World War II (1931-1945)
“The Second World War presented a mirror to the human condition which blinded anyone who looked into it.” — Norman Mailer, “The White Negro: Superficial Reflections on the Hipster” (1957)
Of the endless ocean of books on the Second World War, we have dozens and dozens of new and carefully chosen titles. I define it as beginning with the Japanese Empire’s invasion of Manchuria and ending with not only V-E and V-J Days but also the immediate crises of displaced people, the Soviet Union’s creation of the Iron Curtain, and the growing revelations of the extent of the Holocaust.
In significant ways the Second World War was the defining crucible of the 20th Century. The First World War was prelude, the legacy of the 19th Century’s imperialism, and the Cold War was the sequel. Of the making of books about it there is no end — but the persistence of good research and good writing, and good publication underscores the war’s centrality of the world we live in today and the world our descendents will live in for the foreseeable future.
FDR at War Boxed Set: The Mantle of Command, Commander in Chief, War and Peace
FDR at War Boxed Set: The Mantle of Command, Commander in Chief, War and Peace
The definitive three-volume history that FDR did not live to write: the story of World War II from his perspective, showing his mastery of strategy, his vision, and how he overcame resistance from Churchill and his own generals to set the course for victory. The Mantle of Command, Commander in Chief, and War and Peace have been celebrated as “masterly” (Wall Street Journal).