The Story of the Second World War

Compiled in the war's immediate aftermath, Henry Steele Commager's The Story of the Second World War had a profound impact when first published in 1945. It remains important today. The book presents a broad spectrum of contemporary writing about the war by such figures as Winston Churchill, John Steinbeck, Walter Lippman, John Hersey, and William Shirer. It also contains stirring narratives by the soldiers and civilians who experienced the war on the frontlines or who felt its effects back home. These remarkable firsthand accounts from all of the major theaters of the war -- augmented by the great historian's commentary -- tell us much about how the twentieth century's greatest event was perceived at the time it was experienced.