The Second World War began in August 1939 on the edge of Manchuria and ended there exactly six years later with the Soviet invasion of northern China. The war in Europe appeared completely divorced from the war in the Pacific and China, and yet events on opposite sides of the world had profound effects. Using the most up-to-date scholarship and research, and writing with clarity and compassion, Beevor assembles the whole picture in a gripping narrative that extends from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific, from the snowbound steppe to the North African Desert, to the Burmese jungle, SS Einsatzgruppen in the borderlands, Gulag prisoners drafted into punishment battalions, and to the unspeakable cruelties of the Sino-Japanese War. Moral choice forms the basis of all human drama, and no other period in history has presented greater dilemmas both for leaders and ordinary people, nor offered such examples of individual and mass tragedy, the corruption of power politics, ideological hypocrisy, the egomania of commanders, betrayal, perversity, self-sacrifice, unbelievable sadism and unpredictable kindness. Although filling the broadest canvas on a heroic scale, Beevor's THE SECOND WORLD WAR never loses sight of the fate of the ordinary soldiers and civilians whose lives were crushed by the titanic forces unleashed in this, the most terrible war in history.
The Second World War
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Review
His singular ability to make huge historical events accessible to a general audience recalls the golden age of British narrative history, whose giants include Gibbon, Macaulay and Carlyle. (Boyd Tonkin THE INDEPENDENT )
Beevor can be credited with single-handedly transforming the reputation of military history. (David Edgar THE GUARDIAN )
A truly outstanding historian of war (Michael Howard STANDPOINT )
A British historian of great distinction and range, who ... demonstrates his mastery of his sources. (Gordon Craig NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS )
his accounts of the key moments in the second world war have a sense of colour, drama and immediacy that few narrative historians can match (Dominic Sandbrook THE SUNDAY TIMES 20120527)
If you want to understand the war as military struggle, this book is all you really need. However well you thought you knew the subject, you will learn something new on every page. (Neill Denny WE LOVE THIS BOOK online )
You feel yourself being carried along on the narrative flow, channelled this way and that through the pools and rapids by Beevor's expert helmanship. (Patrick Bishop STANDPOINT 20120601)
Brocaded with details of the great campaigns and thoughtful explanations of Hitler's murderous belligerence, The Second World War is an absorbing, unsparingly lucid work of military history. (Ian Thomson THE SPECTATOR 20120602)
The myriad pieces of this intricate kaleidoscope are pieced together with exemplary skill. (Roger Moorhouse THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 20120603)
This is a splendid book, erudite, with an admirable clarity of thought and expression. (Roger Moorhouse THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 20120603)
Beevor's book is a pleasure to read and an example of intelligent, lively historical writing at its best. (Tony Barber THE FINANCIAL TIMES 20120603)
Everyone who is interested in the Second World War should read this book. (Laurence Rees WW2HISTORY.COM 20120604)
This is as comprehensive and objective an account of the course of the war as we are likely to get, and the most humanly moving to date. (John Gray NEW STATESMAN 20120611)
The book that Beevor has been building towards writing - and everybody else has been anticipating reading. (Donal O'Donoghue RTE GUIDE 20120602)
remarkably well-written and informative (Norman Stone LITERARY REVIEW 20120601)
This is the place to begin if you need to get your knowledge of the war in order. (Hew Strachan EVENING STANDARD 20120607)
This is history writ large. (James Owen THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SEVEN Magazine 20120610)
Beevor is excellent at catching the individual in the flood-tide of events. (John Lewis-Stempel SUNDAY EXPRESS 20120610)
The book could not really have been done better. (MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY )
A magnificent performance - true excitement from one page to the next delivered in faultless prose. (Christopher Silvester DAILY EXPRESS 20120615)
the whole story told in the author's usual erudite yet highly readable prose (DESPATCHES Magazine )
The heart of Beevor's appeal is precisely that straightforward narrative approach, coupled with his lively, engaging style and his use of memorable, almost cinematic, set-pieces. (HISTORY TODAY 20120626)
He is the most humanitarian of historians, and covers huge sweeps of history through the real stories of the individuals who experienced them. Reading this will be like having him walk me through the history of the war like a personal guide. (Kate Mosse )
This is a book demanding to be read. (Christopher Bray THE OXFORD TIMES 20120705)
a masterly understanding of the conflict's many facets (THE MAIL ON SUNDAY 20120715)
For as harrowing and politically convoluted as the years 1939-1945 were, Beevor writes with such a panache and literary flair, that the reader is almost uncannily charged to keep turning the pages at a rate of ten by ten, twenty by twenty, chapter by chapter - until such point that s/he has stumbled upon the end as if by chance, as if by default. (David Marx 20120716)
By deploying his keen eye for tiny detail and penchant for story telling, and then marrying them both with an acute historical investigation, Antony Beevor has once again written a book that is simply superlative. (David Marx 20120716)
This imposing history can both be read as a whole or dipped into, and never fails to inform. (WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? )
This book is a perfect mixture of world history and human experience, unbiased and highly readable. (THE JOURNAL 20120714)
As we have come to expect from this master, he excels at using eye-witness testimony to illustrate how mankind can be capable of both terrible cruelty and astonishing courage. (Andrew Rawnsley THE OBSERVER 20121125)
global history at its grandest and best (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 20121124)
