Dec 09, 2008 at the end of his book, the second world war, john keegan offers a list of 50 books in english that together provide a comprehensive picture of the most important events and themes of the war, which are readable and from which the general reader can derive his own picture of the war as a. Oct 20, 2015 audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3 tanks history. A conflict of unprecedented ferocity, it abruptly ended the relative peace and prosperity of the victorian era. John keegans the second world war is a onevolume general history of the 193945 conflict, and it should be read more as an introductory text rather than a comprehensive thisisthe book thatexplainsthewholedarnedthing opus.
The latest book written by john keegan, currently the most widely read military historian on both sides of the atlantic, is a survey of the second world war. You had a book a couple years ago, the history of world war ii. Buy the second world war by john keegan online at alibris. In this comprehensive history, john keegan explores both the technical and the human impact of the greatest war of all time.
Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part. An informed and informative accounting of a horrific war that, the author suggests in an affecting epilogue, might just have saved the world from widerranging. John keegan, author of a history of warfare, when did you start working on this book. About the author john keegan is the defence editor of the daily telegraph and britains foremost military historian. Sir john desmond patrick keegan obe frsl 15 may 1934 2 august 2012 was an english military historian, lecturer, writer and journalist. The second world war part 1 of 6 audiobook full by atony bevoor. This book describes the horror of trench warfare, details the attacks and defenses, the generals attempts to break the stalemate, the mathematics of attrition, the political motivations, and most importantly, the effect on nations that established the groundwork for the second world war. The first world war by john keegan, paperback barnes. The book proceeds chronologically through the war, but chapters appearing at appropriate moments focus on particular themes, such as war production, occupation, bombing, resistance, and espionage. John keegans points out in the second world war that supply of food, raw materials, of finished products, of weapons themselves, lies at root of war.
First published in 1994, this book provides a comprehensive look at the great war from its beginning in 1914 until its end four years later. The second world war by john keegan, paperback barnes. This volume also includes a certificate of authenticity and a publisher note on the twovolume collection. John keegan books list of books by author john keegan. Best military history of first world war as of 2019, i own 40x books on the great war aka ww1. It killed 50 million human beings, left hundreds of millions of others wounded in mind or body and materially devastated much of the heartland of civilization. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, air, maritime, intelligence warfare and the psychology of battle. John keegans landmark military history of world war ii praised as the best military historian of our generation by tom clancy, john keegan here reconsiders his masterful study of world war ii, the second world war, with a new foreword. Praised as the best military historian of our generation by tom clancy, john keegan here reconsiders his masterful study of world war ii, the second world war, with a new foreword. The asphalt soldiers ballantines illustrated history of world war ii. Unnecessary because the train of events that led to its outbreak might have been broken at any point during the five weeks of crisis that preceded the first clash of arms, had prudence or common goodwill found a voice.
Keegan examines each theater of the war, focusing on five crucial battles and offering new insights into the. Ballantines illustrated history of world war ii the violent century. All were excellent well written, interesting and informative and this book. Though few onevolume histories of world war ii have been published in the last ten years, the 50th anniversary of the wars start has inspired new works. Feb 26, 2018 the second world war by john keegan in this comprehensive history, john keegan explores both the technical and the human impact of the greatest war of all time. Complete summary of john keegans the first world war. At the end of his book, the second world war, john keegan offers a list of 50 books in english that together provide a comprehensive picture of the most important events and themes of the war, which are readable and from which the general reader can derive his own picture of the war as a guide to deeper reading. The definitive account of the great war and a national bestseller from eminent military historian john keegan 2018 marks the centenary of the first world war the war that created the modern world. John keegans landmark military history of world war ii praised as the best military. John keegans books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our world, the masks of command, fields of battle, and a history of warfare. This book is the 344th greatest nonfiction book of all time as determined by.
Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3 tanks history. John keegan has 103 books on goodreads with 105669 ratings. From primitive man in the bronze age to the end of the cold war in the twentieth century, keegan shows how armed conflict has been a primary preoccupation throughout the history of civilization and how deeply rooted its practice has become in our cultures. While keegan certainly doesnt cover every aspect of the war he in fact explains that he will not attempt to do this in his prologue he does do an admirable job presenting the war contextually for readers. With the first world war, john keegan, one of our most eminent military historians, fulfills a lifelong ambition to write the definitive account of the great war for our generation. John keegan, may 15, 1934 august 2, 2012 john keegan was born in london, england on may 15, 1934. See all books authored by john keegan, including the first world war, and the. However, the woed brazil does not appear in a kindle search inside his book. On the second world war by john keegan im starting of a list of best sellers of the world war ii era with several books of history about the war, before i launch into the actual best sellers. No modern history, military history, or the 20th century. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1. This page contains details about the nonfiction book second world war by john keegan published in 1990. He lived in wiltshire, england, until his death in 2012. Keegans book is a useful and largely traditionalist account of and introduction to world war ii he tends to discount revisionists who might.
Second world war by john keegan the 344th greatest. The second world war by john keegan 1990, paperback 1 product rating about this product. Used items may not include supplementary materials such as cds or access codes. Nov 26, 2014 keegans book is a useful and largely traditionalist account of and introduction to world war ii he tends to discount revisionists who might claim that roosevelt knew about pearl harbor before it happened or that truman wanted so badly to test the nuclear bomb that he ignored any possibility that the japanese might surrender before it was. Probing the mystery of how a civilization at the height of its achievement could have propelled itself into such a ruinous conflict. The second world war can be read with profit by students of the period as a memoir by a leading participant rather than a comprehensive history by a professional and detached historian. Few french and british communities lack a memorial to the dead of the second world war. It destroyed a century of relative peace and prosperity and saw a continent at the height of its success descend into slaughter. A graceful writer as well as a knowledgeable student of martial history, he enlivens his chronicle with wry wit, e. He focuses on five crucial battles and offers new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of modern warfare. The second world war part 1 of 6 audiobook full by atony. The book proceeds chronologically through the war, but chapters appearing at appropriate moments focus on particular themes, such as war production, occupation. John keegan s the second world war 1989 is the apollonian counterpoint to max hastings inferno 2011.
