Customer Reviews

World War II 365 Days

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This is a great buy for any WWII fan. It includes massive pictures, most in color. The only negative thing is that the time line doesn't go along with what is being read. Other than that- a magnificent book!

What sets this history of America in the Second World War apart from those that have appeared and will undoubtedly continue to appear is the pictures. Drawing from the Library of Congress's own collection, much enhanced by contributions for the occasion and material in other collections, such as the Smithsonian and the National Archives, World War II: 365 Days tells the story in a unique way. The combination of paintings, posters, drawings, photographs, and images and text from contemporary newspapers and books, produces a powerful impression. The result is a vast amount of material of great value, much of it never before published.

While this is not a general history of the war, the inherent bias of the collection allows the book to give a powerfully moving account of the American experience. And it would be hard to name a subject of the vast conflict that does not get some coverage. It would appear that the criteria for selection were quality and comprehensiveness. The relatively short shrift given the Eastern Front, for example, is balanced by the sheer power and quality of the images we have of that stupendous struggle. The criterion of "one battle, one picture" leads to a sense of imbalance, but the high quality of what is provided compensates for this.

The images tell the story almost by themselves, and the contemporary accounts and commentary give a valuable context. The conventions of the Library of Congress 365 Days series do not detract from the general narrative. The commentary and captions could have done with some tighter editing, preferably by someone with expertise on the military history of the conflict, but the images and the personal accounts do the heavy lifting. The Introduction by David Kennedy is a wonderfully succinct essay that is in its own way a real contribution to the history of the war.

We are indebted to the Library of Congress for this impressive selection of images.

Anyone expecting a cohesive telling of World War ll should try somewhere else. Each page tells a story and these are interesting, well written pieces of writing but not at all immediately related to each other or events in sequence. This was found very disappointing but, buyers beware, look at the book very carefully before buying. The second and most disappointing aspect of the book was the virtual disregard of the Allies' effort in that war. This is not good for new readers of for those seeking a reliable history. For those hoping to see something of their own country's efforts, look at the book very carefully. The general tenor of the book is a view of the enemy and the superlative efforts of the US with some help here and there from some other nations. Perhaps those privileged to have an upbringing and education in the US may have this idea of single-handedness and perhaps it might be a true perspective - in time. After all, President Obama, in a recent interview (May 2010) with a Russian correspondent barely mentioned the so-calleds allies of the US.