the most incredibly detailed research (Chris Tarrant THE SUNDAY EXPRESS S MAGAZINE 20121202)
a truly rewarding account of the global conflict. Beevor has a special gift for linking great events with individual testimony (Amanda Foreman MAIL ON SUNDAY )
Beevor can be credited with single-handedly transforming the reputation of military history. (David Edgar THE GUARDIAN )
A truly outstanding historian of war (Michael Howard STANDPOINT )
A British historian of great distinction and range, who ... demonstrates his mastery of his sources. (Gordon Craig NEW YORK REVIEW OF BOOKS )
his accounts of the key moments in the second world war have a sense of colour, drama and immediacy that few narrative historians can match (Dominic Sandbrook THE SUNDAY TIMES 20120527)
If you want to understand the war as military struggle, this book is all you really need. However well you thought you knew the subject, you will learn something new on every page. (Neill Denny WE LOVE THIS BOOK online )
You feel yourself being carried along on the narrative flow, channelled this way and that through the pools and rapids by Beevor's expert helmanship. (Patrick Bishop STANDPOINT 20120601)
Brocaded with details of the great campaigns and thoughtful explanations of Hitler's murderous belligerence, The Second World War is an absorbing, unsparingly lucid work of military history. (Ian Thomson THE SPECTATOR 20120602)
The myriad pieces of this intricate kaleidoscope are pieced together with exemplary skill. (Roger Moorhouse THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 20120603)
This is a splendid book, erudite, with an admirable clarity of thought and expression. (Roger Moorhouse THE INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY 20120603)
Beevor's book is a pleasure to read and an example of intelligent, lively historical writing at its best. (Tony Barber THE FINANCIAL TIMES 20120603)
Everyone who is interested in the Second World War should read this book. (Laurence Rees WW2HISTORY.COM 20120604)
This is as comprehensive and objective an account of the course of the war as we are likely to get, and the most humanly moving to date. (John Gray NEW STATESMAN 20120611)
The book that Beevor has been building towards writing - and everybody else has been anticipating reading. (Donal O'Donoghue RTE GUIDE 20120602)
remarkably well-written and informative (Norman Stone LITERARY REVIEW 20120601)
This is the place to begin if you need to get your knowledge of the war in order. (Hew Strachan EVENING STANDARD 20120607)
This is history writ large. (James Owen THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH SEVEN Magazine 20120610)
Beevor is excellent at catching the individual in the flood-tide of events. (John Lewis-Stempel SUNDAY EXPRESS 20120610)
The book could not really have been done better. (MILITARY HISTORY MONTHLY )
A magnificent performance - true excitement from one page to the next delivered in faultless prose. (Christopher Silvester DAILY EXPRESS 20120615)
the whole story told in the author's usual erudite yet highly readable prose (DESPATCHES Magazine )
The heart of Beevor's appeal is precisely that straightforward narrative approach, coupled with his lively, engaging style and his use of memorable, almost cinematic, set-pieces. (HISTORY TODAY 20120626)
He is the most humanitarian of historians, and covers huge sweeps of history through the real stories of the individuals who experienced them. Reading this will be like having him walk me through the history of the war like a personal guide. (Kate Mosse )
This is a book demanding to be read. (Christopher Bray THE OXFORD TIMES 20120705)
a masterly understanding of the conflict's many facets (THE MAIL ON SUNDAY 20120715)
For as harrowing and politically convoluted as the years 1939-1945 were, Beevor writes with such a panache and literary flair, that the reader is almost uncannily charged to keep turning the pages at a rate of ten by ten, twenty by twenty, chapter by chapter - until such point that s/he has stumbled upon the end as if by chance, as if by default. (David Marx 20120716)
By deploying his keen eye for tiny detail and penchant for story telling, and then marrying them both with an acute historical investigation, Antony Beevor has once again written a book that is simply superlative. (David Marx 20120716)
This imposing history can both be read as a whole or dipped into, and never fails to inform. (WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? )
This book is a perfect mixture of world history and human experience, unbiased and highly readable. (THE JOURNAL 20120714)
As we have come to expect from this master, he excels at using eye-witness testimony to illustrate how mankind can be capable of both terrible cruelty and astonishing courage. (Andrew Rawnsley THE OBSERVER 20121125)
global history at its grandest and best (THE DAILY TELEGRAPH 20121124)
the most incredibly detailed research (Chris Tarrant THE SUNDAY EXPRESS S MAGAZINE 20121202)
a truly rewarding account of the global conflict. Beevor has a special gift for linking great events with individual testimony (Amanda Foreman MAIL ON SUNDAY )
Book Description
A magisterial, single-volume history of the greatest conflict the world has ever known by our foremost military historian
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
239 of 256 people found the following review helpful
By A. Jogalekar
Format:Hardcover
The sheer immensity of the Second World War is even now, after more ink has been spilt on it than on almost any other event in history, almost impossible to grasp. The war affected countless people in every conceivable small and big way, it changed the fate of innumerable nations and set the tone for issues with which we are still grappling, and it showcased the very best and very worst in human nature. Very few historians are capable of capturing this epic panorama of tragedy and triumph on paper. Happily for us, Antony Beevor is one of those chosen few who can. In the past few decades he has established himself as a war historian of the first rank. This volume can be seen as the culmination of a stellar career during which he has introduced us to the very nature of war and its human elements. Beevor's sweeping, magisterial account of this great conflict excels in three ways that are characteristic of his past scholarship on D-Day, Stalingrad and Berlin.
