Customer Reviews

World Almanac of World War II: The Complete and Comprehensive Documentary of World War II

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I'm very sorry that this book is no longer in print. As a graduate student of history, I refer to it constantly, and I have found it to be the best all around reference book on the Second World War. It combines a day-to-day chronology of the war, biographies of major figures, and lengthy essays on the weapons of war. It is remarkably balanced in its views, and its only significant shortcoming is that the Holocaust is not given adequate treatment.

Although this book contains very little in the way of photographs, it still provides an excellent day by chronology of the entire war. For a small single volume work of just over 600 pages, it contains a wealth of information that will not be found in other works. The back section is devoted to reviews of the major land, sea, and air assets and tactics used by the axis and allied powers. I particularly like the review of the British Gloster Gladiator where the book states: "The pity is that it had to be used at all."

I'm very sorry that this book is unavailable now. It is an excellent day-by-day chronology of World War II for both European and Pacific theaters, giving the reader a good feel for the flow of events. My only criticism is something common to many books on World War II: inadequate coverage of the Holocaust. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone wanting an introduction to the War