The Definative WW2 History Book

Ponge

I'm on a bit of a history/documentary kick at the moment and I'm just finishing up Che: Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary War and have really enjoyed it. I'm looking for a large book detailing as much of the history of the 2nd world war as possible (or alternatively seperate books dealing with battles/front). I've read Stalingrad by Antony Beevor and enjoyed it so something similiar would be great.

I'm especially interested in the politics/specifics of the start of the war.

RUNN1NGMAN

I think this is supposed to be one of the better one-volume histories of WWII. I'm not sure how much this deals with politics.

http://www.amazon.com/Second-World-War-John-Keegan/dp/0143035738/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Ponge

That looks pretty perfect, bravo!

GrimReaper

If you're also looking for anything tv based then I highly recommend The World At War which won a load of awards and is voiced over by Laurence Olivier. The only downside to it, is that when it was made the fact that the UK had totally and utterly broken Enigma and all the efforts associated with it like Colossus is totally omitted because it was still a secret in 1973.

TexiKen

Citizen Soldiers by Stephen Ambrose is very good but is only about the US soldiers in the European Front

Mr. Pokeylope

If you enjoyed Stalingrad, how about Anthony Beevor's other WW2 book "The Fall of Berlin 1945".

kaliyama

John Lukacs' the Last European War is good. I'd recommend more academic historical tracts if you want an in-depth look at the war.

Wiley

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer is really good and really long.

1ddqd

Wiley wrote: »

Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer is really good and really long.

QFT, enjoyed this mucho - read it for High School World History.

Hahnsoo1

I'm currently running a roleplaying game that is set in the US during 1941-1945 (it's a variant of "Godlike", using "Wild Talents" rules). The vast majority of books out there only talk about the military aspects of the war. Currently, I'm reading "Don't You Know There's A War On?", which talks about US home life during World War II, and it's quite good. It gives you a wide perspective on movies, music, politics, hysteria, and the military-industrial complex during World War II in the US, and makes for a great companion book to any other World War II "battles and blah blah blah" that you are reading.

Cheerios

I recommend The Waged of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy by Adam Tooze. I just started reading it myself and I have found it to be very insightful, especially since economics is fundamental to the study of fascism in Germany.

Also, not to derail the thread....but does anybody have any good recommendations for good civil war books? Possibly something about to the Savannah campaign...

Wiley

Regarding the Civil War, Shelby Foote's series is pretty good, but it covers the entire war in three volumes so it's pretty broad. Also not what you were asking about but Grants Autobiography is really good for a man nobody would have accused of being a great writer. And Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson is really solid.

GrimmyTOA

How about The Second World War?

1) It was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature.
2) It was written by Winston Churchill, so horse's mouth and all that.

Obviously the pro-Anglo slant will be strong, and it isn't exactly brief, but it has been more or less the definitive history of the Second World War for the last fifty-five yeas or so.

Bogart

Max Hastings stuff is pretty great as well. His Overlord (D-Day), Armageddon (about the invasion of Germany) and Nemesis (about the fall of Japan) are all fine reads. Also, Beevor has a new book out about D-Day.

Also, another great account of the Civil War is Bruce Catton's three-volume Centennial History.

Lurkbot

I would heartily second the recommendation of John Keegan's "The Second World War". If you are looking to dive into reading about the era it's a great one-stop, catch-all book that will provide enough depth to let you know what you want to follow up on while still covering the entire conflict.

In addition to the military course of the war the book also covers its origins, economics, and a good section on the guerrilla war behind the fronts.

If you are more interested in different battles or theaters of operation, then which ones? A book covering Kursk, while on the Eastern front, probably won't quench your thirst if you were more interested in the launching of Barbarossa or the battle of Stalingrad.