Firstly, Beevor delivers the raw strategic and historical facts with a relentless, crisp pace, covering all major events, participants and theaters of war. The history is informed by a treasure trove of material cited in the notes, including personal sources such as the invaluable diary of Soviet correspondent Vasily Grossman. There are 50 chapters and the title of each chapter describes the one or two key events narrated in it. The brevity of the chapters makes the book accessible and great for bedtime reading. A particular skill of Beevor's is in condensing the most important information in relatively brief paragraphs. Rather than provide separate extended quotes from the prime participants, he excerpts these quotes within the paragraphs.... Read more ›
Firstly, Beevor delivers the raw strategic and historical facts with a relentless, crisp pace, covering all major events, participants and theaters of war. The history is informed by a treasure trove of material cited in the notes, including personal sources such as the invaluable diary of Soviet correspondent Vasily Grossman. There are 50 chapters and the title of each chapter describes the one or two key events narrated in it. The brevity of the chapters makes the book accessible and great for bedtime reading. A particular skill of Beevor's is in condensing the most important information in relatively brief paragraphs. Rather than provide separate extended quotes from the prime participants, he excerpts these quotes within the paragraphs.... Read more ›
69 of 75 people found the following review helpful
By markr
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a superbly written, and very readable, account which covers the global sweep of the Second World War, with clear explanation of the factors which drove events at the time, as well as excellent narrations of the events themselves. There is also a strong human dimension in the writing - the motivations of the key players and the effects of war on the lives of combatants and civilians is recounted superbly, often in the words of those who were there.
Antony Beevor's magisterial, and superbly researched, history is not biased towards coverage of a particular geographical region or country. This history explains the events of the war in each of the main, and many of the smaller, theatres of war; there is much here for, example, about the events in Asia, as well as the war in Western and Eastern Europe. As a general reader i found much that was new to me, and many fresh insights into the events of which I already had fairly good knowledge
Beevor makes clear the horror of war, and its appalling human cost, whilst providing a highly informative, beautifully illustrated and very readable narrative.
Highly recommended
Antony Beevor's magisterial, and superbly researched, history is not biased towards coverage of a particular geographical region or country. This history explains the events of the war in each of the main, and many of the smaller, theatres of war; there is much here for, example, about the events in Asia, as well as the war in Western and Eastern Europe. As a general reader i found much that was new to me, and many fresh insights into the events of which I already had fairly good knowledge
Beevor makes clear the horror of war, and its appalling human cost, whilst providing a highly informative, beautifully illustrated and very readable narrative.
Highly recommended
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The Second World War by Antony Beevor is a well written book on an epic conflict on a global scale and a highly documented subject.
To take on a subject as complex and as multi-faceted as the second World War and still keep the narrative interesting would be a challenge to any author and yet Antony Beevor manages to do this in the books 879 pages.
The book deals with the all aspects of the War from the European and Pacific Theatres and their decisive battles and campaigns to the less well known ones such as those in North Africa, Burma and the campaigns in the Mediterranean region.
I also liked the way the book deals with not just the Major characters in the War such as Churchill, Hitler, Stalin etc... but also the perspective of ordinary soldiers on both sides and also the innocent civilians who got caught up in the conflict.
I first heard about the book through BBC History magazines Podcast where the Author Antony Beevor was interviewed and some aspects of his book and his approach to the material were discussed and it pricked my curiosity.
Needless to say the book is a compulsive read by an engaging author. I highly recommed it to those interested in the History of the World War Two and History lovers in general.
