The Second World War

"Cataclysmic" best describes World War II. It began when Germany invaded Poland in 1939. But by the time it ended six years later, it had involved every major world power and claimed 30 million lives.

It was a matter of life and death, of the survival of nations. Few doubt that it was a war of moral necessity; some even call it the last good war. In one brilliant volume, Martin Gilbert chronicles its complete history from a global perspective. Told as a gripping narrative, it preserves the lessons we dare not forget.

"Gilbert is a cool and thorough historian, with a splendid gift for the telling detail." (The Listener)