A groundbreaking collaboration between bestselling historian James Holland and award-winning artist Keith Burns, The Second World War: An Illustrated History is a new account of the key battles and critical turning points in the conflict. Most books about the Second World War are illustrated with black and white photographs but An Illustrated History presents the war in full colour, bringing the text vividly to life and leaving nothing to the imagination.
The book is a compilation of volumes that Holland and Burns produced for Ladybird Books, the iconic illustrated brand within the Penguin Publishing Group. It is aimed at a wide audience, from history enthusiasts and prospective GCSE students to those who want to make sense of current events by putting them in an historical context.
Holland is the author of many non-fiction and fiction books about Second World War and has made extensive broadcasts for television and radio. He is also the cofounder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival in Wiltshire. Speaking ahead of the publication of his new book, here Holland discusses writing complex history for a general audience, the continuing relevance of the Second World War and this year’s upcoming festival.
A LADYBIRD HISTORY
What was the idea behind writing The Second World War: An Illustrated History?
It’s a compilation of the books I wrote for Ladybird Books. Their editor asked if I would be interested in doing a series of 12 books on the Second World War and I jumped at it because Ladybird Books are iconic. It also meant I could work with Keith Burns, whose work I knew, and frankly he’s a genius. There isn’t a book like this. It’s nice to have the individual Ladybird books but it’s also good to have a single volume of them. It was a no-brainer, really.
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Denne historien er fra Issue 120-utgaven av History of War.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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THE ANGELS OF BASTOGNE
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REICH TO REPUBLIC
INTERVIEW WITH FRANK TRENTMANN From defeat and division to democracy, the historian examines Germany's struggle with post-war guilt, memory and reconciliation
THE SPARTACIST UPRISING
The fledgling democratic republic of Germany was forced to immediately fight for its existence against communist insurgents bent on its destruction
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Could Mexico have claimed vast swathes of territory, including the potentially gold-rich California, in a huge blow to US expansion?
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The final rising of the radical left during the Weimar period was followed by the sharp decline of communist influence in Germany
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THE RUHR UPRISING
After the Kapp-Lüttwitz Putsch, radical left-wing workers united in a violent bid to establish a Soviet-style government
THOMAS J HUDNER
This US Navy aviator fought a desperate battle against time, flames and the brutal North Korean winter in an attempt to rescue his trapped wingman
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