Total War - The Causes and Courses of the Second World War

An examination of the causes and courses of World War II. This edition takes account of the flood of official archives and personal memoirs that have been made public in recent years. These have necessitated a review of the policies of appeasement in Europe and Japan in the 1930s. For the war itself, Peter Calvocoressi has woven into his narrative the story of the broken Enigma ciphers that he was not allowed to tell in the first edition. John Pritchard, using his knowledge of the pre-war problems and policies of the Powers in East Asia and the proceedings at the Japanese war crimes trials, gives an analysis of the disintegration of the European Empires of the East and the triumphs, horrors and retributions of the Japanese war on land and sea.
This book is not for the casual reader. It is however, an excellent choice for the serious amateur historian or student of World War II history who wants to gain an above average overview of this pivotal episode in world history. Even professional historians will find the book enlightening. Some readers may find the Penguin history intimidating and/or even excessive with its 1,344 pages, but publishing a book on the Second World War is so difficult on so many different levels that it should be considered a tremendous achievement on the part of Calvocoressi, Wint and Pritchard. Readers would have to purchase a twenty-four volume encyclopedia on World War II to gain the knowledge and insights that readers will get from Calvocoressi, Wint and Pritchard condensed, single volume book.