In the original dustsheet. Maroon cloth binding with white title on the spine.

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A pacy, compelling and penetrating account – from the great Norman Stone

‘The best short primer on the war in twenty years’ Andrew Roberts

Norman Stone’s gripping book tells the narrative of the Second World War in as brief a compass as possible, making a sometimes familiar story utterly fresh and arresting. As with his highly acclaimed World War One: A Short History, there is a compelling sense of a terrible story unfolding, of a sceptical and humorous intelligence at work, and a wish to convey to an audience who may well have no memory of the conflict just how high the stakes were.

Reviews:

Professor Norman Stone has achieved the impossible; he has somehow written a comprehensive history of the Second World War in just under 200 pages, summarising the entire conflict while leaving out nothing of importance and bringing his lifetime of study of the subject to bear in a witty, incisive and immensely readable way … Norman Stone has proved yet again that he is one of the most original, witty and powerful British historians writing today — Andrew Roberts ― Standpoint

The joy and strength of this compact history, besides its trenchancy and, in the publishers’ words, the “sceptical and humorous intelligence at work”, is its narrative clarity … a book to clear the mind — Allan Mallinson ― The Times

Novices will receive a painless introduction, but educated readers should not pass up the highly opinionated prologue and epilogue and the author’s trademark acerbic commentary throughout … Readers of all stripes … will find plenty to ponder ― Kirkus Reviews