Keegan purges much of the blood and guts from the story. The first world war inaugurated the manufacture of mass death that the second brought to a pitiless consummation. In his history of the second world war, john keegan manages to wrestle the global upheaval of 19391945 into a mere 608 pages. Audiobook the second world war by john keegan part 1 of 3. The second world war by john keegan 1990, paperback ebay. May 03, 2005 john keegans, the second world war, is a detailed overview of the greatest conflict in history. Keegans history of the first world war opens, unexpectedly, by talking about adolf hitler, and what i liked about this book was the way it presented 191418 as just the opening convulsions in a longer twentiethcentury cataclysm to which it remains intimately connected. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the second world war.
Praised as the best military historian of our generation by tom clancy, john keegan reconsiders his masterful study of world war ii, the second world war, with a new foreword keegan examines each theater of the war, focusing on five crucial battles and offering new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of modern warfare. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new. All were excellent well written, interesting and informative and this book is no exception. Jan, 2018 the second world war part 1 of 6 audiobook full by atony bevoor. Keegans history of the great war is a masterpiece for the ages, in his acute perceptiveness of the military and political dimensions of that conflict. John keegans the second world war is a masterfully written dissertation of wwii. Argument the second world war killed a bunch of people all over the world. John keegans the second world war 1989 is the apollonian counterpoint to max hastings inferno 2011. The million who died in the siege of leningrad are a dependent clause.
Thats a complete surprise to me, and to her, i think. The second world war by keegan, john and a great selection of related books. Sep 21, 1989 historian john keegan packed all of the second world war in one book of 595 pages and did it well. The second world war, particularly the period from 1940 to 1942 when britain fought with the support of the empire and a few allies, was the climax of churchills career and his inside story of those days is. Its too short 595 pages, not counting the bibliography or index for that. After graduation, he went to the united states on a grant to study the civil war. The definitive account of the great war and national bestseller from one of our most eminent military historians, john keegan. The author gives his readers a behind the scenes view of deliberations conducted at the highest levels leading up to the major battles in each theatre.
John keegan, who is british, puts the civil war into broad historical context amid historys great conflicts, from the napoleonic wars and world war i to vietnam. The best onevolume treatment available, the second world war by john keegan is an outstanding synthesis of an enormous amount of material on the largest single event in human history. Allied strategy and tactics in the second world war. I can say that imho this is the best singlevolume military history of the first world war. The first world war was a tragic and unnecessary conflict. He received a degree in history from balliol college, oxford in 1953. His narrative of the second world war fails to live up to the expectations set by the first, which is more than forgivable, given its far greater scope. John keegan s most popular book is the first world war. This is no surprise since john keegan is generally regarded as the gold standard for authors of military history. Keegan examines each theater of the war, focusing on five crucial battles and offering new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations of. Warpaths, the battle for history, the first world war, and.
An excellent look at the american civil war john keegan is one of my favorite authors of military history and i have read many of his books, including his biography of winston churchill which was a bit of a change for him. The second world war by john keegan 1990, paperback. The first world war volume is signed by john keegan in blue ink on a signature page that precedes the title page and includes a signed edition notation on the book s spine tail. John keegan the second world war the second world war is the largest single event in human history, fought across six of the worlds seven continents and all it oceans. John keegans books include the iraq war, intelligence in war, the first world war, the battle for history, the face of battle, war and our. Granted, there were certain battles that were shortchanged or not mentioned at all but that is bound to happen when both the european and pacific theaters are being covered.
The concise, cohesive narrative arc of this work demonstrates not only keegans mastery of the endless particulars of the conflict that do not make their way into his description of it, but also his skill at plucking out of those myriad particulars those bits of. Historian john keegan packed all of the second world war in one book of 595 pages and did it well. John keegans, the second world war, is a detailed overview of the greatest conflict in history. The world at war 19391945 or antony beevor recent book the second world war. The second world war, particularly the period from 1940 to 1942 when britain fought with the support of the empire and a few allies, was the climax of churchill. Book club choice april 2020 a history of the second world war that covers all the war fronts, the fighting on land, at sea and in the air, the activities of resistance and partisan groups, espionage, secret intelligence, strategy and tactics, war leaders, generals, admirals and air marshals, individual acts. Keegan examines each theater of the war, focusing on five crucial battles and offering new insights into the distinctive methods and motivations pdf of modern. Im sure someone has already asked some guidance on this subject, but i just joined this group and i would love some help on choosing a one volume book history of the wwii.
The second world war by john keegan 1989, book, illustrated. Jun 05, 1999 keegans history of the first world war opens, unexpectedly, by talking about adolf hitler, and what i liked about this book was the way it presented 191418 as just the opening convulsions in a longer twentiethcentury cataclysm to which it remains intimately connected. Coral sea, midway and submarine actions, may 1942august 1942. The second world war part 1 of 6 audiobook full by. He was the defense editor of the daily telegraph london.
A brilliant and comprehensive history of the second world war, including both. One of the best books ive read about world war i is the first world war. In this comprehensive history, john keegan explores both the. Complete summary of john keegans the second world war.
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