Words of War
The story of the Second World War revealed in eye-witness letters, speeches and diaries
Book
Paperback/Softback
320 pages
978-1-4722-8813-4 (ISBN)
Description
During the Second World War, across the frontline as well as on the Home Front, millions of people recorded their thoughts of their experiences - whether in letters, their personal diaries or those prosecuting the war giving speeches. Much as Letters of Note celebrated the great letters written through history, so Words of War allows the Imperial War Museum to showcase it's incredible array of first-hand material to shine a light on how people journeyed through the 1939-45 conflict.
Ten chapters take the reader chronologically through the key moments of the war: from the retreat to Dunkirk to the battle of the Atlantic; the savage fighting in the jungles of the far East to the RAF Bomber Command's campaign in Europe; the discovery of the Nazi's concentration camp system to the war's ultimate conclusion at the Nuremburg trials. One hundred documents are researched and selected by the Imperial War Museum's expert archivists, with commentary from their head Antony Richards explaining the significance of each and placing it in context to the war's progression. Readers will be able to engage and empathise with the writers in a thought-provoking and immediate way.
Ten chapters take the reader chronologically through the key moments of the war: from the retreat to Dunkirk to the battle of the Atlantic; the savage fighting in the jungles of the far East to the RAF Bomber Command's campaign in Europe; the discovery of the Nazi's concentration camp system to the war's ultimate conclusion at the Nuremburg trials. One hundred documents are researched and selected by the Imperial War Museum's expert archivists, with commentary from their head Antony Richards explaining the significance of each and placing it in context to the war's progression. Readers will be able to engage and empathise with the writers in a thought-provoking and immediate way.
Reviews / Votes
It is a remarkable treasure trove, beautifully assembled, and a snapshot testimony to the incredible breadth and extent over which the war was fought and experienced first-hand. -- James Holland Extraordinarily powerful and mesmerising - there is a haunting intimacy and immediacy about these recovered letters, documents and images that opens a window directly into the past, vividly summoning the darkest days but also the greatest courage and endurance and the fascinating quirks and passions of human nature in war. -- Sinclair McKayMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
Yes - exact number TBC
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Weight
41 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4722-8813-4 (9781472288134)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Anthony Richards (Author)
Anthony Richards is the head of Documents and Sound at IWM. Since 1995, he has worked on the diaries, letters and memoirs in the museum's care and is responsible for its extensive collection of personal testimony in both written and audio form. He has contributed to many publishing projects and is author of The Somme: A Visual History.
Anthony Richards is the head of Documents and Sound at IWM. Since 1995, he has worked on the diaries, letters and memoirs in the museum's care and is responsible for its extensive collection of personal testimony in both written and audio form. He has contributed to many publishing projects and is author of The Somme: A Visual History.