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World War II: The Definitive Visual History
World War II is divided into nine chronological chapters, each introduced by a general overview of the military and political situation. This is followed by a comprehensive timeline, covering events in all theaters of the war. The opening chapter analyzes the build-up of hostility in the years leading up the war, both in Europe and in the Pacific. Similarly the final chapter analyzes the immediate and long-term consequences of the war and the way it has shaped recent history. In the chapters that cover the events of the war itself, the main spreads move from one theater of war to another but are linked by an easy-to-use system of cross referencing to earlier events and the consequences of the actions described on the spread. The main spreads are interspersed with features, eyewitness accounts, and galleries of weaponry and equipment.
This title differs from DK's previous World War II title, in that it is a spread-by-spread account á la History (with "previous" and "following" tabs placing each spread in chronological context) of the war, rather than a narrative that needs to be read from start to finish.
This title differs from DK's previous World War II title, in that it is a spread-by-spread account á la History (with "previous" and "following" tabs placing each spread in chronological context) of the war, rather than a narrative that needs to be read from start to finish.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
47 people are currently reading
803 people want to read
About the author
Richard Holmes
116 books92 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
See this thread for more information.
Edward Richard Holmes was Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He was educated at Cambridge, Northern Illinois, and Reading Universities, and carried out his doctoral research on the French army of the Second Empire. For many years he taught military history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
A celebrated military historian, Holmes is the author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed Tommy and Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. His dozen other books include Dusty Warriors, Sahib, The Western Front, The Little Field Marshal: Sir John French, The Road to Sedan, Firing Line, The Second World War in Photographs and Fatal Avenue: A Traveller’s History of Northern France and Flanders (also published by Pimlico).
He was general editor of The Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented eight BBC TV series, including ‘War Walks’, ‘The Western Front’ and ‘Battlefields’, and is famous for his hugely successful series ‘Wellington: The Iron Duke’ and ‘Rebels and Redcoats’.
See this thread for more information.
Edward Richard Holmes was Professor of Military and Security Studies at Cranfield University and the Royal Military College of Science. He was educated at Cambridge, Northern Illinois, and Reading Universities, and carried out his doctoral research on the French army of the Second Empire. For many years he taught military history at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
A celebrated military historian, Holmes is the author of the best-selling and widely acclaimed Tommy and Redcoat: The British Soldier in the Age of Horse and Musket. His dozen other books include Dusty Warriors, Sahib, The Western Front, The Little Field Marshal: Sir John French, The Road to Sedan, Firing Line, The Second World War in Photographs and Fatal Avenue: A Traveller’s History of Northern France and Flanders (also published by Pimlico).
He was general editor of The Oxford Companion to Military History and has presented eight BBC TV series, including ‘War Walks’, ‘The Western Front’ and ‘Battlefields’, and is famous for his hugely successful series ‘Wellington: The Iron Duke’ and ‘Rebels and Redcoats’.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 10, 2021
Probably the most photos of the war that you will every need….even some good ones of the air war in the Pacific. Though, that is a sore spot for me because there isn’t substantive narrative to go with them.
In many respects there is thoughtful prose that goes beyond captions, but pictures are expected to convey impact and these do.
Not the only (or the first book) you want if you are interested in this immense conflict, but a good addition. 3.5*
In many respects there is thoughtful prose that goes beyond captions, but pictures are expected to convey impact and these do.
Not the only (or the first book) you want if you are interested in this immense conflict, but a good addition. 3.5*
July 27, 2015
This book (guide) weighed 2-3kg lol. It took me months to finish, but it was worth every letter. Greatest guide ever.
"Tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today"
"Tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today"
August 25, 2016
I've been looking for this book for a while and when I finally found it, could not be more happier.. The day I got the book I couldn't sleep from the excitement. Owning a book that's wealthy with details and pictures from A to Z about World War II explaining everything from Germany to Russia, from China to the Middle East involvement in the beginning of the war till the very end. To me I found it remarkably detailed and full of pictures and maps even images of the weapons they used back then. Highly recommend for history lovers be prepared to lose sleep because this book will take you back in time and you'll definitely relive WWII. Amazing collection, amazing info and definitely can't stop going through it again and again just simply I'm glad to own this treasure.
