Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures [Hardcover]

Richard B. Stolley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 2001

Mining the extensive LIFE archives and the finest photo collections, this is a picture history of unparalleled depth and power. Included are remarkable unpublished images, like photos of Hitler taken by his personal photographer, alongside the classic LIFE coverage that brought the war home. From the escalating tensions of the pre-war world to the German blitzkrieg, the shock of Pearl Harbor, the fighting on land, sea, and air, D-Day, the atom bombs, and the wars historic aftermath, legendary journalist Richard B. Stolley takes a fresh look at the most important global event of the 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This oversize album of 665 photographs taken from the archives of Life magazine and other collections begins with the years 1919 to 1939, the two decades leading up to World War II. Editor Stolley then proceeds to chronicle the war, year by year through 1945, and ends with what he calls "the war's aftermath," 1946 to 2001. These photographs document such momentous events as the civil war in Spain; Hitler's rise to power; Germany's conquest of France, Denmark, Greece, Norway, Belgium, Poland, and the Netherlands; the Nazis' bombing of Britain; Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union and the siege of Stalingrad; the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the war in the Pacific; the war in North Africa; the Holocaust; and the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. For World War II buffs, the book is a natural treasure. George Cohen
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Richard B. Stolley is Senior Editorial Adviser of Time, Inc. He is the editor of LIFE: Our Century in Pictures and LIFE: Century of Change.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Time Warner (October 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821227718
• ISBN-13: 978-0821227718
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #306,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating yet Frightening, November 6, 2001

By 

David E. Levine (Peekskill , NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures (Hardcover)

Beware, this picture book of World war 2 is unsanitized. If you can stand to look at frightening pictures, this book may be for you. It reproduces pictures such as a full color photo of a German soldier being comforted by his comrades after his arm was shot off, showing his arm laying on the ground next to him and showing the dazed expression on his face. If you are not too squeamish to look at that, then you may have the stomach for this book. Many pictures of Nazi atrocities are included as well as pictures of amputee refugee children. There are many other types of photos too, such as typical battle scene shots and pictures of the homefront. However, for the most part, this book is unvarnished.

We have seen many war pictures showing battle scenes. We have also seen pictures of the wounded in a somewhat unrevealing manner. This book does not hold back. If you want to see the horrors of war, buy this book but be prepared to be troubled after looking through it and if you have nightmares afterwards, don't say you were not forwarned.

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A BREATHTAKING TRIBUTE TO A HORRIFIC TIME, November 20, 2001

By 

Sandra D. Peters "Seagull Books" (Prince Edward Island, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures (Hardcover)

Images of World War II are portrayed here with all the intense emotion that the memories evoke. The book was of particular interest to me since both my parents, now deceased, served in the armed forces overseas in various countries during this period of time. In addition, any publication by Life Magazine is worth its weight in gold and of extreme quality, clarity and vivid photography. This book is no exception. I recall quite clearly my mother's descriptions of the German "blitzkrieg" and the book does an excellent job of portraying that. As one turns the pages, stories unfold of a time which many of us do not fully understand or remember because we were so young at the time; however, the dramatic stories passed on to us from a previous generation come to life through the vivid pages of this book. This work is a beautiful tribute to those remaining individuals who fought for our freedom and those who gave their lives. It is a highly recommended book and most deserving of far more than five stars.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pictures that Speak Volumes, April 8, 2004

By 

Born to Read - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures (Hardcover)

In Lenigrad under siege, a couple pulls a sled bearing a tiny coffin. In Coventry, a priest leads his congregation in prayer, surrounded by the ruins of their cathedral. In the field, a bleeding German soldier is comforted by his comrades, his right arm lying in the foreground. In Kent, schoolchildren watch a dogfight with expressions ranging from horror to delight. In Rotterdam, the city is leveled as far as the eye can see, except for a lone church. In an internment camp in Wyoming, two Japanese-American soldiers, visiting their families, stand honor guard beside the casket of a Japanese-American World War I veteran. Every picture in this remarkable book reminds us that the story of World War II is much more than a collection of battles and troop movements; each reminds us that the war produced a multitude of heartbreaking stories played out all over the world.

The book surveys the entire war, year by year. Each year is introduced with an essay by a well-known person (e.g., writer John Keegan introduces 1944) and includes photo-biographies of distinguished and infamous people, such as FDR and Churchill, Hitler and Mussolini. Each year also includes a section called "Then/Now," which seeks to relate some aspect of the war (e.g., war criminals) to subsequent history up to present day. A minor criticism of the book is that these attempts to make the war "relevant" seems a bit of an intrusion in the telling of the larger story.

This collection of outstanding photographs is as moving as it is comprehensive. If you have a deep interest in World War II; if you are looking for an easy-to-digest survey of the entire war; if you enjoy photography as an art form; or if you are moved by depictions of the human condition, to you I recommend this book.