Customer Reviews

The American Heritage New History of WWII

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have used this book for reference for my World War II classes this year in high school & I am considering buying 50 or more copies for teaching my World War II classes next year. I have previously used the predecessor of this book, World War II by C. L. Sulzberger, c.1970 for many years. This book was the most readable short concise history of WW II I could find & this new book is even better with the additions of Ambrose. The new one also is hardback so it will last & it is larger print & has more pictures & extra comments about items of interest. I have read about WW II all of my life & continue to do so with avid interest & I like this book as a good general history of the war. If you want more detail you might want to go to individual titles over battles or campaigns, but if you want a good general working knowledge of WW II this is an excellent choice.

This attractive and fairly substantive book is another welcome addition to the pantheon of books covering the Second World War, serving to introduce the neophyte to the massive worldwide conflict through the employment of a credible narrative with the clever and helpful photographs, maps and charts placed alongside the text to aid learning and understanding. While not the kind of masterful text as some other books on the subject, such as Gerhard Weinberg's superb "A World At Arms", or the even more recent "A War To Be Won" by Murray and Millett, this revised version of the American Heritage book is a good teaching resource for use at either the high school or introductory undergraduate college level course.

It is expensive, and for that reason is likely less often utilized as a standard text that would otherwise be the case. Yet, given the average cost of a single hardbound text in school bookstores these days, its hefty price tag is not unreasonable given all the collected merits the book delivers. Featuring a new introduction by the late Stephen Ambrose, dean of the popular WWII authors until his recent demise, the book quite handily incorporates a lot of additional material into the text and uses dozens of new photographs as well as a bevy of updated maps, charts, and other devices all geared toward greater understanding of one of the most complex and far-fetched historical phenomena in modern history.

As with the original version, the revised text features over 700 dramatic and visually haunting photographs, artist's renderings, cartoons, and state of the art computer-aided maps. Thus the student can gain a much-improved understanding of how battles progressed, the strategic importance of certain situations, and the ways in which opposing forces deployed and then redeployed to gain advantage over the course of a particular engagement. Given the fact that WWII has had such a monumental impact on the world and for subsequent history, this book provides a stunning opportunity to engage students, capture their imaginations, and compel learning by offering a plethora of meaningful media through which to do so. I highly recommend this book for use in the classroom, and for anyone wanting an entertaining, educational, and eminently useful book covering the waterfront that was World War Two. Enjoy!

Although a bit too "patriotic", this was a good read from start to finish. Recommend for those who know little about the biggest conflict in history.

More depth was needed for pre-war Pacific Theatre. More charts, maps and technical descriptions would have been good as well.

Zulzberger's book makes excellent use of photographs to enmesh the reader in the era of WWII. In addition, ample annotation and explanations are given. Highly recommended.

Reading the phenomenal new Second World War novel, "The Triumph and the Glory" rekindled my interest in WWII. Looking around for other books to read, I was happy to see that American heritage upgraded their classic "History of World War II" and ordered a copy right away. I love all of the superlative photography, and the text and commentary, as in the earlier edition, is first-rate. Thank you American Heritage.

Naturally, no single book can ever hope to adequately detail the events between 1939-1945, but this is a great start. For anyone interested in World War II, the politics surrounding it, as well as the military actions, this is a great addition to any home library. Not just a fine looking coffee table book. You WILL read this cover to cover!

Although the book has been written from an American perspective, the written content and the photographs are well balanced. A reader may think that too much importance is given to United States. Yes and No. Yes, because the entry of United States changed the whole proportion of World War II. No, because a fair amount of coverage has been given to fighthing at other hemispheres (although from a birds eye view of an American).

Winners write and rewrite history. This book has been written by United States. If you do not mind that, then it is a really fascinating book.

The book is well balanced with writting and photographs potraying World War II. I felt it more like a movie.

The book is a good one. I bought a old one in almost new condition for $10 and I never repented the money spent.

Stephen Ambrose has done it again. His writing style is accessible and informative. The narrative is well balanced and covers most issues very well. There is however a shortage of material on the persecution of Europeans and Asians by the Nazis, and Japanese.

As a broad reference on the subject this book is unmatched. Readers of Ambroses other books on the European conflict of WWII may find portions of this book redundant; sometimes lifted in whole portions from Ambrose's other works.

Overall though, thoroughly enjoyable.

Although a little "patriotic" in flavor, this book had me entranced. Excellent photographs. More coverage of the Japanese theatre prior to the war would have added to the book. Timelines, tables, statistics and better maps would have been a welcome addition as well. All in all a joy to consume!

This book is the best book I have read about WWII.It talks about History's worst catastrophe. This book is by no means the whole story of the war. No one book can contain the complete history of it. However this book does a remarkable job by covering in words and pictures of one of the greatest human tragedies. This book has pictures on every page (more than 700 pictures). New computer generated color maps take you through the opening gambits of Germany to the Japanese surrender on board the Missouri in 1945. It takes you from the rise of Hitler, to Battle of Britan, from the attack on Pearl Harbor to the Battle of El Alamein,from the war in the Soviet Union to the Battle of the Bulge. It talks about the secret war ,spies,espionage,radar and sonar,jet aircraft developed by the Germans, to the Atomic Bomb dropped on Japan. It talks about Eisenhower, Patton, Montgomery, as well as Field Marshall Erwin Rommell (The Desert Fox) and Admiral Karl Donitz, as well as the atrocities of the Holocaust. This book does a remarkable job in showing you the various weapons each country had on its side. From Panzer tanks and Messerschmitt Me-262 jet aircraft to the B-29 flying-fortress. This book is a must buy, if you want to learn about WWII.