June 13, 2014
This book follows all the armies in world war two including U.S.A, Russia, France, Great Britan and many more. This book is places in many places in japan like Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Places in Russia like Stalingrad and Kursk. Places in Germany Like Berlin. This book is all about World War Two and is very detailed. This book describes the years from 1939-1946. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes history or is interested in military things
June 5, 2015
This was REALLY good, for it's type: it's very general, of course, with lots of illustrations (but mostly ones you've seen before), but what sets it apart is how it's organized.
Really well-done, highly recommended for novices in WWII history, and a nice refresher for us old hands.
Really well-done, highly recommended for novices in WWII history, and a nice refresher for us old hands.
October 25, 2019
Just as described! A 'definitive visual history' of World War II. At first glance, a reader would think they would get through this quickly since there are so many photos and graphics. However, there is also quite a bit of words! A great synopsis of the war, including the start of the Cold War. A couple of minor mistakes, but not serious enough to deter the overall quality.
March 15, 2023
Although I didn't read every word, I read most of them. This well-organized reference volume not only has a wealth of pictures of all aspects of the war, the text included with each spread of photos is quite readable.
April 28, 2013
An overview of World War II in the usual visual style of DK Eyewitness books. First of all, the photos are up to the usual DK standard of high quality. The layouts of the pages bring the subjects to life and like most DK books, it is a true page-turner. I constantly found myself eager to finish a page just to see what the next one looked like - and I was almost never disappointed.
Although these books are usually geared towards the visual (with richly illustrated timelines, lots of graphics and text laid around huge photos), the text itself is no pushover either. For its historical contents, it manages to do a good job of balancing a fine line between standard history (as written by the victors) and the more controversial aspects of World War 2 (especially the more than questionable episodes of Allied conduct, which has been a taboo subject for decades). The more sceptical reader probably won't be satisfied by the coverage in this book of some of these subjects but the book has to be given credit for not only mentioning the controversies but also giving some eye-witness accounts of the terror. It stops short of actually condemning the conduct (fire-bombing civilian centres, shooting prisoners of war etc) but for a mainstream book, even saying that "there is some controversy" is a huge step in the right direction.
Overall the positive thing about the book is a nearly neutral tone it takes to it subject. Unlike some history books, which are all about bashing the Nazis, being suspicious about the Commies and waving the American flag, the reader of this book gets a fairly balanced view from all sides of the conflict.
The one thing keeping it from reaching a five star status is the fact, that for a "Definitive Visual History", there is too much redundancy in photos. Many photos are repeated twice, some even three times in the book. For a book that is more about photos and visually representing its subject than the next one, and a subject, which should lend itself to virtually countless thousands of photos to choose from, this is quite unfortunate. The book could easily have never recycled a single photo and been all the better for it but as it stands, be ready to encounter many photos (although in different contexts and sizes) more than once.
Other than the oversight of recycled photos, I can heartily recommend this book. Even though for a WW2 or a general history buff there is probably not much new in this book, the visual style is enjoyable nevertheless and for the novice to intermediary history learner, this is a good introduction or refresher of the subject.
Although these books are usually geared towards the visual (with richly illustrated timelines, lots of graphics and text laid around huge photos), the text itself is no pushover either. For its historical contents, it manages to do a good job of balancing a fine line between standard history (as written by the victors) and the more controversial aspects of World War 2 (especially the more than questionable episodes of Allied conduct, which has been a taboo subject for decades). The more sceptical reader probably won't be satisfied by the coverage in this book of some of these subjects but the book has to be given credit for not only mentioning the controversies but also giving some eye-witness accounts of the terror. It stops short of actually condemning the conduct (fire-bombing civilian centres, shooting prisoners of war etc) but for a mainstream book, even saying that "there is some controversy" is a huge step in the right direction.
Overall the positive thing about the book is a nearly neutral tone it takes to it subject. Unlike some history books, which are all about bashing the Nazis, being suspicious about the Commies and waving the American flag, the reader of this book gets a fairly balanced view from all sides of the conflict.
The one thing keeping it from reaching a five star status is the fact, that for a "Definitive Visual History", there is too much redundancy in photos. Many photos are repeated twice, some even three times in the book. For a book that is more about photos and visually representing its subject than the next one, and a subject, which should lend itself to virtually countless thousands of photos to choose from, this is quite unfortunate. The book could easily have never recycled a single photo and been all the better for it but as it stands, be ready to encounter many photos (although in different contexts and sizes) more than once.
