Good book on the Second World War?

[franch]

DH has been dipping into the Churchill one but it's a bit overwhelming - neither of us have even an 'O' level in history but have lately resolved to educate ourselves so he's looking for something with a good readable narrative - not some sort of idiot's book of facts, but nothing unduly dense or heavy either. I assured him MN has the answer on everything so don't let me down ...

I've just finished Niall Ferguson's The War of the World. It's about the wars of the 20thC rather than just WW2 but it puts the whole thing into context. I found it very readable with plenty of quotes and anecdotes.

Do you want a history of the war covering all countries involved or from British experience or a social history? There are thousands of books out there.

I saw a book in the library - Children's War Diaries or something? I feel I should read it but am being cowardly about it atm. Strong stuff.

Difficult question. If you had a book that covered the second world war in more detail than a list of facts, it would be about 4 feet thick!

Is there any area (time period, geographic area, political aspect, technical aspect for instance) that takes your fancy?

For example I have lots of books on the code breaking activities at Bletchley (10 at last count) which really interest me, but most people would find deadly dull. I also have many different books about different battles, subjects and points of view of the same battles. Instead of trying to find one book that explains it all, try browsing in the bookshop or on amazon for a subject that jumps out at you. After that one, maybe find a book that relates to the first one (think of it as a chain).

Assuming you are looking for books from a UK perspective, I would suggest you start with some of the more well know subjects, for instance:

1. D-Day
2. Events leading to Dunkirk
3. North Africa (El-Alamein, Operation Torch)

Other areas which can explain what it was all about:

1. Eastern Front (Battle for Moscow, Leningrad, Stalingrad)
2. Battle of the Atlantic (U-boats, Bismark, Convoys etc)
3. Far East Battles against Japan

I hope this helps

sue - many thanks

I think to start with DH wants to understand why it happened, how it started, the geography involved etc - ??

Sorry if that's vague but I think you need a certain level of knowledge before you can work out precisely what it is you want to know ...

AJP Taylor - The Origins of the Second World War is the classic.

Looks ideal - thank you - suedonim's choice excellent also

Yes, that's exactly Niall Ferguson's take on it, Franch. His theory is that it was to do with 'tribalism' and empire. I found it v educational. I was born in the 50's and no one ever talked about the war then. It certainly wasn't covered in school, hence my knowledge was lacking, to say the least.

Thanks sue

Ian Ousby is also extremely good on Vichy and the Occupation of France

Great - thanks marina

'Wartime Britain 1939-45' by Juliet Gardiner is the best book I have read on the home front in that period, but obviously not for overseas or miltary strategy etc.
Also definitely recommended is 'We are at War' edited by Simon Garfied, which is basd on the mass-Observation archive, so real people writing theri diaries during that period - absolutely fascinating.

'Wartime Britain 1939-45' by Juliet Gardiner is the best book I have read on the home front in that period, but obviously not for overseas or miltary strategy etc.
Also definitely recommended is 'We are at War' edited by Simon Garfied, which is basd on the mass-Observation archive, so real people writing theri diaries during that period - absolutely fascinating.

If you've got time for a 1000-page read, it's William Shirer's The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. It sounds like more than you could digest, but the narrative is gripping enough to keep you reading to the end.

world at war?

Not quite what you are looking for but I do recommend Antony Beevor's books on Berlin or Stalingrad as excellent reads.
Band of Brothers is a good book/DVD of the American aspect of D day you may have seen th series on TV a while back, the inteviews with the old soldiers are very poignant.
The Bedford Boys is also a very good read, a sad story about how people signed up for the National guard to escape the recession in the 30's but found themselves called up for the war in the 40's.
Max Hastings has some books that may be worth looking at, again he is a bit of a popularist but it is easy reading if you are just getting into it.
The best book on the Eastern front I have found is Alan Clarkes The eastern front, it was written in the 1960's and to me it still stands out today as a good overview of the whole war on that front.
Lastly maybe have a look at Ian Kershaw's books on the rise of Hitler and Hitler from 1933 to his suicide. very good reads.
I second the recommendation on Wlliam Shirer as well.

Also you do not say where you live, but why don't you go to London and visit the imperial war museum, on the way out there is a gift shop which will have loads of books too.

These books aren't so much about the general why etc, but I found them very interesting for the personal perspectives.

Finest Hour by (1940 from personal perspectives)
End of the Beginning (1942 from personal perspectives)
both written by Phil Craig and Tim Clayton
they use the same interviews for both books so it's fascinating to see the same characters at different times. One officer is followed from the BEF to the desert amongst other stories.

The longest Day (D-Day)
A bridge too far (Operation Market Garden - Arnhem etc)
Both by Cornelius Ryan, taking a higher level strategic view of each event. You've seen the films made of the books no doubt but the books do have a lot more detail. O

I've got a couple of Stephen Ambrose books as well. I particularly like Pegasus Bridge as it follows the people involved in that operation from recruitment to the end of the operation.

I've also got Liddell Hart's History of the First World War and History of the Second World War but have to confess to being too intimidated to read them. maybe I should make sure to read one of them next.

The Lost Voices series which are from the oral history archive of the Imperial War museum are fantastic. Real people from all sides talking about what they experienced, but set into chapters with the history and background explained.

I found them just so readable, and then gave me a context to hang the more academic books onto

Lot of dads on this thread I notice.
I suggest a book by Frank Laskier called My Name Is Frank which is the transcription of his BBC radio broadcasts from Liverpool during the war, about his previous life as a Merchant Seaman, before he was torpedoed by the Nazis and left floating about on a raft in the Atlantic for 36 hours with his leg hanging on by a thread ...

It's a bit difficult to track down, but H.G.Wells Brief History of the World covers a lot of the background to and the action in the second world war. It is very immediate because he wrote it during the war itself. He finished the book in 1944 so he didn't actually know the outcome of the war. This makes it a very fresh account.

I second the AJP Taylor, a clear and thoughtful examination of why and how it happened ; all the elements in Europe that led to it and the catalysts that set it off.