To take on a subject as complex and as multi-faceted as the second World War and still keep the narrative interesting would be a challenge to any author and yet Antony Beevor manages to do this in the books 879 pages.
The book deals with the all aspects of the War from the European and Pacific Theatres and their decisive battles and campaigns to the less well known ones such as those in North Africa, Burma and the campaigns in the Mediterranean region.
I also liked the way the book deals with not just the Major characters in the War such as Churchill, Hitler, Stalin etc... but also the perspective of ordinary soldiers on both sides and also the innocent civilians who got caught up in the conflict.
I first heard about the book through BBC History magazines Podcast where the Author Antony Beevor was interviewed and some aspects of his book and his approach to the material were discussed and it pricked my curiosity.
Needless to say the book is a compulsive read by an engaging author. I highly recommed it to those interested in the History of the World War Two and History lovers in general.
72 of 80 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim
TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
There is already a much more erudite and in depth review of the book above so all I can add are my impressions of it which may be of value to you.
Whilst I eagerly devour just about anything written about WWII I was particularly looking forward to this all encompassing book on the war. I am probably in the majority in that I have just finished Max Hastings' similar effort before tackling this and I have to say that this book is a much more - the only word I can think of is - entertaining read. It is truly a delight and I have finished it in a two day readathon. This has NOT been time wasted. I have one, probably obvious, caveat in that similarly to Mr Beevor's last book on D-Day there is not much new on display here. This could have been a problem had not well known events take on new resonance with the author's brisk and incisive style. For me this style still didn't make "D-Day" the great book it promised to be but it would appear that there is enough room when writing about the war as a whole to find nuggets that keep the pace going to the end.
All in all this book created a dilemma for me because in some eyes a 5 star review should be reserved for uncondtionally great books, and because this book largely goes over old ground perhaps it cannot be deemed "great" in that sense but I have looked at Amazon's "rules" and apparently a five star review should be reserved for a book one has "loved" and i loved this book.
Whilst I eagerly devour just about anything written about WWII I was particularly looking forward to this all encompassing book on the war. I am probably in the majority in that I have just finished Max Hastings' similar effort before tackling this and I have to say that this book is a much more - the only word I can think of is - entertaining read. It is truly a delight and I have finished it in a two day readathon. This has NOT been time wasted. I have one, probably obvious, caveat in that similarly to Mr Beevor's last book on D-Day there is not much new on display here. This could have been a problem had not well known events take on new resonance with the author's brisk and incisive style. For me this style still didn't make "D-Day" the great book it promised to be but it would appear that there is enough room when writing about the war as a whole to find nuggets that keep the pace going to the end.
All in all this book created a dilemma for me because in some eyes a 5 star review should be reserved for uncondtionally great books, and because this book largely goes over old ground perhaps it cannot be deemed "great" in that sense but I have looked at Amazon's "rules" and apparently a five star review should be reserved for a book one has "loved" and i loved this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
Totally absorbing, great depth of detail, and is providing many an evening of information to supplement my meagre knowledge of the subject.
Published 4 days ago by Colin
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best for me
As a non history scholar, Anthony Beevor seems able to collate and present the details in a clearly understandable way, it is horrific what soldiers on both sides had to go through... Read more
Published 8 days ago by A. K. BLAIR-RAINS
5.0 out of 5 stars
Thing I never knew
A very interesting and frightening account of war and its consequences for everybody. A lot of information about not only the fighting that took place but a great deal of... Read more
Published 19 days ago by graham
5.0 out of 5 stars
A huge book but a good read
Chronological account of the second world war, interspaced with first hand testimony. Thoroughly informative, but not dry, a really good read for anyone who wants to increase... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Mrs. Karen Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars
SECOND WORLD WAR
THIS WAS BOUGHT AS A PRESENT SO NOT SURE ABOUT CONTENT I ASSUME THAT IT WAS O.K. AS I WAS NOT TOLD OTHERWISE.
Published 26 days ago by BADGER
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent read
This is an excellent book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Found it hard to put down to go to sleep A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Published 28 days ago by Meirion Wynne
4.0 out of 5 stars
Detailed (for sure) but perhaps too much so
I read this book over a period of several months. I don't think that I could have read it from cover to cover in the way that I might do with other books. Read more
Published 1 month ago by RonnieC
5.0 out of 5 stars
Scholarly read
A thorough account and gripping read with all the horrors of the second world war. Quite different emphasis to Max Hastings' "All hell let loose" in that the latter was... Read more
Published 1 month ago by JACB
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Second World War
I bought this book in error. I am glad I did. It was the first book of this genre that I have read and it was excellent. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mac McAllister
5.0 out of 5 stars
A record of WW11
Mind blowing in its information and conclusions, leading to the obvious conclusion
It is a book to read and to keep to re-read !
It is a book to read and to keep to re-read !
Published 2 months ago by A.R.Kent
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