A Short History: WWII

Product Description

The Second World War is the nightmare that sits at the heart of the modern era; a refutation of any notion of human progress that haunts us seventy years on. Norman Stone's gripping book tells the narrative of the war in as brief a compass as possible, making sometimes familiar events fresh and arresting. Focusing both on the key moments in the war and on the wider reasons for it taking its course - the hopes and delusions of the leaders whose decisions destroyed the lives of millions, and the great military clashes that decided the conflict - he unfolds this story with scepticism, imagination and brilliance.

'The best short primer on the war in twenty years . . . Norman Stone has achieved the impossible; written a comprehensive history of the Second World War in just under 200 pages . . . bringing his lifetime of study of the subject to bear in a witty, incisive and immensely readable way.' Andrew Roberts, Standpoint


'Do we really need yet another mini survey of the conflict? Of course not. Except if it written by Norman Stone. Pithy, opinionated, preposterously readable.' John Lewis-Stempel, Sunday Express

'A model of micro-history . . . illuminating as well as often amusing.' Ian Thomson, Spectator

'Analyses the conflict with clarity and brevity . . . The joy and strength of this compact history, besides its trenchancy, is its narrative clarity.' Allan Mallinson, The Times

'A masterful - and concise - account of the horrific sprawl of WW2 . . . written with customary verve . . . brief but never breathless.' Ashley Jackson, BBC History Magazine