The Battle For History: Re-fighting World War II - Softcover

Keegan, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679767436 ISBN 13: 9780679767435

Publisher: Vintage, 1996

Synopsis

With the same erudition, discernment, and crisp prose that made his A History of Warfare an international bestseller, Keegan surveys the literature of World War II, identifying the works he finds most important and illuminating while examining the sometimes savage controversies raised by two generations of the war's historians.

About this title

Review:

Consider this book a means to an end: much of it is actually a bibliographic essay in which the distinguished military historian John Keegan points to what he considers the most important books on the Second World War. Anybody interested in the conflict will want to consult Keegan's list as they add to their personal libraries. Keegan also lays out the war's historiography, pointing out how much still is not known about what happened, especially on Europe's eastern front. He makes the surprising comment that the definitive history of the Second World War has yet been written. To the extent that no single person has expertise in the dozen or so languages necessary to grasp all of the essential literature on the subject--or the many years it would take to master this material--he may have a point. But has he forgotten his own one-volume book, The Second World War? In any event, this isn't the first, second, or third book on the Second World War that you will want to buy. But as your collection grows, you will find this one indispensable.

From the Back Cover:

Although fifty years have passed since the end of World War II, there has as yet been no definitive history of that conflict. Existing histories have raised as many questions as they answer: Did President Roosevelt have foreknowledge of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor? Might bombing the Auschwitz railroad have impeded the course of the Holocaust? Now one of our most esteemed military historians assesses the literature that has emerged from World War II - and the controversies that have arisen from that literature - in a book that combines stunning erudition with crisp prose and highly personal discernment.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0679767436
• ISBN 13: 9780679767435
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 128