describe different battles that are the same to the reader. More information doesn't help the reader empathise with the horrors of war; a narrative does. I don't want a catalog of every minor detail or battle; I want to hear fresh opinions on the impacts of a particular battle on the trajectory of the war. You don't study history by memorising dates; you study why events unfold the way they do. A narrative is what this book precisely fails to deliver, and it is the reason why I think it is not a particularly useful resource for people interested in World War II.

[Nadhilla Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book certainly delivered on what I wanted, which was a better understanding of World War 2. It's not a book for people with zero knowledge though because it jumps around the timeline a lot and favours demarcating the book through themes and concepts rather than by chronological events. It's also not as comprehensive as I would have liked, although that's virtually impossible. Still, I've really learnt a lot about World War 2 and I'm glad that I can say I'm more knowledgeable about the events surrounding the greatest conflict in human history.

[A Reader's Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

World War Two was the most devastating conflict in recorded human history. It was both global in extent and total in character. It has understandably left a long and dark shadow across the decades. Yet it is three generations since hostilities formally ended in 1945 and the conflict is now a lived memory for only a few. And this growing distance in time has allowed historians to think differently about how to describe it, how to explain its course, and what subjects to focus on when considering the wartime experience.
In The Oxford Illustrated History of World War Two a team of leading historians re-assesses the conflict for a new generation, exploring the course of the war not just in terms of the Allied response but also from the viewpoint of the Axis aggressor states. Under Richard Overy's expert editorial guidance, the contributions take us from the genesis of war, through the action in the major theatres of conflict by land, sea, and air, to assessments of fighting power and military and technical innovation, the economics of total war, the culture and propaganda of war, and the experience of war (and genocide) for both combatants and civilians, concluding with an account of the transition from World War to Cold War in the late 1940s. Together, they provide a stimulating and thought-provoking new interpretation of one of the most terrible and fascinating episodes in world history.

This is a well researched book. Not much more I can say there. It tells the story of WW2 from multiple points of view and covers the beginnings and lingering effects immediately after. The book is divided into clear and concise chapters which makes reading easy. The artwork - in particular the propaganda posters - are a great addition.

The one thing that was "difficult" was the images. There are some photos that could be considered distressing to some readers and, while they can be considered to be adding to the telling of the story, I found them to be a little much. I am by no means a prude, but one photo of bodies littered across a field is more than enough.

Also, the other small point I want to make is the overwhelming pile of dates, names and places. While I understand that for a topic of such vast scope, that was always going to be the case, but it did detract just a little from the enjoyment of reading this great book.

Aside from those small nitpicking points, this is a great release and would not be out of place on any WW2 buff's bookshelf.


Paul
ARH

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free from Goodreads First Reads, in exchange for an honest review.

There are good points and bad points with this one, as with most reference books.

I'll start off by saying that the book is full of well researched information, I can't fault the historians dedication to the work.
Some of the chapters, like 'Unnatural Deaths' and 'The Culture of War: Ideas, Arts and Propaganda', are packed with really interesting snippets that aren't always found in mainstream WW2 books.
The colour plates include artwork, propaganda posters and photographs in a decent mix, and each chapter in divided into several subheadings so it's easier to find a relevant piece quickly.

Of course, with this kind of book, some of the photographs are very difficult to look at, with bodies featuring throughout. There are also some very haunting shots of POW, and victims of famine, including women, children and babies - the victims of a Chongqing stampede are especially haunting. All of these pictures are in black in white, so we're spared any further shock, but they're quite painful to see, all the same.

There are a total of 28 colour plates nestled into the center of the book, and I must admit, although they're wonderful pictures, I was hoping to see quite a few more. There are photographs and maps throughout the book, but I think a decent scattering of colour would help break up the huge blocks of text a little.

Certainly, this is a difficult book to read, with a constant barrage of dates, names and places, it sometimes seems more like an itinerary than a history, a index without a great deal of emotion in the text at all. It's perfect for facts and figures, but for those that feel a real empathy for the era it comes across impassionate.

All in all, I've given the book 4 stars, because although it's extremely text heavy, there are things I learnt from several of chapters I didn't know before, and that's the whole point, isn't it? To teach new things from an era that should never be forgotten.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

"The Oxford Illustrated History of World War Two" edited by Richard Overy is a very informative look at almost all aspects of WWII - the chapters on "Unnatural Deaths", "The Culture of War", and "From World War to Cold War" particularly so.

I do have some problems with the book however.

Coming from Oxford, my expectations were high, so I was disappointed to find various inconsistencies ("Kim Il-sung" and "Kim Il Sung" - both versions used in the same photo caption! - for example), and also instances of missing words - even incorrect words ("attach" rather than "attack" is the one that springs to mind).

I was also disappointed in the photo captioning because it was rarely made clear who was who in the case of the main players in WWII. This is fine for people who have knowledge of these people, but not so good (almost useless, in fact) for people who know nothing.
This was especially disappointing because of the title including the words "Illustrated History".

I really did expect better care to be taken with the putting together of this book. It's a real shame, because the layout, writing (apart from the errors), were well worth reading and deserved 5 stars. Unfortunately, I can't overlook the problems.