Other than the oversight of recycled photos, I can heartily recommend this book. Even though for a WW2 or a general history buff there is probably not much new in this book, the visual style is enjoyable nevertheless and for the novice to intermediary history learner, this is a good introduction or refresher of the subject.
December 26, 2014
This is a terrific summary of WWII, extremely well organized and thorough, with wonderful photographs and very concise commentary. This would be a perfect complement to a history course on the war, the perfect place to start a study of the war. In depth study would need additional reading of course, but this work unites the many aspects of the conflict in a coherent manner. It is what it claims to be, a visual history. I have also read the WWI book of the same style and found that equally effective.
August 15, 2017
Probably the best World War 2 visual guide book I've ever read.
Covering all armies of the World War 2 with a lot of authentic photographs, mostly on Allied side though. There are already a lot of books that told you about the history or the course of World War 2, but not so many books that trying to visualize the World War 2 for you through so many good photographs from the grim days!
This book is simply epic.
Covering all armies of the World War 2 with a lot of authentic photographs, mostly on Allied side though. There are already a lot of books that told you about the history or the course of World War 2, but not so many books that trying to visualize the World War 2 for you through so many good photographs from the grim days!
This book is simply epic.
May 21, 2017
This was simply excellent. As all-encompassing as can be expected from one book and begins at the root of the conflict, not Pearl Harbor and the beginning of American involvement. Highly recommended.
October 21, 2017
Detailed, poignant.
April 9, 2020
Another superb compilation book; yes, it's a coffee-table book, but it does a terrific job of explaining World War II to the layman, just as DK's World War I book did before it. This volume is chock full of large detailed photos, maps, mini biographies, battle breakdowns, interviews, analysis, contextualization, and more. World War II is a subject of particular interest to me...I have read a LOT of fictional novels set in this time period, and many non-fiction books as well. Before reading this volume, I considered myself reasonably well-read on the subject. But there were MANY NEW elements to the war that this book revealed to me! I think one of the book's strong points is its willingness to dwell on many smaller, less-famous skirmishes and conflicts in the farther reaches of Europe and Asia. Much of this information was completely new to me and helped me better understand the truly global nature of the conflict.
As in the World War I volume, this book contained a "Before" and "After" section on most pages, which helped contextualize all the major events covered in this book, and how each event led to other things. This book does an excellent job of both setting up the reasons for the rise of Nazi Germany and fascism in many European countries (I DO think the Spanish Civil War was a bit under-reported, but that's neither here nor there), and also explaining the new global power structure following the war's end, and how it redefined politics and conflict for much of the 20th century. World War II can be very inspiring to modern readers, who see its clash of ideals and morals as a noble struggle. This is true, but the book does not overly belabor that point, and manages to adequately explain both sides of all arguments in the conflict.
If you are a fan of history, this book will be a must-have. It opts for breadth over depth (there are many important events of the war that are not discussed in great detail), but it is an invaluable source for better understanding the war in broad strokes.
As in the World War I volume, this book contained a "Before" and "After" section on most pages, which helped contextualize all the major events covered in this book, and how each event led to other things. This book does an excellent job of both setting up the reasons for the rise of Nazi Germany and fascism in many European countries (I DO think the Spanish Civil War was a bit under-reported, but that's neither here nor there), and also explaining the new global power structure following the war's end, and how it redefined politics and conflict for much of the 20th century. World War II can be very inspiring to modern readers, who see its clash of ideals and morals as a noble struggle. This is true, but the book does not overly belabor that point, and manages to adequately explain both sides of all arguments in the conflict.
If you are a fan of history, this book will be a must-have. It opts for breadth over depth (there are many important events of the war that are not discussed in great detail), but it is an invaluable source for better understanding the war in broad strokes.
January 14, 2023
3.5*
World War II: The definitive visual history is a good place to stay if one is interested in learning about the history of this war. It starts at the end of World War I and explains the situation that allowed Hitler & Mussolini to rise to power, it then ends at the beginning of the cold war and gives a brief history of it.
