The New York Times Book of World War II, 1939-1945

Starred review from October 15, 2013

This well-priced large volume and accompanying DVD-ROM (not seen) presents almost 100,000 pieces from the morgue of the Times, with accompanying photos or maps, representing its war coverage for the duration, including pieces about the home front as well as the battles around the globe. After a generic foreword by Tom Brokaw, there's a very useful introduction, "History in the Raw," that explains the value of this primary source material on an epic we have sought to define and describe in retrospect over and over. Overy (history, Univ. of Exeter; Why the Allies Won) discusses the contours of communication about this war, from the simplifications pronounced by the "fighting powers" and propagandists, to the challenges of on-deadline reportage day after day. He reminds us of the many separate conflicts embraced by the name "World War II." The pieces here in fact start with coverage of the 1919 Treaty of Versailles and include several marking Germany's post-World War I evolution and Hitler's rise. VERDICT This is a book to lose yourself in, to witness the war transmuted into print for the masses of readers living through it and anxious to follow its twists and turns. No less fascinating as a study of newspaper writing. Essential.--MH

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2014
This collection of articles from the New York Times during the era of WWII recounts the horrors of a war as they unfolded. Prefaced by a jingoistic foreword by Tom Brokaw, the insightful groupings of primary sources are allowed to speak for themselves, conveying a story only those willing to travel to the front lines could tell. Included among the chronologically arranged entries are numerous black-and-white photos that add additional insight to the gripping narrative of the war, as seen through the Times correspondents. An accompanying DVD contains the complete archive of Times coverage. A superb volume for high-school and public library collections and WWII buffs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)