Overall it's a decent book with good entry level information on each stage of WWII but it falls off with spelling errors and maps that don't fully go along with the content on the page, a good idea of the world map pre-war would be handy when it comes to this book. Another concurrent theme that cut down the rating is the constant backwards and forwards through out the book. For example, on one page it could be referencing a battle that occurred in 1942, and then the next page could be all about 1939.
Overall it's a good book and the perfect gateway for someone interested in this section of history.
World War II: The definitive visual history is a good place to stay if one is interested in learning about the history of this war. It starts at the end of World War I and explains the situation that allowed Hitler & Mussolini to rise to power, it then ends at the beginning of the cold war and gives a brief history of it.
Overall it's a decent book with good entry level information on each stage of WWII but it falls off with spelling errors and maps that don't fully go along with the content on the page, a good idea of the world map pre-war would be handy when it comes to this book. Another concurrent theme that cut down the rating is the constant backwards and forwards through out the book. For example, on one page it could be referencing a battle that occurred in 1942, and then the next page could be all about 1939.
Overall it's a good book and the perfect gateway for someone interested in this section of history.
December 12, 2019
An exhaustive review of World War II. Nice photos and summaries... all with an allied perspective. The book reads like history. Some parts pretty dry and overall somewhat disconnected. No true storyline. Just a collection of facts. Still a great reference book. Something to work your way through (took me the better part of 8 months on and off reading) before reading better accounts of specific battles, regions or WWII themes in other novels.
March 2, 2024
A fantastic retelling of a period of history that I have been obsessed with as a kid. I started this book immediately after the World War 1 version of this. Both books are very similar in style but written by different authors. I did come across a few typos but nothing major. Overall, I really enjoyed this although at some points it felt a little cumbersome to read through. Either way, this book covers everything you would ever need to know about before, during, and after WWII. A must read.
December 23, 2018
After reading a few World War I history books last month, I was looking for an overview of World War II and this book provided that and so much more. Don't let the title fool you: there's a lot of meaty text (unfortunately much of it in a microscopic font) in this weighty tome.
January 25, 2023
I didn't quite make it through this book, but I flipped through enough of it to fill out my understanding of World War II. I enjoy reading books like this, that are designed for young readers but don't talk down to them. It is satisfying.
September 30, 2025
İkinci Dünya Savaşına ilginiz varsa koleksiyon olarak kesinlikle kitaplığınızda bulunmalı. Görseller oldukça etkileyici. Kitabın tek eksik yanı çeviride bazen hatalar yapılmış bazı tarihler yanlış verilmiş bilginize. Ama yine de bu eseri bize kazandıran herkesin emeğine sağlık.
January 16, 2019
it is a good book
June 21, 2019
This is not definitive, but I really like the timeline format, particularly the pullout timeline that makes it easy to keep track of multiple theaters of operation
October 25, 2019
720 - 2019
July 15, 2022
very interesting. Good read.
January 2, 2023
Good general overview and has decent pictures. Tries to touch on other theaters of war not often looked on like the Baltic region and fighting close to India.
December 30, 2023
I haven't read this one but wanted to mark it as a favorite of my son who loves all things WW2.
July 20, 2024
This book was one of my first nonfiction reads that talked about the entire WW2. It was very informative and I enjoyed all the graphs and diagrams that gave me a needed understanding. Although it was hard to read every single fact, this book did a wonderful job of teaching me about WW2. I would recommend this for anyone interested in learning about WW2 and has a long attention span.
January 21, 2024
This is one of the best coffee table books about World War II. It is not a book where you can learn the many complexities of WWII, it is more of a visual timeline of the war and a quick survey of the big battles and biographies of great generals and leaders. Definitely the main attraction of the book are mesmerising pictures that can be found on every page. I would recommend this book to everyone who is fascinated with the biggest conflict in human history.
February 18, 2024
I loved the book I own it so I can read it as much as I want. Good pictures and details
December 1, 2015
I used the pictures, photos and, most importantly, the maps which are all lavishly illustrated and abundantly presented to supplement the more substantive work by Keegan, who was greatly eloquent but less generous in photos and maps.
May 5, 2014
You cannot go wrong with DK (publisher)! A superb addition to historical literature relating to WWII!
Lots and lots of pictures, timelines and maps!
Lots and lots of pictures, timelines and maps!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews